Dentistry Fellows and scholars

SPOTLIGHTED FELLOWS

Jenny Girdler

Jenny Girdler

CLINICAL LEADERSHIP FELLOW IN NET ZERO/SUSTAINABILITY IN DENTISTRY 2022-23

Employed by Health Education Yorkshire through the Future Leaders Programme

Projects:

  • Embedding sustainability into dental training through: i) Incorporating Sustainability in Quality Improvement (SusQI) into Yorkshire and Humber postgraduate dental curriculum ii) Gathering and communicating data about the environmental and ecological impact of dentistry iii) Liaising with senior stakeholders and contributing to consultations to support more sustainable dental practice 
  • Relaunching and leading the Dental Care Sustainability Network enabling over 300 members to share learning and disseminate successful dentistry sustainability initiatives both nationally and internationally
  • Ensuring sustainability principles were incorporated into the GDC's Safe Practititioner Framework for Dental Nurses and Special Care Dentistry training curriculum

Articles/blogs/podcasts:

  1. Sustainability episode on Oral Surgery Podcast
  2. Sustainability in the NHS- what can we do in our practice? Yorkshire and Humber Trainee Forum Newsletter Dec 2022
  3. Susqi showcase presentation video: Integrating SusQI education within Yorkshire and Humber Dental Core Training

Summary:

Jenny took a year out of oral surgery specialty training to undertake a full-time fellowship in leadership for sustainability. She designed a strategy for embedding carbon literacy into dental training and engaged in numerous projects to influence national and regional curricula. Ahe re-energised the Dental Health Sustainability peer Network and brought the field of sustainable dentistry a leap forward. You can connect with Jenny through the Dental Health Sustainability Network

Amarantha Fennell-Wells

WELSH CLINICAL LEADERSHIP TRAINING PROGRAMME 2020-21 (Dentistry)

Fellowship undertaken with Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, and Health Education Improvement Wales.

Projects

  • Sustainable Healthcare Education – integration of sustainability into trainee projects, curricula and quality improvement training
  • The Nitrous Oxide Project – working nationally and internationally towards reduction and mitigation of nitrous oxide use and waste
  • Green Health Wales – co-founding network and hosting launch event
  • Sustainable Action Group – Advisory role for Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
  • Sustainable Dentistry - Co-authoring the CSH Sustainable Dentistry course and book chapter for publication

Peer-reviewed articles

  1. Griffin L, Brennan F, Fennell-Wells A (2022) A comparison of the sustainable value of general aneasthesia versus spinal anaesthesia for elective day-case surgery. Association of Anaesthetists Winter Scientific Meeting 2022
  2. Fennell-Wells, A., & Chakera, A (2021) Delivering the Nitrous Oxide Project: A Case for Collaborative Leadership. BMJ Leader 2021; 5: A6

Articles/blogs/podcasts

  1. Introduction to Sustainable Healthcare, A Welsh Perspective: Video
  2. Nitrous Oxide Project Lunch & Learn Launch instructional video
  3. Guest lecturer for Phoenix MedEd Student Group: Video
  4. Editor for interview with Dragon’s Heart Institute
  5. Guest speaker on DragonBytes Podcast

Policy Impacts

  • Contributed to Cardiff and Vale University Health Board’s Sustainable Action Plan
  • Welsh Government NHS Wales Decarbonisation Strategic Delivery Plan v1 March 2021: inclusion of nitrous oxide waste mitigation as part of key targets to be achieved when managing medical gases
  • Evidence provided to Chakera’s Medical Gas Mitigation Policy Report for the Greener NHS

Summary

Amarantha was the first Welsh Leadership Fellow in Sustainable Healthcare.  Her inspiring work saw Green Health Wales and the Nitrous Oxide Project launched, established and included in policy documents, and sustainability embedded into quality improvement, curricula and postgraduate dental core training.  Amarantha was shortlisted for the BMJ Environmental Award 2021 and awarded the Barema & Association of Anaesthetists Environment Award for Anaesthesia 2021 as part of Chakera’s implementation team.. Connect to her through the CSH Networks

OTHER FELLOWS/SCHOLARS

Darshini Ramasubbu

CLINICAL FELLOW IN SUSTAINABLE DENTISTRY (DENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH) 2017-19

Darshini was hosted by Health Education England and undertook projects to promote sustainability in the provision of dental care.  She is a practising dentist who had recently completed her Masters in Dental Public Health. The projects she was involved in through the scholarship include developing a guide for dental practices and exploring the inclusion of sustainability in dental education.

Sara Harford

CLINICAL FELLOW IN SUSTAINABLE DENTISTRY (DENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH) 2017-18

Sara is a practising dentist working for the community dental service and in general dental practice, with a special interest in anxiety management and conscious sedation. Through this scholarship hosted by CSH and Health Education England she explored ways dental care provision can become more sustainable 

Dr. Devika Vadher

KSS DENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH SCHOLAR IN SUSTAINABLE DENTISTRY 2015-16

Devika joined CSH to undertake projects in Kent, Surrey and Sussex promoting the role of sustainability in the provision of dental care. She is a practising dentist and Dental Public Health core trainee and, in addition to the Scholarship, was concurrently studying for an MSc in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene.

Dr. Divya Verma

KSS DENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH SCHOLAR IN SUSTAINABLE DENTISTRY 2015-16

Divya is a dentist working within community and  prison dental services. Among her achievements as Sustainable Dentistry Scholar 2015-16 was the successful integration of sustainability across a number of the e-Learning for Healthcare dentistry modules. Other sustainable dentistry interests include the collection/recycling of nitrous oxide, and tele-dentistry.