Left to right: UM dentistry dean Dr. Anastasia Kelekis-Cholakis, honoree Dr. Heinz Scherle, honoree Cindy Isaak-Ploegman and UM dental hygiene director Mary Bertone celebrate at the awards gala.
‘Spirit of giving back’ shines at gala for dentistry, dental hygiene alumni
When Dr. Heinz Scherle was attending high school in Selkirk more than 50 years ago, he broke a tooth.
The dentist who repaired the incisor discovered that the teenager also had a mouthful of cavities. Many more appointments followed. And during that lengthy process, Scherle awakened to his future career.
“I became more and more interested in what he was doing,” Scherle recalled while accepting this year’s Alumni of Distinction Award from the UM Dental Alumni Association at a gala on Sept. 27.
After being inspired by that first role model, Scherle graduated from UM in dentistry in 1976. He went on to practise in Selkirk for four decades, retiring in 2017. Throughout his distinguished career, he took on roles to uphold and advance the profession.
He has served for many years as a part-time instructor at the UM dental school; was president and a longtime board member of the Manitoba Dental Association; is the former Canadian Section president of the International College of Dentists; and has made extensive contributions to the National Dental Examining Board of Canada.
At the awards gala at the Fort Garry Hotel, Scherle urged younger dentists to find ways to give back.
“Volunteer for committees. Come to dental-sponsored events. Consider coming to the school to teach…. Outside of dentistry, coach your kids. Get involved in their school; get involved in your community. It’s an old saying, but you really will get more than what you give.”
Cindy Isaak-Ploegman, who has been an educator and mentor at the School of Dental Hygiene and the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry for more than 25 years, was honoured with the 2024 Alumni of Distinction Award from the UM School of Dental Hygiene Alumni Association (UMSDHAA).
Isaak-Ploegman earned her diploma in dental hygiene in 1989. She also holds a bachelor of arts and a master’s in adult education from UM.
An expert on preventing infection in dental settings, she is the infection prevention and control officer at the UM dental school and quality assurance officer with UM’s Centre for Community Oral Health.
Isaak-Ploegman co-founded the UMSDHAA in 2011 and was its longtime president. Her extraordinary service to the profession has ranged from chairing the complaints committee of the College of Dental Hygienists of Manitoba to editing the periodical of the Manitoba Dental Hygienists Association.
“It is her heart for service that stands out,” said her UM colleague Lorraine Glassford, who presented her with the award. “Cindy embodies the spirit of giving back.”
“My Christian faith is what drives me to make a difference,” Isaak-Ploegman said, describing herself as “truly blessed.”
The awards evening also paid tribute to the Dentistry Class of 1974. Eleven members of the 30-person class were on hand, celebrating their 50-year reunion. Classmates Dr. Jack Lipkin and Dr. Terry Koltek recalled student hijinks such as boarding a flight to Hawaii on the same day as a dentistry exam.
They expressed gratitude to their instructors and professors. “We never really thanked them enough,” said Koltek.
Dr. Anastasia Kelekis-Cholakis, dean of the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, said it’s exciting to see construction starting on the new building slated to open in 2027 on the Bannatyne campus, to be named the Dr. Gerald and Reesa Niznick Centre.
In keeping with the evening’s emphasis on giving, she encouraged her fellow alumni to support the fundraising campaign to equip the cutting-edge teaching clinics in the new building.
“The previous generation of Manitoba dentists ensured we had a great, well-equipped dental school, and we were privileged to receive an excellent, affordable education,” she said.
“Our turn has now come to pay this back, to leave the next generation of students not only an exceptional school … but also a state-of-the-art facility.”
