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Big Picture Vision Earns Honour

A firm focus on the future of the profession has earned a member of the College of Dentistry’s Class of 1976 one of the highest honours in Manitoba oral health.

August 31, 2015 — 

A firm focus on the future of the profession has earned a member of the College of Dentistry’s Class of 1976 one of the highest honours in Manitoba oral health. Dr. Melanie Wood has been named the 2015 recipient of the Alumni of Distinction honour. The announcement was confirmed late last week by the University of Manitoba Dental Alumni Association (UMDAA), who present the award in conjunction with the college at the university.

“Dr. Wood has had a long and very active career in many different aspects of our profession and has earned the respect and admiration of her colleagues in the process,” said Dr. Danielle Jobb, president of the UMDAA. “I am also very excited as she becomes the first female to be honoured with this prestigious award.”

Over the course of a career that has spanned well over three decades, Dr. Wood has been extensively involved in many different aspects of the profession, including education and administration. For almost the entire length of her 37–year career, Dr. Wood served as a part–time instructor at the college of Dentistry where she had a pronounced influence on many future practitioners.

Dr. Wood joined the faculty shortly after graduating with honours as a member of the class of 1970, the only female in the class. At the time, she also earned the John W. Clay Gold Medal (Western Canada Dental Society) awarded to the student with the highest cumulative Grade Point Average over the course of the four years of the dental program. Also in education, Dr. Wood maintained extensive involvement with the National Dental Examining Board of Canada. Since signing on with the NDED in 1994, Dr. Wood now serves as Chief Examiner for the assessment of clinical skills.

Dr. Wood holds memberships in no fewer than nine professional organizations including the International College of Dentists, the Pierre Fauchard Academy and the American College of Dentists, a rarity among Canadian practitioners.
Closer to home, Dr. Wood has also been extensively involved in the development and administration of the profession in Manitoba. Outside of the profession, Dr. Wood has served in a volunteer capacity for many different groups and organizations including the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba and the Manitoba Naturalists Society. See attached release for additional details.

Dr. Wood will be presented with the honour at the annual Alumni of Distinction Awards Evening, slated for October 2, at the Fort Garry Hotel in Winnipeg. Tickets for the annual gala celebration are now available by contacting the College of Dentistry at the University of Manitoba: 204.789.3787. Email: cheryl [dot] demoissac [at] umanitoba [dot] ca

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