CSDH President's Report for July 2021
To say 2021 has been an incredible year for the CSDH thus far would do a disservice by understating the word “incredible”.
Before I describe our achievements, I do have to express the entire Board’s profound appreciation to Dr. Timucin Ari. Timucin was a founder and an original Director of the Board of the CSDH. His vision to start a Canadian Society was instrumental in bringing us to where we are today. Timucin, although still a member of the Society, decided to step down as a Director and I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge his significant contributions.
There are indeed too many highlights to mention in this summary. To see the entire report please go to the website Canadian Society of Disability & Oral Health (csdh.ca)
A few memorable accomplishments that warrant inclusion are:
· The continuing relationship with Rick Guidotti and his organization,
Positive Exposure - The spirit of difference Positive Exposure | The spirit of difference
and connecting him with McGill, Manitoba, and Dalhousie Deans. Rick is a professional photographer whose life work is to capture images of the beauty in “individuals and communities at risk of stigma and exclusion” and to ensure they “are understood, embraced, and celebrated”.
· Growth of our Board to nine incredible, dedicated directors. CSDH Board
· Zoom meetings with Drs. Vincent Siasoco and Ron Kosinski of NYU, discussing undergraduate dental curricula to include material relating to oral care for people with special needs. With this shared information the CSDH would be able to assist Canadian schools in their curriculum development incorporating information about, and clinical experience with people with special needs.
· Zoom meeting with Dr. Jacob Dent from Lake Charles Louisiana (20+) Dr. Jacob Dent | Facebook and Dr. Brooke Fukuoda of Jerome, Idaho Your Special Smiles PLLC to discuss how they teach and care for people with special needs.
· Discussions with John O’Keefe from CDA Oasis regarding a series of webinars to be produced with the assistance of CSDH Member, Dr. Sharat Pani and Director Dr. Serena Kassam.
· Collaborating with the CDA with the publication of “Getting Started” and furthering work on the Case Complexity Transitioning document and the Trauma Informed Dentistry document.
· Development of our strategic plan, preparing it for final approval by the Board.
· Revision of the bylaws by Dr. Paul Romanson and Ms. Barbara Rand ready for approval by the Board and ratification by the members at our next AGM.
· Initiation of work in our newly named Advocacy Committee to be chaired by Ms. Joan Rush.
· Our renamed Scientific and Education Committee is now chaired by Dr. Sharat Pani, who is involved in a major national research project.
· Our Scientific and Education Committee, along with the Communications Committee, is preparing to provide our members with short video clips, highlighting best ways to manage patients with special needs.
· Our Student Committee has facilitated the establishment of five student chapters, and is making plans for regular educational meetings this next year. It is also planning on continuation of journal club, taking it nationally.
· Our Special Olympics Committee has put tons of work into developing the virtual assessment programme and this will be started in earnest by the fall, with a couple already having been done with great success. A research project is underway by a hygienist in BC on the impact of this programme.
· Contributions by Dr. Bruce Hill with his webinar on doing orthodontics for people with special needs; Dr. Chantal Czerednikow with her talks to McGill Dental students and hosting an incredible webinar with Aboutface Canada, NEWS & Webinars (csdh.ca); Dr. Clive Friedman with his work and presentation on FOP, a rare birth disorder NEWS & Webinars (csdh.ca), and an upcoming presentation by Ms. Heather Coulter-Jackson to the CDHA. All of these cannot be understated with regard to their impact and relevance to the CSDH and its membership.
As President I am extremely proud, not only of how much our Society has accomplished in its first year and a half, but also of where we are going with projects currently under way. Some of the exciting work we are doing and things to look forward to and for you to consider participating in are:
· Special Olympics Directorship
· Developing a series of webinars on “what and how to”
· Reconstructing the web site
· Developing our Advocacy Committee
· Continuing to develop connections with academic centres and provincial and federal associations
· Continuing to develop student chapters across Canada
· Providing Canadian representation at the iADH Congress in Paris in 2022
We can only achieve our goals with your assistance. Consider participating by joining a committee, becoming a mentor or joining the Board as a Director. Be a champion and spread the word. Tell your friends and colleagues about the Society, the work we are doing, and encourage them to join.
I leave you then with a challenge; think strongly about getting more involved. The challenge may be new and unique, but the rewards are immeasurable. Just imagine what we can accomplish together.
