Reunions 2023 - Celebrating Years of Coming Together
Dr. Kevin L Roach, Class of 7T3 President and fellow classmates Cheryl Lee, Barry Hood and his recently deceased wonderful wife Irene and Wayne Pulver are bringing together their exceptional class to celebrate the 50th class reunion this coming May. There are many reunion classes coming together in 2023 and the Great Alumni Event is also taking place to celebrate all alumni of UofT Dentistry. To see the details of various reunion activities visit our Dentistry Reunions page. We caught up with Kevin for his reflections on the past 50 years.
Q: After all this time, why do you think it is important to keep the class connected?
“Tempus fugit”! In trying to reach out to my fellow classmates I am realizing that we have lost many wonderful people over the years. Bringing the class together is an opportunity to share memories and make new ones and value the friendships that we have cultivated over the years.
Q: What was one of your best memories of dental school?
I would have to say the camaraderie among our mates; although competitive, we were always willing to help our fellow classmates understand a topic, borrow notes after an absence, demonstrate a preparation, and of course participate in every intramural sport. The friendships I made in dental school are lifelong and among my very best.
Q: Who was your favorite teacher and why?
This is a very difficult one as the classes of the 70s had the “dream team” of world renown professors …B. Hord, D. Woodside, N. Levin, J.&A. Dale, E.Sonley ,G. Zarb, P. Watson, G. Bertram , J. Main, D. Smith, J. Kreutzsr as Director of Clinics and of course a new modern Dean in Gordon Nikiforuk. The later being my favourite for his open minded response to our class of early baby boomers who, as the then current Musical Hair stated “ we were golden”. We were willing to embrace change and hoped to likewise change the world.
Q: How do you think the challenges you may have faced in your career have changed and what advice would you give the students today?
Many of the challenges that we faced 50 yrs ago are no longer relevant today. For example, the great majority of my classmates were able to set up their own practices immediately upon graduation with little guidance except from dental company representatives. How lucky were we?! But many of todays graduates, due to a larger debt load upon graduation, seek to associate for several years before purchasing or setting up their own practice. They also now have to compete with an increasing number of dental service organizations for a purchase which poses additional challenges. My advice…be true to yourself, treat people fairly and ‘word of mouth ‘ is still the best advertisement.
Q: How do you think the Faculty prepared you for the career you have had in dentistry?
Because of the outstanding quality of our teaching staff and their high ethical standards, the University of Toronto provided us with not only the tools to practice, but the not so sublime understanding of what was expected of us when we entered practice. We had excellent foundation skills to be successful after dental school.
Q: How do you think the Faculty has evolved over time? (What are some of the changes you see today from when you were in dental school 50 years ago)
The very obvious change is in the class demographics…our class of 125 had just 8 women in the class and 11 upon graduation with the addition of addendum students. Also whilst, we had students from every geographic region of Ontario. At that time there were only two black students, in the initial class makeup and today of course, both demographics are much more representative of the wider population which is a great thing.
Q: What do you hope for the future of dentistry?
My hope is for dentistry to be understood as a well respected profession. The individual practitioner must ensure the treatment plan that is best for his/her patient and not the corporation, the insurance carrier or government. We must always reach for patient centered care and if we do that, I think the future will be bright for all connected to this wonderful profession within which I have been so honoured to train and serve.