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Outstanding Alumni Award winners (from left): Dr. Andrew Nette, Ms Darcie Robichaud, and Dr. Ian Doyle

It was an action-packed Homecoming Weekend in the Faculty of Dentistry, filled with continuing education courses, an expert panel, and the annual J D McLean lecture. The crown of the weekend, however, was the Dentistry Alumni Dinner on October 15 at the Atlantica Hotel, during which the recipients of the 2016 Outstanding Alumni Awards (OAA) were honoured.

Dr. Ian Doyle (DDS ’78), Dr. Andrew Nette (DDS ’76), and Ms Darcie Robichaud (DDH ’93) were nominated and received their awards for their dedication to their profession and their volunteer commitments. Professor Peggy Maillet, chair of the Dentistry Alumni Committee, and Dr. Lee Erikson, vice-chair, presented the awards.

Dr. Ian Doyle

Dr. Doyle practises in Sydney, Cape Breton, and commutes to Halifax on a regular basis to teach part-time in the Faculty of Dentistry.  “Ian leads quietly by example, and is an inspiration not only to the dental students he teaches, but to his friends and colleagues as well,” said one of his nominators.

Dr. Doyle gives freely of his time to local sports and business organisations and volunteers with regional and provincial dental societies. He also lends his expertise to Remote Medical Volunteers, an organisation that provides dental care to underprivileged populations in Central and South America.

“I will continue to try to live up to the standards this award has acknowledged,” Dr. Doyle said, as he received his award.

Dr. Andrew Nette

Throughout his 40-year career, Dr. Nette has earned a reputation as an honest, ethical, and compassionate practitioner, who takes great pride in providing high quality oral health care with as little pain as possible. This is a philosophy he has shared with students as a part-time instructor at the Faculty of Dentistry.

Dr. Nette spent most of his career practising in the Annapolis Valley, but he also spent two years working in Botswana under the auspices of CUSO International and has provided care in underserved regions in South and Central America and Canada’s north. He has held leadership roles with several professional and dental organisations, locally, provincially, and nationally.

As he accepted his award, Dr. Nette credited many people with teaching him lessons along the way, including his parents, wife, and parents-in-law. “From Ed [Edward Spracklin, DDS ’50, his father-in-law] I learned a passion for this profession, and a dedication to doing your job to the best of your abilities.”

Ms Darcie Robichaud

After graduating from the School of Dental Hygiene, Darcie Robichaud set out on her career in New Brunswick only to have a severe latex allergy set her on another path. In 1998 she started working at Oulton College in Moncton, where she established the college’s accredited dental assisting and dental hygiene programs. Within a few years, she became the co-owner and president of Oulton College and introduced a number of new programs, chiefly in the health professions. She also gives back to local and global communities, including free dental outreach services in Moncton and leading Oulton College in the building of a school in Haiti.

On accepting her award, Robichaud talked about the need to find a new passion after she learned that she could not do clinical work. At Oulton, she said, “I found a passion that brought a whole new meaning to education for me. What an incredible raison d’etre knowing that I could be a leader in inspiring and developing young minds in preparation for the workforce.”

Darcie Robichaud is the youngest ever recipient of the Outstanding Alumni Award.

Congratulations to all our 2016 OAA winners!