I am extremely honoured to have been appointed as the new Registrar of ICD Section V. To have been deemed worthy to look after this flourishing section and to continue the outstanding work of my predecessors Professor Mauro Labanca, Professor Argirios Pissiotis and Dr Frans Kroon is a humbling, yet a daunting position to be appointed to. What acts to follow!
I would like to congratulate Dr Roy Morris for his appointment as the new Regent of District 4.
I first became involved in the ICD, like everyone else when I was recognised by my peers for services to dentistry throughout my career. I was inducted in Stockholm Sweden in 2005 under the then President Dr Anders Ericson. As one of the few general practitioners at that time, I was slightly concerned that I had been appointed as a Fellow well below the status of many of the existing acclaimed highly academic Fellows, however Caroline and I were warmly welcomed into the prestigious family of the ICD. At that first meeting we were taken under the wing, not only by Fellows of our district, but also by Fellows from the Irish and Dutch districts to name a few, who have since become long term friends. Over the years we have had the opportunity to meet and befriend Fellows and partners from all over Europe and even from other sections around the world, a majestic family whom one can reach out to for guidance and assistance worldwide.
In 2016 I was honoured to become the Regent of District 4 England Scotland and Wales and since that time working in close association with other fellows of our district, we managed to grow the district from just 60 to 120 Fellows. Therefore, by working hard we managed to double our membership of worthy Fellows even after allowing for a few resignations and sadly a few members who have passed away.
However, as a section I recognise that we have a problem of how to attract younger Fellows into our family, as many of our existing Fellows are reaching the peak of their profession or have retired. During my tenure, we have introduced the ‘Retired Membership Scheme’ which has encourage Fellows to remain in contact, even if they are unable to attend meetings. We obviously require young blood to continue the wonderful work that the ICD has carried out over the past 100 years and maintain our core values. Those of Leadership, Recognition, Humanitarianism and Education initiated by our founder’s Dr Louis Ottofy of the USA and Dr Tsurukichi Okumura of Japan when they formed this international organisation.
We already have a working party interviewing younger dental professionals not only to promote the ICD and promote the raison d’être for our existence, but also seek guidance as to what would attract younger dentists to become part of our family. Hopefully they would then participate in some of the humanitarian aid projects we fund and help to organise around the world. Any ideas that you have will always be warmly welcomed and investigated.
Every Fellow has the responsibility to seek out and invite colleagues whom they deem worthy of Fellowship in their district, or even from other countries within Europe or worldwide. I have already recommended colleagues from different parts of the world and contacted the Regent of their country to approach them for fellowship, and likewise I have been contacted by Regents from Australia and the USA recommending Fellows who now live within our district to be invited for fellowship.
Therefore, as a European family let us all continue working together to encourage new membership and, investigate how as Fellows we can help to participate in fund raising and setting up or helping with some of the existing projects the ICD oversees. Please remember, your Regent is always there to answer any questions or facilitate in guiding you to the correct member of the board to help with any fund raising ideas or projects you feel would benefit the organisation, and of course do not forget to seek out a plethora of information on both the European and Worldwide ICD websites.
I look forward to working with you all helping to grow our section and work on new and existing projects throughout my tenure.
In Fellowship
Dr Mark Wright
European Registrar Section V