Geriatric Dentistry Program Celebration

Leigha Rock, BDSc 2014; PhD 2018, worked as a dental hygienist for more than two decades before returning to school. We connected with Dr. Rock to learn about her unique career trajectory and current role as a researcher and Director of Dalhousie University’s School of Dental Hygiene.

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Tell us about how your career pivoted from dental hygiene to research.

I worked as a dental hygienist for over 20 years in Coquitlam, BC. It was a great career, but part of me always wanted to go back to school. I enrolled in UBC’s Bachelor of Dental Science and took an epidemiology class, which I absolutely loved. Taking that course was like dipping my toes in the world of research, and I knew I needed to keep going.

I continued with a Master’s in Craniofacial Science at UBC, and after one year, I transferred to the PhD program. In addition to loving stats and numbers, my second biggest passion is pathology, so my PhD focused on oral cancer, which was a match made in heaven for me.

My thesis supervisor was Dr. Denise Laronde, and I looked at variations in three specific genetic locations thought to be involved in the development or progression of oral cancer. The goal was to enhance a model that uses these genetic variations to predict the risk of oral cancer becoming more severe, which would ultimately improve early detection and treatment strategies. After my PhD, I completed a post-doctoral fellowship at BC Cancer.

What do you love about research?

I’m naturally curious and enjoy peeling back layers to find answers to a question. I appreciate all forms of research, but I’m especially passionate about quantitative research—I’m big into numbers and firmly believe that data saves lives.

Do you have a favourite memory of your time spent at UBC?

I was a serious student; I never really partied and was very focused on my work. One of my fondest memories is sitting in the student area with my desk mate Abbas Jessani, MSc 2014; PhD 2019, who to this day is one of my dear friends. I had an incredibly neat and tidy desk, and Abbas had two desks pushed together because he needed lots of space to spread out!

What does your position at Dalhousie University entail?

I’m from Terrace, BC, and had never stepped foot in Atlantic Canada until I went to Dalhousie for my interview and completely fell in love with it. I joined the university in 2019, and I’m currently an Associate Professor and Director of the School of Dental Hygiene.

I have two main roles. The first is running a research program, where my lab studies oral pre-cancer. We’re also examining the microbiome and its role in oral cancer risk and antimicrobial resistance. Our team also studies educational and program outcomes of Dalhousie’s dental hygiene program.

As director, I’m responsible for running the program, from curriculum to budgeting—the list goes on and on! Being an administrator was a skill set I didn’t have before this job and learning how to run a school was a major learning curve, but I love it and can’t imagine not having an administrative role going forward.

Do you have any advice for dental hygiene students?

I am the first dental hygienist to be President of the Canadian Association for Dental Research. I love to break glass ceilings and hope to encourage others to do the same.

I was also Co-Chair of the National Oral Health Research Strategy, which was endorsed by the federal government and published last year. This is the first time in Canada’s history that we’ve had this type of strategy, and it was an honour to bring many different groups together to make it happen. This strategy will guide future oral health research and funding objectives, which is extremely important because oral health is a global issue that needs more research attention.

What might someone be surprised to learn about you?

I love shoes and I have a shoe closet that you would not believe!