Young dentist wins award named in honour of the man who inspired her
Katie MacDonald receives Herd Medal for best case presentation by a VDP in Forth Valley
An award named in honour of two dentist brothers has been presented to a young dentist who was inspired to take up dentistry by one of the brothers themselves.
Katie MacDonald was named as the recipient of the Herd Medal, which was named after Douglas and Ian Herd. The award is awarded each year to the Vocational Dental Practitioner (VDP)working in the Forth Valley who submits the best case presentation.
Ian Herd practised in Grangemouth and his brother Douglas in Stirling. They were both heavily involved in the VT scheme in the health board and, when they both died within a couple of years of each other, the Forth Valley LDC decided to honour their careers with the formation of the Herd Medal. Douglas died in February 2010 and Ian died in October 2011 after a long illness.
Katie, who is currently working at Airthrey Park Dental Practice at Stirling University, has been a patient of Platt and Common where Douglas worked, since she was a child.
She said: “I did some work experience with Mr Herd in 2007 when I was in S4 at school and I feel he helped to influence my decision to study dentistry.
“I actually found university quite challenging, but feel I really embraced VT and benefited massively from the support and guidance of my trainer. It’s a massive achievement for my clinical skills to have been recognised especially at such an early stage of my career.”
Gordon Morson, a member of the Forth Valley LDC, said: “Both brothers had been notable local dentists and involved in dental politics, especially Ian. We felt that their loss, in such a short period, should be marked and, as they were both VT trainers and GDPs, we thought honouring them by selecting the outstanding VDP annually would be suitable.
“The marking scheme suggests that the winning case presentation should be something that reflects the treatment of general patients within GDS.”
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