THUNDER BAY – HEALTH – Dr. Gerald Smith has been installed as the new President of the Ontario Dental Association (ODA), the professional association that represents more than 8,000 dentists in Ontario. His term commenced on June 1.
A graduate of the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Dentistry, Dr. Smith has practised in Thunder Bay for the past 27 years and is a staff dentist at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. Dr. Smith’s desire to enter the field of dentistry grew out of a childhood conviction that his interest in science and biology could lead to a profession in the health-care field. “One of the wonderful things about being a dentist is that you tend to retain your patients for a long time – I have patients who started coming to me as children and who are now parents – and who bring their kids to see me.”
“I am excited to be a part of an organization that has served me very well throughout my career,” says Dr. Smith. “I have been a member of the ODA for 27 years and every year has rewarded me with continuing knowledge, peer-support and overall the best possible environment to practice dentistry in my community.”
In Ontario, nine out of 10 dentists are members of the ODA. Dr. Smith credits the professional support and guidance that the ODA provides to members to excel in their careers. “By supporting its members professionally, the ODA enables dentists to provide quality oral health care to all Ontarians.”
In addition to his duties with the ODA, Dr. Smith is actively involved in his community. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium from 1997 to 2001 and was co-editor for two years of Northern Bites, a newspaper for the dental community. He presently sits on the board of directors of Paramount Live, an amateur theatre group in Thunder Bay. Dr. Smith is also a member of the American Dental Association and is a Fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy, the International College of Dentists and the American College of Dentists.
