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News from the School

News from The School

Professor Peter Robinson took up the post as Head of School on 4th January 2016 so we prompted him to look back on his first six months at Bristol:
His first thought was to acknowledge how welcoming everybody had been.  “I spent the first few weeks going to speak to colleagues across the School and was really impressed with their openness and dedication.  I feel very lucky to be working as part of such an excellent team.
The School is in an excellent position, with a glowing GDC inspection report for the BDS programme and world leading and internationally excellent research highlighted in REF2014.
There are some important challenges ahead though.  We are a number of clinical academics short in Restorative Dentistry and unfortunately there is an international shortage in that discipline, so we’re going to have to think creatively about that.  Nicola West has taken on leadership responsibilities for the academic side of Restorative Dentistry, which will be a real help as she is creative, super-organised and knows everyone in the field.
Another thing we’ve started on is maximising students’ opportunities at South Bristol.  We’d like their experience there to mimic working in primary care as much as possible, finding the optimal blend between clinical excellence, patient-centred care and efficiency.  We’ve revised the booking system to allow this and are reviewing the patients on the recall list.  We’re hoping to make a number of clinical teaching fellow appointments at the dental hospital so that we can also move some of the learning from the tutorials at South Bristol up to the main building.
We’re also reflecting on the existing curriculum.   Rebecca John, Andrea Waylen, Nigel Robb and Dave Dymock are doing that at the moment. They held a hugely successful launch event earlier this month, which gave the process considerable momentum.  The existing curriculum is ten years old by now and we all know how much dentistry and oral health in general have changed in that time.  We need to know whether the existing curriculum is fit for purpose, whether it needs some tweaks or whether we need to revise it more substantially.  The group are due to report in September, which will be very interesting.  If there is more work to be done we will instigate a system to manage any changes, which James Tubman will lead with his usual thoroughness and imagination.
 
On top of all that, we’re introducing a new suite of postgraduate programmes this autumn, with a certificate in oral surgery, an MSc in Sedation, and with luck an MSc in Oral Medicine and Pathology by the new year.  A lot of people are working hard on this, guided by Tony Ireland and Dave Dymock.
 
We were very lucky to have Andy Ness to succeed Howard Jenkinson as Director of Research.  I think Howard had been in the role for 12 years, but Andy is raring to go.  He’s been exchanging ideas with all the School’s researchers over the last few months and will propose a new strategy in the coming months.  That strategy will need to fit in with our new PVC’s (John Iredale) approach to co-ordinate research across our faculty as well as Biomedical Science.  The intention is to focus on a small number of key areas for critical mass and strength.  This should suit us well as SORDS’ research maps directly onto these areas already.
 
We’ve had some real research endeavour and success.   Andy Ness collaborated with others across the faculty to submit a huge bid for a Biomedical Research Centre, which could position us very well for years to come.  Michelle Barbour’s spin-out company (Pertinax) has received £900k investment and is looking at introducing Chlorhexidine into dental restorations to reduce the incidence of secondary caries.  Given the distribution of caries this could be a much needed intervention.
 
We’ve also strengthened our ties with the Dental Hospital as there is much we can do for mutual benefit.  As the new lead doctor, Becky Davies has proved to be an open and committed colleague.  Our work together is not easy as we represent different organisations with sometimes competing priorities.  Yet we work well together. One result has been the allocation of the £450k capital budget, which has funded new equipment and upgraded facilities to the benefit of patients, students and staff.
 
It’s been a busy six months!   But I’d like to finish in the same way that I started, by thanking everyone for their welcome, their kindness and their hard work.  I look forward to working with everyone in the years to come.”
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General News

Olivia Alderson (née Millington), Year of 1997

It is with much sadness that we have learned of the sad passing of Olivia Alderson (née Millington) on 9th July following a 7 year battle with breast cancer.

She leaves a loving husband John and 3 boys, Harry, George and William.

The funeral is to be held on Friday 5th August at St Nicholas Church, Rotherfield Grey,  Nr. Henley on Thames

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General News

Declan Anderson Commemorative Bench

A commemorative bench, funded by his family and in celebration of the life of Professor Declan Anderson has been place outside the student common room.

IMG_2297  IMG_2296

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General News

Retirement of Norman Randall Thomas – October 2015

Norman Thomas graduated B.D.S. (Hons.) in Bristol in 1957 and went on to gain a B.Sc. in 1960 and Ph.D. in 1966. He was appointed a lecturer in dental medicine in 1962, working under Professor Darling, and remained in Bristol until 1968 – contemporaries will remember him as an energetic and very popular member of staff. In 1968 he moved to Canada on being appointed a professor at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, where he was made Professor Emeritus in 1990. In 2004 he was appointed Research Director at the Las Vegas Institute of Dental Studies which, on his retirement in 2015, honoured him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. He is now living in Edmonton and is Chancellor of the International College of Craniomandibular Orthopedics.

A son and grandson followed Norman to study dentistry in Bristol: Martyn, who qualified in December 1984, and Trystan who graduated in July 2008.

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General News

More News from Des Pyper (’68), Gambia

Des graduated in 1968 and retired from full-time work 5 years ago but becoming bored, has been working in Gambia as a volunteer dental “doctor”.

Des teaches, trains and acts as a GDP, working in Kotu with Swedish Charities set up in the ‘90’s by Lars Goran.

