Dentalcorp, a partnership of Canada’s largest network of dental clinics, is supporting students and alumni of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry with a $1-million gift to enhance continuing education and development.
“One of our mantras from Day One was when you’ve got resources and you’ve got opportunity that comes with responsibility,” said Guy Amini, dentalcorp President. “As you evolve as an organization, you try to find ways to continue to do more in advancing the profession and taking those initiatives we think are important as an industry.”
The gift will support five Continuing Dental Education Courses through the Continuing Dental Education (CDE) program, establish the dentalcorp Speaker Series, and sponsor the Schulich Dentistry Alumni Reception, which takes place during the same time as the Ontario Dental Association’s annual spring meeting.
It also directs nearly $600,000 towards the Schulich Dentistry’s highest priority needs, helping support future dentistry leaders and addressing some of the school’s most immediate priorities.
“We are incredibly grateful to dentalcorp for their generosity,” said Davy Cheng, Schulich Acting Dean, said of the gift announced Thursday. “They have enabled us to increase educational offerings for students and faculty and support new opportunities to engage with Schulich Dentistry alumni. Their gift of undesignated funds ensures that resources are available to meet urgent needs in the learning and clinical environments within Schulich Dentistry.”
The dentalcorp Speaker Series will begin this fall and take place annually for the next five years. Available to current students and alumni, it will consist of 10 lectures by industry professionals and experts per academic year.
In addition, the gift supports one new Continuing Education Course each academic year for the next five years. Designed to help advance the field of dentistry by bolstering personal and professional growth of students and alumni, the courses will augment their clinical education and include topics such as practice management, patient care and the business of dentistry.
Schulich Dentistry has also named the dentalcorp Student Lounge.
Founded in September 2011, dentalcorp has been named among Canada’s Best Managed Companies for five consecutive years. It has 400 locations and 7,000 team members across Canada.
A large component of the company’s work is to help dentists improve the business side of their practices through dentalcorp’s strategic expertise and tactical resources – benefiting patients and of the professionals who help them, Amini said.
The gift to Western builds on dentalcorp’s values of collaboration, innovation, integrity and excellence, he continued. “We’re constantly trying to be better and elevate our game and the game of those around us.”
Many of dentalcorp’s dentist partners are alumni of Western. Dentalcorp also has a partnership with the Sinai Health System for the Centre for Advanced Dental Research & Care; its partners have donated dental care to needy Canadians through Give Back, Smile Back and supported Make-A-Wish Canada.
