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International oral health leaders gather in London

Dr Nazik Nurelhuda receiving the 2014 Tony Volpe Award presented by Tony Volpe (left), trustee of the Global Child Dental Fund, and Stanley Bergman (right), Chairman of the Board and CEO of Henry Schein. (Photo: King's College London)

Mon. 5 May 2014

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LONDON – King’s College London Dental Institute recently held its eighth annual Senior Dental Leaders Programme (SDL-8). Designed to develop high-level leadership and management capabilities in oral health leaders from around the world, this year’s programme drew nearly 100 participants, including the largest ever cohorts from China and Thailand.

First conceptualised by Raman Bedi, Professor of Transcultural Oral Health, at King’s College London, the 2014 programme was organised by the Global Child Dental Fund at King’s and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

The intensive conference brought together dental policymakers, national chief dental officers, representatives from non-governmental organisations, and academics, who are all working to forge an international collaborative network with the goal of advancing the mission of a cavity-free world for children at the local, state and federal levels.

During the five days of sessions and workshops, the delegates exchanged knowledge, best practices, and strategic insights through facilitated networking, coalition building and leadership development activities. Each day of the conference focused on a different key topic, including “The global context and the leadership of strategy”, “Scenario planning and public health innovations”, “Team leadership and change management”, and “Public–private partnerships and leadership”.

Also at the event, Dr Nazik Nurelhuda received the 2014 Tony Volpe Award, which was sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive. Nurelhuda is Assistant Professor of Dental Public Health at the University of Khartoum in Sudan. With her extensive experience working with schoolchildren and children with special needs in oral health promotion programmes, she is currently rolling out a project with the University of Khartoum to deliver preventive services to mothers and children through dental homes.

She commented: “SDL-8 was a remarkable experience. The networking opportunity cannot be compared to any other meeting I have attended. To meet this many dental leaders, all passionate about improving oral health in children, was refreshing. The faculty was exceptional and inspiring. Delegates attended from all around the globe—from the Fiji Islands through Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines and China, all the way to Kenya, Tanzania and Sudan on to Ireland, USA and Mexico.”

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