UWA’s Dental School Annual Prize-Giving Ceremony

We spoke to Dr Sally Tan (recipient of the ADAWA awards for Academic Excellence in Dentistry and Leadership Excellence in Dentistry) about receiving these awards.

What does receiving these awards mean to you? 

“It was such a pleasant surprise to be recognised for all the hard work put into my dental studies, as well as the hours dedicated to dental volunteering. I would like to personally thank all the academics, professors, tutors and nurses. In each of their own ways, they have all helped me become the clinician I am today, and I am forever grateful for their continual wisdom, support and knowledge. To my DMD family and my at-home family, I feel as though these awards must be shared with you all, as I could not have come this far without you all, so thank you.”

Do you have a message for ADAWA?

“I just want to say a big thank you to ADAWA for the generous donations. ADAWA has supported the dental students and University Dental Students’ Society (UDSS) for many, many years and have always contributed to enhancing the university experience for dental students for the better. So, on behalf of the student body, I would like to extend my thanks to everyone on the ADAWA team. They are foundational to the WA dental community with their endless and unwavering support, and they will always be an organisation I will keep in arm’s reach as I advance onto my professional career.”  

What is your advice for current students?

“Hang in there! It will be over before you know it. Be sure to have time away from dentistry, doing what you love – whether that be exercising, cooking, watching Netflix or being around friends and family. It is a tough degree, but it’s all about balance! And never feel afraid to reach out to staff, tutors, fellow peers or even myself if you find yourself struggling, because you are not alone.”

Congratulations to all of the prize recipients, including:

Harold Baggett Memorial Prize in Histology – Sean Andrew Tsandelis

John McGeachie Prize  – Sean Andrew Tsandelis

Dr F. Simpson Prize in Dentistry  – Wei Jie Lim

BDSc Class of 1979 Prize in Operative Dentistry  – Wendy Kimberley Patak

Dr Zac Chami Memorial Prize – Aaron Christopher Kovacs

Eric Williams Prize in Prosthodontics – Wendy Kimberley Patak

ADAWA Prize – Breeana Casey Reynolds, Nevena Rikalo

ASEWA Prize in Endodontics (Year 2) – Nevena Rikalo

Ian O. Thorburn Prize – Steven Min-An Chien

D.J. Cock Prize in Periodontics – Nevena Rikalo

John Prichard Memorial Prize – Wei Jie Lim

G. D. Henderson Prize in Oral Surgery – Masooma Hashimi

Tom E. Scott Memorial Prize in Prosthodontics –  Sarah Lauren Ser-pei Boon

Leonard Nathan Prize in Oral Pathology – Kae Shyang Yu

WA College of Dental Science Prize in Restorative Dentistry – Sarah Lauren Ser-pei Boon

ASEWA Prize in Orthodontics (Year 3) – Sarah Lauren Ser-pei Boon

The Alistair Devlin ANZSPD Prize in Paediatric Dentistry – Bede Gilbert McKenzie van Schaijik

Dr Clive Rogers Prize in Special Needs Dentistry – Sarah Lauren Ser-pei Boon

ASEWA Prize in Endodontics and Dental Traumatology (Year 3) – Willis Jun Jie Cheng

Ramesh Balasubramaniam Prize in Oral Medicine  – Kae Shyang Yu

Wynn Needham Memorial Prize – Sally Yijin Tan

Sally Joyston-Bechal Study Group Prize – Richard Yit Han Tien

ADAWA Prize for Academic Excellence in Dentistry – Sally Yijin Tan

Kenneth J G Sutherland Prize – Richard Yit Han Tien

Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons Prize – Sally Yijin Tan

ADAWA Award for Leadership Excellence in Dentistry – Sally Yijin Tan

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