Meet Your Council ADAWA is in good hands this year, with a diverse and experienced council.
Councillors Dr Peter Duke and Dr Janina Christoforou with Dr Tracey Gold (left).
DR JANINA CHRISTOFOROU
DR PETER DUKE
FEDERAL COUNCILLOR
ORDINARY MEMBER
Janina is an oral-medicine specialist and a recent member to the ADAWA council, commencing in 2020. “I nominated for the Federal Councillor position to understand the challenges faced when trying to make changes to improve dental care and oral health awareness in the community at a national level,” she says.
Peter graduated from The University of NewcastleUpon-Tyne in 1991. He has held positions at Perth Dental Hospital and as an area dental officer responsible for Geraldton school and adult services, and has been the principal dentist at Western Smiles Dental Care in Mirrabooka for 15 years.
Janina works in private practice, has public placements at Perth Children’s Hospital and Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, and is an adjunct senior lecturer at UWA. She also volunteers at the St Patrick’s clinic and for Healing Smiles.
Peter is no stranger to the ADAWA council – he has served as an ADAWA councillor since 2011 and was chair of the ADAWA Infection Control Committee.
She says she is passionate about advocating for the provision of dental care to all sectors of the community and to further the promotion of oral health awareness. “Both these factors will ultimately result in the prevention of disease and improvement of quality of life for our community,” she says. As an ADAWA council member, Janina hopes to continue the advocacy for the promotion and access of quality dental healthcare to all community sectors. “The aging population are one of those sectors which will require increased support,” she says. “I would like to help ADA continue to support oral health campaigns, submissions and research, since this will increase community awareness of oral health issues and their associated impacts.”
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EDITION 1 | 2022 WESTERN ARTICULATOR
Peter says he nominated for council because he wanted to bring an element of business understanding from the perspective of a principal dentist to council. He is also committed to helping council navigate practising dentistry in 2022. “My focus this coming year is to assist council through the process of allowing dentistry to practice smoothly during the transition of COVID in the community when vaccination rates reach 90% and the State borders open,” he says. “I would also like to continue to work in the area of building community within general membership and the broader community,” he adds.