All my best for the remainder of 2021
Olaf
Dr. Olaf Plotzke
President, CSDH
President’s message
Dr. Olaf Plotzke-President
President’s 2020 Year-end Message (Version française ci-dessous)
Dear CSDH member,
As we near the close of what has been a very interesting and challenging year, I wanted to take a few minutes to update you on the society’s 2020 activities.
I know many of us are extremely busy, hard pressed to find time to review the volume of professional information disseminated through our networks, and I appreciate your continued investment in the society.
We have come a long way this year - revising our bylaws, finalizing our policies, and working through our strategic plan. Our incredible board continues to produce engaging webinars, brochures, and forms in collaboration with the CDA. We are also building strong partnerships with Special Olympics, educational institutions and organizations such as the CDHA and CASDA.
In the coming weeks we will be preparing a summary of our activities for the annual general meeting, which will include financial statements and the draft of the strategic plan to be considered by the members at this meeting.
I encourage all of you to review the website to learn more about our activities and member resources.
The entire board has worked tirelessly to shape the society into the organization it is today.
Despite a year of unprecedented challenges, we are proud of what we have accomplished.
We will be reaching out to all of you soon to share opportunities to participate in society operations, and the various committees that we have established. This information will be available on our website before the end of the year.
Please consider renewing your membership to our society. Look for a follow-up email with membership renewal instructions.
I would also encourage those of you that have graduated from your educational programs to consider becoming full members, with the extra benefit of becoming members of the iADH at no extra cost.
Please allow me to extend my thanks for your support of our unique organization.
I wish you all a healthy and meaningful holiday season, however you choose and are able to celebrate.
Most sincerely,
Olaf
Pres. CSDH
Chers membres de la CSDH,
À l’approche d’une fin d’année qui s’est avérée à la fois très intéressante et pleines de défis, je voulais prendre quelques minutes pour vous mettre à jour au niveau des différentes activités de 2020 au sein de notre société.
Je sais que la plupart d’entre vous êtes extrêmement occupés, toujours à la recherche de temps pour mettre à jour la quantité importante d’informations professionnelles disséminées à travers nos réseaux. C’est pourquoi j’apprécie votre contribution et votre continuel intérêt envers notre société.
Nous avons bien évolué cette année que ce soit au niveau de la révision de notre régie interne et de nos politiques ou du développement de notre plan stratégique. Notre incroyable conseil d’administration continue de produire de la formation en ligne engageante ainsi que des brochures et des formulaires en collaboration avec l’Association Dentaire Canadienne. Nous établissons également de partenariats avec les Olympiques spéciaux, les établissements d’enseignement et les organisations comme CDHA et CASDA.
Dans les prochaines semaines, nous allons préparer un sommaire de nos activités pour l’Assemblée générale annuelle, vous y retrouverez les états financiers et une ébauche de notre plan stratégique que nous présenterons aux membres présents.
Je vous encourage tous à explorer notre site web pour en apprendre davantage sur nos activités et les différentes ressources disponibles pour nos membres.
Le conseil d’administration a fait un travail admirable afin de bâtir la société en l’organisation qu’elle est aujourd’hui. Malgré une année peu commune, nous pouvons être fiers de ce que nous avons accomplis.
Nous vous contacterons prochainement afin de sollicités votre intérêt à participer aux opérations de la société à travers les différents comités que nous avons créés. Cette information sera disponible sur notre site web d’ici la fin de l’année.
Nous espérons que vous renouvellerez votre adhésion à notre société une fois de plus. Soyez à l’affût d’un courriel à ce sujet indiquant les instructions à suivre.
J’encourage tous ceux qui sont nouvellement gradués de leur programme d’étude à devenir membre à part entière et ainsi adhérer à IADH sans frais supplémentaire.
Permettez-moi de vous remercier pour votre soutien envers notre organisation unique.
Je vous souhaite un bon temps des Fêtes en santé, peu importe la façon avec laquelle vous aurez choisie ou serez en mesure de célébrer.
Très sincèrement,
Olaf
Président de la CSDH
For more information about CSDH activities and membership application, please visit our web site at www.csdh.ca. It is up and running now to facilitate anyone wishing to join online.
Look us up on ;
facebook at Canadian Society for Disability and Oral Health and give us a like.
Twitter: @the_csdh
Instagram: @the_csdh
Or contact: Dr. Olaf Plotzke at president@csdh.ca
Ms. Carol Yakiwchuk at secretary@csdh.ca
Dr. Timucin Ari at treasurer@csdh.ca
