A message from the Head of School

Over the almost 30 years that I have been at the University of Melbourne, I have seen a series of constants within our graduates. While the faces change, and the life experiences are more varied than ever before, the requisite skills, knowledge and attributes of our graduates remain industry-leading.

It is a wonderful set of constants and we should be reassured by it. Despite this, every graduating student I’ve ever seen has uncertainties about whether they are sufficiently educated to make it in the world that awaits them.

I have no such concerns. I also know that, just as there are variations within student cohorts, the future paths of our graduates will differ. In the words of Sarah McBride, the American transgender rights activist, “No two paths are the same. Each of us travel with different privileges, challenges, and perspectives – some limiting, others illuminating.”

Becoming a health care provider provides great privileges and enormous responsibilities. All our graduates are capable of shouldering those responsibilities and should not feel restricted in their choices or in the paths that they wish to travel.

I wish all our readers well for the season. The support that the broader profession provides to the Melbourne Dental School continues to be high, and for this we remain very thankful. As a School we rely on the profession’s generosity, and they (you) never fail to deliver. As Head of School I am grateful and heartened for the future.

Professor Mike Morgan
Head, Melbourne Dental School