QuEEn’S B’dAY HONOU SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH

Prof. Sameer Bhole, AM

For significant service to dentistry, to education and research, and to professional associations

Fresh out of dental college in Mumbai, Sameer Bhole got an opportunity to volunteer with underprivileged communities in Byculla and Dharavi through the Nagapada Neighbourhood House. It turned out to be a career-defining moment.

Describing the experience, Prof. Sameer Bhole told Indian Link, “My undergraduate degree gave me thorough grounding in technical and techniqueoriented components of dentistry, but I had limited exposure to the human aspects of oral health. It was only when I worked with people from lower socio-economic backgrounds that I had exposure to social determinants and their influence on oral health and health overall. For those underprivileged, oral health and health are impacted, leading to poorer overall health outcomes.”

With interest in Preventive and Public Dentistry, Prof. Bhole sought to study health inequalities and integration of oral health with general health and vice versa.

“In the practice of health sciences, the mouth is often treated separate to the body, when in fact the mouth is very much an integral part of it,” he noted.

He soon enrolled in a Master’s degree in Preventive and Public Health Dentistry at the University of Sydney. Thus began an illustrious career across many nations. Eventually he returned to Australia to establish himself in the public oral health system.

Prof. Bhole has since dedicated his career to improving oral health for disadvantaged populations with a specific focus on health inequities and reducing access. He has made a significant contribution to the field of dentistry with a focus to improve access for safe and quality oral healthcare for the vulnerable and those at risk.

Working as the Clinical Director of one of the largest oral health services in NSW –which includes the Sydney Dental Hospital – he provides leadership and strategic direction for the provision of dental care for an eligible population.

“I am delighted with the AM honour given to me this year, but also deeply humbled,” Prof. Bhole said. “This is a prestigious award not just for me but everyone who has guided me and worked with me over the last four decades.”

He is particularly grateful for his stint in Papua New Guinea. “Those early years provided a solid foundation,” he reminisced. “My first posting was in Lae, where I was the only surgeon for a population of 1 million. I learnt a lot about preventative aspects of public health and what is required to support the people.”

Here, Prof. Bhole also worked extensively in the sphere of oral cancer and dental trauma. He was appointed Deputy Director at Port Moresby, moving to Singapore to teach public health.

As the inaugural director for oral health of the South West Sydney region, he set about creating the public dental service to cater to the special needs of the lower socio-economic groups. “That was where my career in Australia began,” he recalled.

Prof. Bhole presently holds an honorary clinical professor appointment at the University of Sydney and is the inaugural fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons in the specialist stream of

Dental Public Health.

Since 2009, Prof. Bhole has also been an assessor for the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards.

He participated in Operation Safe Haven, a needs-based program for refugees from East Timor and Kosovo. His contribution to dental science, including the practice of dentistry, and to oral health policy, strategy and education, have also been recognised through prestigious fellowships from the Pierre Fauchard Academy, International College of Dentists and Academy of Dentists International.

Besides supporting clinical training for future dentists, oral health therapists and dental specialists, he has extensive