Dental alumni awards announced
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Dr Derek Debuse and Professor Stephen Challacombe have won, respectively, the Alumnus Distinguished Service Award and the Alumnus of the Year Award. Now in its fourth year, the prestigious Dental Alumni Awards – hosted by the King’s College London Dental Alumni Association – were announced at the annual Dental Dinner on Friday 5 March.The Alumnus Distinguished Service Award is intended to honour a long-serving member of staff who has made a significant contribution to the Dental Institute or one of its constituent Schools. The award was presented to Dr Derek Debuse for his enormous contribution to the teaching of both conservative dentistry and sedation.
Dr Debuse qualified at the Royal Dental Hospital (RDH) in 1966 and since that time has taught part time firstly at the RDH as a Demonstrator – a position he held until it’s closure in 1985. Dr Debuse then joined United Medical and Dental Schools as a Senior Demonstrator in conservative dentistry, and, reflecting a career long interest in sedation, in 1989 became a part time teacher in the Dental Sedation Unit (now the Department of Sedation & Special Care Dentistry at the Dental Institute). He will be remembered by generation of students in that capacity as a calm presence in the sedation department, and one who always had time to give willingly his immense knowledge of the subject.
Even in retirement Dr Debuse continues to contribute to the work of the Department of Sedation and Special Care Dentistry as an Honorary Senior Clinical Teacher. He has also, since the inception of the Dental Alumni Association seven years ago, been treasurer, looking after the finances of both the Royal Dental Hospital Alumni Association and now the King's College London Dental Alumni Association.
Professor Stephen Challacombe, the Dental Alumni Association President and Vice Dean of the Dental Institute, was presented with the Alumnus of the Year Award for his outstanding and continuing contribution to dental research. The prize is awarded to a person who qualified at one of the constituent Schools and who has achieved national and international distinction in any walk of life and brought credit to the profession, directly or indirectly, with particular emphasis on the last three years.
Professor Challacombe has been Head of Department of Oral Medicine & Pathology (now Clinical & Diagnostics Sciences Group) for over twenty years and makes major contributions both clinically and academically in oral medicine, oral pathology, oral immunology and oral microbiology. His work has been recognised by his election to the presidencies of the British Society for Dental Research, the British Society for Oral Medicine, the European Association of Oral Medicine and the International Association of Dental Research. He has also been elected to the prestigious Academy of Medical Sciences.
Professor Challacombe commented: ‘I am naturally very pleased and honoured to be recognised in this way by the dental alumni (amongst the most acknowledgeable and discerning groups in the world!) It is very satisfying to be able to make a small contribution to the success of the Institute and dental research on the international stage.’
Nominations for the awards were sought from all dental alumni including current staff and the Alumni Executive made the award from the list of nominations.
Over 120 dental alumni, staff and students attended the Dental Dinner held at the luxurious City Grange Hotel in Tower Hill, London and enjoyed a raffle, run by the students from the Dental Society and entertainment from a caricaturist throughout the evening. Clinical Day was also hugely popular on Saturday, attracting over 300 attendees to Guy’s Campus for a day of continuing professional development and reunion.
Posted on 15 March 2010
Dr Debuse qualified at the Royal Dental Hospital (RDH) in 1966 and since that time has taught part time firstly at the RDH as a Demonstrator – a position he held until it’s closure in 1985. Dr Debuse then joined United Medical and Dental Schools as a Senior Demonstrator in conservative dentistry, and, reflecting a career long interest in sedation, in 1989 became a part time teacher in the Dental Sedation Unit (now the Department of Sedation & Special Care Dentistry at the Dental Institute). He will be remembered by generation of students in that capacity as a calm presence in the sedation department, and one who always had time to give willingly his immense knowledge of the subject.
Even in retirement Dr Debuse continues to contribute to the work of the Department of Sedation and Special Care Dentistry as an Honorary Senior Clinical Teacher. He has also, since the inception of the Dental Alumni Association seven years ago, been treasurer, looking after the finances of both the Royal Dental Hospital Alumni Association and now the King's College London Dental Alumni Association.
Professor Stephen Challacombe, the Dental Alumni Association President and Vice Dean of the Dental Institute, was presented with the Alumnus of the Year Award for his outstanding and continuing contribution to dental research. The prize is awarded to a person who qualified at one of the constituent Schools and who has achieved national and international distinction in any walk of life and brought credit to the profession, directly or indirectly, with particular emphasis on the last three years.
Professor Challacombe has been Head of Department of Oral Medicine & Pathology (now Clinical & Diagnostics Sciences Group) for over twenty years and makes major contributions both clinically and academically in oral medicine, oral pathology, oral immunology and oral microbiology. His work has been recognised by his election to the presidencies of the British Society for Dental Research, the British Society for Oral Medicine, the European Association of Oral Medicine and the International Association of Dental Research. He has also been elected to the prestigious Academy of Medical Sciences.
Professor Challacombe commented: ‘I am naturally very pleased and honoured to be recognised in this way by the dental alumni (amongst the most acknowledgeable and discerning groups in the world!) It is very satisfying to be able to make a small contribution to the success of the Institute and dental research on the international stage.’
Nominations for the awards were sought from all dental alumni including current staff and the Alumni Executive made the award from the list of nominations.
Over 120 dental alumni, staff and students attended the Dental Dinner held at the luxurious City Grange Hotel in Tower Hill, London and enjoyed a raffle, run by the students from the Dental Society and entertainment from a caricaturist throughout the evening. Clinical Day was also hugely popular on Saturday, attracting over 300 attendees to Guy’s Campus for a day of continuing professional development and reunion.
Posted on 15 March 2010