Looking Back
Alumni share memories of their time at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry.
"Without question, my favourite memory was teaching Rick Mercer, television personality and comedian, how to be a dentist! Mercer and his crew came to Western to shoot a segment for the CBC TV show The Rick Mercer Report. As University of Western Ontario Dental Student Society (UWODSS) president, it was my task to teach him how to use the drills on our mannequins.
We spent about an hour learning how to use the drills on the plastic teeth in the mannequins just like a first-year dental student. At one point, Mercer drilled the teeth with no water and the teeth gave off a burning plastic smell. It was hilarious. I exclaimed that the mannequin will now need a root canal – he was stoned-faced as he stared at me, then he smiled as he did on his show. Of course, Rick was playing around with the water source, moving the mannequin’s head around, and genuinely laughing at his experience. He fit right in as a dental student.”
Dr. Ramez Salti, HBSc, MBA, DDS’07
“One of my most favourite (and impactful) professors was Dr. Misha Eliasziw. Lectures and labs on introductory statistics involved repeated sampling of coloured M&Ms. These lessons formed the early backbone of my statistics training. And we could eat the study materials when we were finished!”
Dr. Andrew House, HBSc’88, MSc’02, MD, Professor of Medicine and William F. Clark Chair in Nephrology
In the fall of my second year in medical school, I invited one of my favourite professors, Dr. Allan C. Burton, professor of Biophysics, to attend my presentation on aerospace medicine. While most thought my presentation was more speculative than scientific, Burton – a pioneer in aviation medicine – disagreed. A few days later, Sputnik opened the door to space travel. And a year later I was working with NASA researching the hazards of space travel.”
Dr. Douglas E. Busby, MD’60, MSc’64
“I served 20-plus years as a Combat Arms Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces before beginning my second career in dentistry in 2004. I very much enjoyed the time with my inevitably younger classmates, and many bonds of friendship developed that have lasted over the years. Schulich Dentistry opened the doors to a fulfilling and wonderful second career – providing care for the sons and daughters of our nation, our soldiers, sailors and aviators in our armed forces, and also serving as a postgraduate program director and professor, teaching and mentoring young clinicians. It has been a fantastic journey. Thanks, Schulich Dentistry!”
Dr. David G. MacPherson, CD, MSc, DDS’08, FAGD, ACD, ABGD, Canadian Armed Forces Veteran 1981 2018
“The friendships established through four years of shared experiences with 76 others in MD’72 stand out for me. My husband, Dr. Robert Brock, MD’71, and I have loved going back for Homecomings. We love catching up with classmates and love walking the campus, reminiscing, and seeing the changes. For one, my son and I were on the synchro and swim teams respectively in the old Thames pool.”
