New President for Ontario Dental Association

First message - the importance of your oral health

TORONTO, June 1 /CNW/ - Toronto dentist Dr. Lynn Tomkins has been elected President of the Ontario Dental Association (ODA), the professional association that represents more than 7,000 dentists in the province.

"I feel privileged to serve as President," says Dr. Tomkins. "My first priority is to ensure every Ontarian knows that they need and deserve good oral health. When people have good oral health, it translates to good overall health - this is so important. I hope to spend the year working hard to get that message across to the public."

Dr. Tomkins' involvement with the ODA began when she served as a student member of the Board of Governors and as a member of the Student Services Committee in the late 1970s. Since that time she has served on the ODA's Economics Core Committee, General Council, and Committee on Intra-Professional Relations, Dental Hygiene Negotiations Task Force, and Audit Committee. She has also served as Treasurer of the ODA and represented the association on the Canadian Dental Association's (CDA) Dental Leadership Taskforce.

In addition to her service with the ODA, Dr. Tomkins also teaches as an Associate in Dentistry and Clinical Instructor in the Department of Oral Diagnosis and Oral Medicine at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Dentistry. In 2006, the University of Toronto honoured Dr. Tomkins with the Dr. A. Bruce Hord Master Teaching Award for excellence in clinical teaching and for making a significant contribution to the students' educational experience. She has also received numerous other awards from the Toronto Central Dental Society, the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario, the CDA, the ODA, and the University of Toronto as well as a number of academic awards throughout her education.

Dr. Tomkins is a member of many professional dental organizations and has held all executive positions within the Toronto Central Dental Society. She also served at a national level. As Student Governor, she was the first woman ever to serve on the CDA's Board of Governors.

Dr. Tomkins graduated from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Dentistry in 1981, and is in general private practice in Toronto.

She will serve as President of the ODA for 2010-2011.

For further information: Kari Cuss, Public Affairs & Communications, ODA, [phone] or [email protected]