04/18/2018

Dustin Trudeau

Kerri-Lyn Chong

Kerri-Lyn Chong and Dustin Trudeau, fourth-year and third-year DMD students respectively, were honoured at the UBC President’s 14th Annual Student Leadership Recognition Reception held on April 5, 2018.

The annual reception honours graduate and undergraduate student leaders from across the university whose outstanding achievements have positively contributed to UBC and the greater community.

During the reception, Kerri-Lyn Chong also received the prestigious Edward JC Hossie Leadership Award, UBC’s highest award for students who have demonstrated exceptional leadership through volunteerism, community service and/or campus activities.

In the words of Dr. Leandra Best, Senior Associate Dean, “Kerri-Lyn has exemplified excellence in all areas of the DMD program, academically, professionally and in community service,” and adds that her consistent demonstration of excellence in community leadership earned her numerous well-deserved awards:

• Carlos Carrillo Community Service Award (2017) for demonstrating leadership, interest and passion in community oral health care outreach both locally and internationally;
• TD Canada Trust Service Award in Dentistry (2017) for excellence in community service, students leadership, and volunteerism;
• Rashida Ali Award in Dentistry (2016) for demonstrating leadership skills and excellence in the Professionalism and Community Service Program in the Faculty of Dentistry;
• Western Canada Dental Society Leadership Scholarship (2015) for demonstrating leadership.

“She has been fully engaged in enhancing students’ learning experiences, inclusiveness and well-being,” Best says and outlines more of Kerri-Lyn’s leadership roles: she served as President of the UBC Dental Undergraduate Society, Vice President, Administrative Director, and DMD Class President. As a dental student representative, she sat on BC Dental Association’s Board and helped develop the student-dentistry mentorship program. She co-founded Sharing Smiles Day UBC Chapter and initiated UBC Dentistry’s Oral Health Total Health Chapter to join a national network to improve oral health education in people with disabilities. She mentored junior dental students in clinical simulation. As an ambassador for connecting dental students across Canada to promote dental education and access to care, she served as the Western Canada Representative on the Federation of Canadian Dentistry Student Associations. Kerri-Lyn’s commitment to excellence shined in her extra-curricular learning experiences in the Summer Student Practitioner Program, the Japan Dental Exchange Program and the RV Tucker Cast Gold Student Study Club.

Dr. Leandra Best, Senior Associate Dean; Kerri-Lyn Chong DMD 2018; Dustin Trudeau DMD 2019; and Dr. Mary MacDougall, Dean of UBC Dentistry.

Best is thrilled for Kerri-Lyn: “She is a very pleasant, articulate, conscientious and professional role model and is most deserving of this prestigious award.”

Dustin has been involved with the Dental Undergraduate Society (DUS) throughout his years as a dental student: he was Year 1 DMD Class 2019 President (2015-2016), Year 2 DMD Class 2019 President (2016-2017, and Year 3 DUS Executive-VP (DMD) from 2017 to 2018. Next academic year (2018-2019) he will be the DUS President.

Dustin has also been a member of the Dentistry intramurals for soccer, futsal, and basketball. He also found time in first year to work in Dr. Dieter Brömme’s lab for a project characterizing a number of inhibitors specific for the collagenase activity of cathepsin K.

His volunteer record is equally impressive: he volunteered at the interviews for the incoming 2020 class, where he helped out with both the problem-based learning and multiple interview sessions for during Admissions Open House as well as, with other DMD students, gave presentations about what UBC Dentistry is all about from a student’s perspective. Dustin is also a strong advocate for and participant of Sharing Smiles Day. Dr. Leandra Best describes Dustin as “a role model of professional advocacy for students.”