Associate Professor Samantha Byrne Receives Melbourne Dental School Strategic Grants for Outstanding Women 2023
The Melbourne Dental School proudly announces Associate Professor Samantha Byrne as a recipient of the Strategic Grants for Outstanding Women 2023.
In a remarkable achievement, Associate Professor Samantha Byrne has been honoured with the prestigious MDS School's Strategic Grant for Outstanding Women, recognising her outstanding academic endeavours and potential for future career advancements.
Associate Professor Samantha Byrne, Director of Learning and Teaching at the Melbourne Dental School, graduated with a Bachelor of Dental Science from the University of Queensland in 1996. She completed her PhD in 2006, exploring the microbial composition of dental plaque associated with periodontal disease progression. Her work was recognised by the Australian and New Zealand division of the International Association of Dental Research with the Oral Biology Award in 2010. Byrne maintains a research interest in the microbial aetiology of chronic periodontitis and dental caries. Since 2020, she has been leading the MDS curriculum review and redesign project, aiming to create a curriculum that nurtures students in developing their professional identity as dental practitioners. She is currently studying for a Doctor of Education, examining the relationship between student perceptions of pre-class learning in the flipped classroom and their self-regulated learning behaviour.
About the scheme
Launched in 2019, the Strategic Grants for Outstanding Women scheme (SGOW) aims to support high-performing early and mid-career women in academia in advancing their careers towards senior academic and leadership roles.
Offered biennially, the scheme supports recipients over a two year period to undertake activities intended to increase their academic capability, productivity and profile with the intention of progressing their careers.
How the Grant Will Be Used
The funding will support Byrne's trip to the UK to visit King’s College London, the School of Dentistry at the University of Liverpool, the Glasgow Dental School at the University of Glasgow, and the School of Dental Sciences at Newcastle University. This activity will support the development and advancement of her academic career by enabling her to establish and build relationships with world leaders in dental education and research. In doing this, she will also learn from the experience of educators in these schools regarding the implementation of significant changes to education practices, the establishment of programs in dental education research, and leadership in dental education.