The College of General Dentistry (CGDent) has announced that Dr Ralph Pickup FCGDent has been elected to the Mersey & North West seat on its Council.
Dr Pickup is a partner and general dental practitioner in a private dental practice in Clitheroe, Lancashire, where he accepts referrals for endodontic treatment. He graduated BDS from Newcastle Dental School in 1997 with distinction in restorative dentistry, and subsequently practised NHS dentistry in Newcastle, Stanley (County Durham) and Thornton Cleveleys (Lancashire). He holds a Diploma in Conscious Sedation in Dentistry from Newcastle University, both an Advanced Certificate in Facilitating Learning in Healthcare Practice and a Postgraduate Diploma in Endodontics from the University of Central Lancashire, the Diploma in Dental Health Services Leadership and Management and Diploma of Fellowship of the former Faculty of General Dental Practice UK (FGDP), and the Membership of the Joint Dental Faculties (MJDF) of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. A former FGDP Fellowship Facilitator, he is a Foundation Member, Founding Contributor, Fellow and Certified Membership Facilitator of the College of General Dentistry, as well as a donor to its recent Coat of Arms Appeal. Chair of East Lancashire Local Dental Committee and a member of the British Dental Association’s General Dental Practice Committee, he participates in his Local Dental Network and Dental Practitioner Advice and Support Service scheme, and has previously been an educational supervisor for NHS Foundation Training. A Fellow of the International College of Dentists, he is a member of the British Endodontic Society, American Association of Endodontists, Northwest Endodontic Study Circle, Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry, British Society for Restorative Dentistry and the British Society for Academic and Clinical Hypnosis.
He will be inaugurated at the College Council’s Summer meeting in London on Friday 12 June, and succeeds Janine Yazdi-Doughty FCGDent.
The Council is the voice of the College’s members, overseeing its role as a professional body and guiding its development to fulfil its mission. Elections are held annually on a rotational basis, with elected members serving three-year terms after which they are eligible to stand for re-election (subject to a lifetime limit of nine years’ service on the Council, including any past service on the National Board of the former Faculty of General Dental Practice UK).
Nominations will open in January 2027 for 11 seats on the College Council due for election next year:
- Faculty of Dental Hygiene & Dental Therapy
- Faculty of Dental Nursing & Orthodontic Therapy
- Faculty of Dental Technology & Clinical Dental Technology
- Faculty of Dentists
- Central London
- North Thames
- South West England
- Trent & East Anglia
- Wales
- West Midlands
- Yorkshire & Northern
Further information is available at cgdent.uk/opportunities