This is the only European clinic and village work is via back-pack consisting mainly of local anaesthetic forceps extractions.

If anyone could spare a couple of months it would be helpful as there are only 2 or occasionally 3 dentists trying to provide a service throughout the year.

DSCF0245 DSCF0248 IMG_0867 IMG_0870 IMG_0940 IMG_3300

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General News

Gordon Gray Retirement

Gordon Gray, after recent semi-retirements, has now fully retired. At a gathering in the Dental School on Friday 18th March Susan Hooper paid tribute to him for all he has done for the School and, on behalf of friends and colleagues, presented him with a greetings card full of signed messages, and a parting gift. From a small box he picked out a miniature table and then several miniature chairs. It’s assumed that he did receive a full-size set for his patio in due course.

Gordon came to Bristol from Glasgow in 1995 on being appointed Lecturer in Restorative Dentistry. He became Dental Clinical Dean in 2003 – his 12 years in this post will have set an unsurpassable record. He was a member of our alumni association committee and led many tours of the Dental School for reunion groups, which were greatly appreciated – he has kindly offered to continue doing this during his retirement.

Gordon will continue living in Bristol but will also escape from time to time to his bolt-hole in sunny Spain.

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General News

Professor Declan Anderson 1920 – 2016

It is with much sadness that we have learned of the death of Professor Declan Anderson.

He died peacefully on the morning of Easter Sunday.

You may read an obituary here (opens in new window).

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General News

New Reunion Reports Received

New reunion reports have been received.

Read about them here

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Uncategorised

2015 Student Elective reports added (Updated):

BDAA are pleased to be able to support student elective projects.

Please click here to view them.

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General News

Chris Stephens Reports…

William Pennington (1740-1829)

William was born in Bristol England where his father was a Custom Officer at what was then a busy inland port. This was not surprising as his distant relative, Sir Joseph Pennington MP was Commissioner of Excise for the British Empire, a post he held in succession to his grandfather. In due course William’s brother James succeeded his father as Custom Officer at Bristol but William, who seems to have been well educated, joined the Guards. In 1764 he was appointed colonial Customs Officer for the port of Brunswick, which at that time was North Carolina’s leading port. He travelled out to America with William Tryon, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Scots Guards who had been appointed Lieutenant Governor of the colony. The two soon gained a high regard for eachother and were to remain friends for life.

On their arrival they found themselves facing colonists rebelling against the Stamp Act of 1765. This was to lead to the American War of Independence ten years later. In the interim William Pennington, though facing increasing hostility, acquitted himself well and remained at his post until finally driven from office in February 1776. He now fled to New York where he joined the British forces under William Tryon, now promoted General, who had succeeded Lord Dunmore as Governor. After the final British defeat at the Battle of Yorktown William Pennington took ship for England. During the long voyage home he befriended another colonist who was retuning to England in the hope of finding his lost relatives and leaving them his wealth. Sadly he fell ill on the voyage and William nursed him in his final days. Before he died at the man rewrote his Will in Pennington’s favour. However on arriving in England William, being a man of proven honesty, destroyed the new Will and sought out the beneficiaries of the original and put them in possession of all the man’s property.

It is likely that when he arrived home William, having lost everything when he fled N Carolina, thought of himself as returning to a wealthy family. Sadly trade in Bristol had been drastically affected by hostilities with America and France and he was now a poor man. However there was strong public support for loyalists returning to England and William, supported by Tryon, made a successful claim to the Loyalist Claims Commission for a small pension of £60 p.a.

In 1785 in an effort to regain its reputation as a centre for entertainment, the Bristol Hotwell followed the example of the city of Bath and established a “Master of the Ceremonies”. William was appointed to public acclaim. (More than one account describes him as being elegant and witty and many Americans as well as British had left the American colonies at the outbreak of the War of Independence and settled in Bristol). William was now responsible for organising the Hotwells programme of public breakfasts, balls, cotillions, country dances and other entertainments during the Hotwell’s season from May to September each year. This he would do for the next 30 years.

One of William’s first acts as Master was to publish “Rules of the Hotwell” to ensure that all who attended behaved with decorum, and these were soon copied by Bath. In 1791, now enjoying a comfortable income, William learned of the distress of Penelope Weston one of Mrs Thrale/Piozzi’s intellectual circle which included Hannah More, Anna Seward, and Dr Johnson. Through no fault of her own, Penelope and her mother had been brought to financial ruin by the criminal acts of her wayward brother. Learning of this, William, who had met her when he first arrived in Bristol, proposed marriage though he was 52 and she 41 years of age. After some hesitation, but encouraged by Mrs Piozzi, she accepted his offer and they lived happily in Dowry Square for the remaining years of their lives. When a frail Mrs Piozzi returned to Bristol in 1821 Mrs Pennington visited her almost daily until she died, and then wrote a moving obituary which was widely published. Penelope Pennington died in 1828 and William the following year. Both had memorial plaques placed in the Dowry Chapel which were lost following its demolition in 1872, and the site of their final resting place remains unknown.

On October 3rd 2015 a plaque organised and paid for by the Clifton and Hotwells Preservation Society was unveiled at 12 Dowry Square, Hotwells Bristol where William and his wife lived from 1813 to 1823.