Eimear O’Connell becomes first female President of the ADI (The Association of Dental Implantology )
Featured Products News Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 2nd January 2020
The Association of Dental Implantology (ADI) is a fast-growing organisation dedicated to professional education and networking in the field. It has more than 2,400 active and passionate members, who look to the organisation for leadership, inspiration and support.
As Abid Faqir steps down as President of the ADI following a very successful two years, the association is delighted to welcome Eimear O’Connell in his place.
Eimear has run her own private dental practice in Edinburgh since 1996. She has received her MFGDP and FFGDP from the Royal College of Surgeons London and a Diploma of Implant Dentistry from the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh. Eimear will be the first female dentist to become President of the ADI, having been involved with the organisation since 2007. She commented:
“Over the past ten years or so, there has been a change in the role of the ADI President that has increased the importance of reaching out to more members of our profession. This remains a key goal of the ADI as we attempt to deliver even more membership benefits that more professionals will find valuable. It’s about offering the resources and support individuals need to not only enter the world of dental implantology, but to also progress their skills with confidence. In particular, I hope to encourage more female dental professionals to get involved in the field of dental implants during my ADI Presidency.”
Ultimately, the goal is to help professionals provide the highest standards of care and treatment to all their patients. The ADI therefore supports professional education and offers its members access to various learning platforms and opportunities. Not least of these is the ADI Team Congress, held every two years. The 2019 event was a massive success, welcoming almost a thousand delegates through the doors in Edinburgh. Looking ahead to 2021, Eimear expects a slightly different format in order to continue building on previous successes.
“The ADI Team Congress 2021 is likely to be redesigned in order to allow easier attendance by the whole dental team. Teamwork is essential for effective implant dentistry and it’s important that we promote better skill mix utilisation to get the very best outcomes for our patients.
“It is just as important for dentists and their teams to more effectively use the cutting-edge materials and technologies available to us right now. As such, I hope to work more closely with our academic colleagues and industry members for future ADI events. With improved relationships between profession and trade, we can establish more joined-up thinking about everything from dental implant planning to delivery and long-term maintenance of dental implants, enabling more patients to benefit from this wonderful treatment modality.”
While education is a huge aspect of what the ADI offers both its members and the wider profession, that is not all it provides. Crucially, it is a friendly community of like-minded professionals who all share a passion for excellent dental implantology. It therefore provides an invaluable network of support; a place to turn when individuals need information, advice or inspiration. Whether professionals catch up with colleagues at events or as part of the ADI Members-only Facebook Group, it is always possible to seek guidance from more experienced clinicians or share interesting cases.
“The biggest thing the ADI wishes to be known for is education, but it aims to provide this within a supportive environment,” explains Eimear. “Dentistry can be a very lonely profession and collaboration between professionals should be strongly encouraged. It facilitates the sharing of information and best practice, ultimately benefiting patients, dentists and their teams, while raising standards across the board.”
The ADI currently offers an array of benefits for members to make the most of. Aside from the biennial ADI Team Congress, these include ADI Study Clubs, ADI Masterclasses, ADI Young Dentists Day and ADI Focus Meetings, as well as webinars, 50 free patient information leaflets and access to Dentinal Tubules premium membership for all ADI Clinician and First Five Years members. For more details on how the ADI could help you through the next stage in your career, visit the website.
For now, we would like to welcome Eimear to her new role as President of the ADI and wish her the very best of luck for the two years ahead.
For more information or to join the ADI, please visit www.adi.org.uk
