Growing up in Kindersley, a ‘big town’ by Saskatchewan standards, I understood that it wasn’t enough to just live in a community, you had a responsibility to contribute to it. At McGill, I was introduced to a worldwide community of diverse and interesting people that challenged me and broadened my perspective.
I grew up surrounded by a strong mother, grandmother and aunts and had lots of women role models, which helped give me a sense of self and confidence to achieve my goals. It was always understood in our family that education was important and we (my brothers and I) would go to university. After completing my undergraduate degree at the University of Saskatchewan, I wanted an adventure, so I moved to Montreal and started teaching Physical Education and English at West Hill High School.
The stars aligned when I arrived in Montreal. I learned that teaching high school wasn’t for me, but a colleague did inspire me with stories about her mother, a successful dentist in Sweden.
At that time there were very few female dentists in Canada. How timely that the Royal Commission on the Status of Women had been formed in 1967. It urged the universities to accept more women into their professional schools, and the professions to admit more women. Armed with a strong desire to become a dentist and emboldened by the Commission and women like Florence Bird and Judy LaMarsh, I applied to the McGill Faculty of Dentistry.
During my acceptance interview, Dean McCutcheon asked why I wanted to be a dentist and how long I would practice before I quit to start a family! In 1970 I wasn’t offended by the question, which couldn’t even be asked today. I responded by saying I thought I’d be good at dentistry and that a practice can be managed to permit a woman to be both a professional and a parent.
The Dean might have thought that women were a risk; he might have doubted our staying power. But he admitted Cathy Ballard McGregor and I to the class of ’74. Looking back we were pioneers; women now represent 50 per cent of the profession. The four years flew by as we were exposed to every aspect of the profession. The amazing faculty and very dedicated clinical instructors represented the best of McGill.
After graduation in 1974, I began general practice in Vancouver. Two years later I chose the specialty of endodontics. By giving patients an option to avoid extraction, it changed the landscape of dental health. In those days it was like being an ER doc who was on call day and night. There was immediate gratification from patients who were no longer in pain and were able to keep their tooth. It was perfect for me.
In the ’80s, the number of women in dentistry was still small, so with a few colleagues we started an informal meeting series for women dentists, the B.C. Women’s Dental Society. We felt less isolated in our small female dental community. We would discuss not only issues that our male colleagues never considered, like parental leave and childcare, but also practice management issues from a woman’s perspective like dental assistants and referrals. As importantly, we also encouraged women to go into leadership roles with dental organizations and associations. It was these colleagues who gave me the confidence to eventually serve the public and represent the profession as President of the B.C. College of Dental Surgeons. As more women entered the field of dentistry, our informal group became a part of the B.C. Dental Association.
Forty years after graduation from McGill I retired from practice in 2014. In retirement, I’ve become a teacher again at UBC’s School of Dentistry. I enjoy teaching and mentoring young students as they define themselves in their career, in the dental community and in their home community.
I urge them to internalize the obligations of a professional which I see as these: to ethically pursue excellence; to lead through teaching, mentorship or policy development; and to serve one’s community.
Reflecting on that interview with the Dean decades ago, I think he would be pleased with the outcome of his decision. My practice thrived, as did my family and I am one happy grandmamma.
Thank you, McGill University, for the opportunity to be part of your global family.