Women In Dental U of C is a club that provides opportunities and support for students interested in health, education and outreach. Alexa Ma and Annette Omofoma, the co-presidents and co-founders of the club, spoke to the Gauntlet about how the club works to connect students and support the community.
Women In Dental U of C is one of the university’s newer clubs, having been active for just over a year. Ma described how the club has grown significantly since then, with membership reaching over 100 students. Both cofounders describe how they were inspired to create the club after discussing the lack of resources for undergraduates wanting to become involved with healthcare initiatives.
“There's not a lot of clubs actually focusing on dental advocacy, helping people get into dental school and providing a lot of support,” said Omofoma, “I found that whenever I talked to other women on campus, they would tell me they're going to the dentist but tell me they don't know anyone else who is. So we wanted a club where all these women who feel alone about going into dental on campus could feel supported and have someone else to talk about the process with.”
As the co-presidents of the club, both Ma and Omofoma describe that a large part of their roles is leading the planning of various club activities. While Ma is in charge of organizing events and fundraisers, Omofoma does much of the outreach, contacting individuals, companies and organizations to plan appearances, partnerships and collaborations.
The pair describe how their goal is to host one or more events each month, where members of the club can meet, form connections and learn more about working in the dental industry. Such events include inviting industry professionals to the university to speak with members of the club about their experiences.
“Last year we had [a] dentist come in, and she talked about kind of the conflicts [that can arise while] working in different dental offices and how she had to move around a lot to different dental clinics until she found one that aligned with her values.” said Ma.
Along with helping to connect students, one of the other major functions of the club is to give members a way to use their skills and resources to give back to the community. Ma and Omofoma detail how, in the last year, club activities included assembling hygiene kits to be donated to various non-profits throughout the city such as The Mustard Seed, The Elizabeth Fry Society and the Alberta Homeless Foundation. Women In Dental U of C members also have the opportunity to travel to schools or community centres where they educate children and their families about the importance of good dental hygiene.
“We are really focused on advocating for cheaper dental care and more [dental care] availability for underserved communities,” said Ma
One of the club's largest events of the year is their bottle drive, where student volunteers facilitate the collection of bottles and containers to be redeemed, with the proceeds going towards buying materials for hygiene kits. Ma and Omofoma discuss how participating in initiatives such as these, where students interact with individuals around the city, can be seen as preparation for potential careers in the health industry.
“When you're a clinician, it's important to know the demographics of your patients and […] it's important to know about the community in order to treat your patients,” said Omofoma
The co-presidents describe how some of the club's goals for the coming year include expanding upon their fundraising efforts and bringing in more guest speakers such as dentists, dental assistants and hygienists to highlight a diverse range of careers that students can explore.
Overall, the Women In Dental U of C at the university helps students interested in working in the dental industry meet like-minded individuals while giving back to the community in meaningful ways.
