Siobhan Kelleher has been revealed as the winner of the inaugural People of Prevention (POP) Awards – a scheme designed to celebrate the true heroes of preventive dentistry.
Siobhan, a dental hygienist living and working in Ireland, was named as the winner in the September/October issue of Oral Health.
The quality of entries received by Oral Health was exceptional, proving beyond a doubt that prevention is in fine strength. But Siobhan’s entry stood out, garnering huge praise from the judges for her dedication to prevention.
Her passion for oral care shone through every aspect of her entry, which painted a picture of a dental professional working to improve patients’ lives in every way she could, from her own clinical work, to educating other professionals, and spending a huge amount of time and effort on reaching out to the public.
Her deep concern over the oral health of children in Ireland has seen her develop a range of innovative workshops that make oral health education interesting, accessible, and fun.
Siobhan stands as a worthy example of excellence in prevention – and a very worthy winner of the title of Oral Health’s first-ever Person of Prevention!
United in praise
The judges were united in their praise of Siobhan’s exceptional entry. They said:
‘Siobhan has formed a well-developed workshop which is innovative and has prevention at its heart. She is obviously well-motivated, and the many testimonials submitted for her prove how highly thought of she is by those she works with.
‘She is clearly motivated, as demonstrated by her work with oral health companies and providing education, and the great strength of her innovative workshops is how easily they could be adapted to work in a number of different settings.
‘She demonstrated comprehensive care, and a long-standing commitment to the profession and her patients, making her a deserving winner.’
A passion for prevention
The judges had a tricky task on their hands deciding on the winner. So tricky, in fact, that in addition to the overall winner, they had to award a highly commended prize to an entry of particularly high standard – Eileen Mc Glinchey.
The judges said: ‘Eileen stood out with the invention of a clever flossing keyring. The keyring is innovative, it’s a great preventive tool, and it really encourages oral health awareness. She is clearly academic, highly motivated, and deserves credit for her willingness to tackle prevention under her own initiative. Eileen is proof that motivation and passion are a fundamental part of modern prevention.’
