Message from the President

Dear Alumni

A few months after graduating from dental school I received a call from Dr. Scott Leckie asking me if I wanted to attend a University of Manitoba Dental Alumni Association meeting. I didn't really know much about the organization at the time but I did have a few pleasant memories from the student vs alumni hockey games and so with a little reluctance I said "yes".

I quickly learned that UMDAA was about more than just these epic hockey games. I learned that they also fund the Dr. John Graham Memorial Scholarship awarded to a second year dental school student. I learnt of an impressive dinner hosted and organized annually by UMDAA to honor the alumnus of distinction for both dentistry and hygiene. After attending the event later that year I found that it lived up to all of the hype and it has been a pleasure to have been able to attend many AOD dinners since.

On the board of the alumni association we have a group of like-minded dentists that desire nothing more than the betterment of our profession. It is our mandate to become the voice for the University of Manitoba dental alumni. With each membership our presence and the change that we can affect grows stronger. As the incoming President of the UMDAA I am writing this message.

UMDAA has a member on the Dental Faculty Council which gives us a voice in the College of Dentistry at the administrative level. We have recently established an patient emergency fund which will provide funding for emergency services for those without financial means at the College. This is a benefit both to dental students and the underserved that seek dental treatment at the college. We also have a presence on the board of the newly formed Manitoba Dental Foundation.

We sponsor out of province alumni events such as the U of M dental alumni reception held annually at the Pacific Dental Conference in Vancouver.

I encourage all U of M dental alumnus to become members of the UMDAA. It is also my hope that Manitoba Dentists who graduated from schools other than University of Manitoba also decide to join us as an associate member. If you are interested in a more active roll, please feel free to contact anyone on the board at the UMDAA.

Best regards,

Dr. Jeffrey Bergen

President