The Award of Distinction 2018

Celebrating excellence in the oral health community since 1994, the Award of Distinction recognizes those who have made an ongoing and outstanding contribution to the Faculty of Dentistry, the dental profession, and society.

Dr. James Leake

Over the course of a thirty-year career, Dr. James Leake 6T6, 6T9 Dip DPH, 7T8 MSc D, championed the development and expansion of public health research in Canada. The author and co-author of over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles, Dr. Leake has investigated a wide range of issues related to dental public health, from fluoride to access to care. Dr. Leake has been an active researcher, a longtime instructor at the Faculty of Dentistry, and a passionate advocate for improvements in Canadian dentistry. His work drew attention to the need for superior dental care for low-income children, ultimately contributing to the creation of the Healthy Smiles Ontario initiative.

In 2001, Dr. Leake led a small group from the Canadian Association of Public Health Dentistry who wrote a submission to the Romanow Commission on the Future of Health Care. Dr. Leake advocated for the introduction of a chief dental officer for Canada in 2004 and helped design and analyze the dental component of the Canadian Health Measures Survey, which delivered results in 2007. He also served as president of the Royal College of Dentists of Canada from 2006 to 2008. Though now retired, Dr. Leake is an ongoing proponent of the continued improvement of dental public health in Canada.