The College of General Dentistry (CGDent) has announced changes to the membership of its council, with four members newly appointed and two re-elected. Former British Association of Dental Nurses (BADN) chairman and long-time BADN member Debbie Reed, a dental nurse for almost 40 years, has been appointed to represent dental nurses.

Debbie, a fellow of the college, is a reader and director of Advanced and Specialist Healthcare in Global and Lifelong Learning at the University of Kent, was head of the University of Kent’s Centre for professional practice for eight years, head of digital and lifelong learning for nine, developed and runs its MSc in Advanced and Specialist Healthcare, and previously had a 23-year career in the Royal Navy. An affiliate member of the FGDP from 2008 until its transfer into the college, she was chair of the Dental Nursing and Orthodontic Therapy Working Group for the Career Pathways Programme which developed the college’s ‘Professional Framework for Career Pathways in Dentistry’, and was vice chair, now chair, of the inaugural board of the College’s Faculty of Dental Nursing and Orthodontic Therapy. She is a peer reviewer for the British Dental Journal and the Annual Clinical Journal For Dental Health, is on the editorial board of the Advanced Journal of Professional Practice, and was a contributor to ‘An introduction to clinical research for health and social care professionals’. Her qualifications include a doctorate in Education, an MSc in Human Resources Management, the FGDP(UK) Certificate in Dental Practice Appraisal, and a BA in Post Compulsory Education, and she is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy and honorary vice president of the British Society for Dental Hygiene and Therapy. In 2020 she received the BADN Outstanding Contribution to Dental Nursing Award; in 2021 she received the inaugural FGDP(UK) Janet Goodwin Award.

Louise Belfield, the previous representative for dental nursing and orthodontic therapy, has stepped down from the council to focus on her new post as academic head of assessment at Brunel Medical School.

Joan Hatchard, BADN chairman, said, “We are delighted that Debbie has been appointed to the College Council to represent dental nursing. She is a shining example of how much a dental nurse can achieve and a staunch supporter of dental nurses and dental nursing. BADN, the UK’s professional association for dental nurses, looks forward to working with Debbie and the college, supporting and developing the dental nursing profession.”

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