2 AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST PEOPLE Paul Baltas, founder and director of Innovative Medical Technologies, passed away peacefully in November 2022, aged 49, after a short and brave battle with lymphoma of the central nervous system. Paul and his wife Sylvia started IMT in 2007 and, under his direction and unwavering commitment, grew the business into the market leader it is today, as a provider of advanced, specialised, medical and dental equipment. Anyone who knew Paul would agree how dedicated he was to his family, the company, his staff, and his industry colleagues. He was also a devoted husband and father to two daughters. He was extremely generous and genuine and his passing will affect all who knew him. He is greatly missed and may he rest in eternal peace. Paul leaves a lasting legacy to family, friends and the industry. He created a thriving company, a leader in this field which maintained and will continue to maintain his personal high standards in service and innovation. u Should you wish to make a donation to the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation in his memory, you can do so at: www.curebraincancer.org.au/fundraising/in-memory/paul-baltas-b876278a Vale Paul Baltas In memory of Paul Baltas, Innovative Medical Technologies (IMT) Dr Terence Lau and Dr Alistair Steel have been announced as the recipients of the 2022 Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch (ADAVB) and BOQ Specialist Bursaries. Now in its eighth consecutive year, the ADAVB and BOQ Specialist bursary program provides recognition and funding for professional development to dental practices and recent dental graduates that demonstrate a commitment to excellence and quality learning. Dr Terence Lau from Sebastopol Dental has been awarded the Recent Graduate Bursary and will receive $5,000 to be applied towards ADAVB Continued Professional Development (CPD) courses. Dr Alistair Steel and his team at Dental Health Care Associates have been awarded the Practice Bursary and will receive $8,000 to be applied to CPD and training programs and $2,000 to be applied to ADAVB CPD courses. ADAVB President A/Prof Warren Shnider said, “Dr Lau and Dr Steel exemplify commitment to do their best for their patients. They achieve this by understanding and meeting their patients’ needs in a holistic manner. Their thirst to develop themselves and their dental teams culminates in better health care outcomes for their patients and their communities. “The ADAVB is proud to partner with BOQ Specialist to announce Dr Lau and Dr Steel as the 2022 bursary recipients,” said A/Prof Shnider. 2019 La Trobe University graduate, Dr Lau, said he was extremely excited to be named the recipient of this year’s Recent Graduate Bursary and very thankful for ADAVB and BOQ Specialist’s ongoing support of young dentists. “With the challenges all of us ADAVB and BOQ Specialist announce 2022 bursary recipients have faced over the past few years, in terms of both the pandemic and difficulties in accessing hands-on continuing professional development, the bursary will aid me tremendously in further developing myself, to provide better care for my patients,” said Dr Lau. Dr Steel andhis teamat Dental HealthCareAssociates impressed the judging panel with their holistic approach to professional development and were excited to be awarded the Practice Bursary after a challenging few years. “It means a lot to the team to be able to get back on track with our continued learning, after not being able to do much one-on-one training in the last few years. “As our practice is in the CBD, we were hit hard with lockdowns and the CBD workforce continuing to work from home. This bursary will get us back on track much sooner than expected,” said Dr Steel. BOQ Specialist CEO, Keith Strachan, concluded, “We are proud to partner once again with the ADAVB to recognise two outstanding recipients in Dr Lau and Dr Steel. Not onlydoes thismark the strengthof our longstanding partnership, but our shared commitment to supporting the professional development of the Victorian dental community. “Both Dr Lau and Dr Steel’s holistic approach to dentistry, combined with their passion for delivering the highest quality of care to their patients and their communities, make them both very deserving recipients of this year’s bursaries,” said Mr Strachan. Dr Lau and Dr Steel will be featured in the ADAVB’s Victorian Dentist magazine as well as BOQ Specialist’s Best Practice publication. u
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTc3NDk3Mw==