Dr Janet Wallace, Oral Health Therapist, AUS

Janet-Wallace-image.jpgDr Janet Wallace is a registered Oral Health Therapist with qualifications in dental therapy, dental hygiene, business management, tertiary teaching and a PhD in Oral Health. Janet has extensive clinical and administrative experience in private and public dental practice and spent many years working for Northern Sydney, Central Coast, Area Health Service in various roles including; Senior Dental Therapist, Community Dental Health Programs Office, Manager Child Dental Services, Health Promotions Manager and Acting Director Community Dental Services.

 

In 2008, Janet joined the University of Newcastle (UON) as a Conjoint Lecturer in Oral Health to implement the 'Aged care student placement program in residential aged care facilities' on the NSW Central Coast, which was the focus of her PhD.

In 2009, Janet was appointed to Lecturer in Oral Health UON and joined A/Professor Fiona Blinkhorn in writing the curriculum for the Graduate Diploma in Dental Therapy program.  In 2014, she was appointed as Acting Program Convenor for the Graduate Diploma in Dental Therapy program's final year.  During 2014, Janet worked with Associate Professor Jane Taylor to write the curriculum for the new Bachelor of Oral Health Therapy program, combining dental hygiene and dental therapy to offer 'Oral Health Therapy' in 2015.

In 2014, Janet collaborated with NSW, Medicare Local, Erina as the chief investigator on the research project 'Seniors Smiles'.  This study was financed with a $100,000 grant from Medicare Local and placed a registered dental hygienist in five residential aged care facilities on the NSW, Central Coast, providing oral health risk assessments, oral health care plans, oral health education and referral pathways for residents who required dental care.  Janet is committed to providing better oral hygiene care for older people living in residential aged care and is extending this research with one of her PhD students establishing a study providing oral hygiene care for residents in the Northern Sydney Local Health District.

Janet is published in national and international journals, has presented her research at national and international conferences and in 2013 received a 'Faculty Research Staff Excellence' award, a 'Work Integrated Learning' award and a 'Research Higher Degree' award for her PhD.   Janet is a life member of the Australian Dental and Oral Health Therapists Association, a peer reviewer for the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Dental and Oral Health Therapy, the Journal of Gerodontology and the Health Promotion Journal of Australia.  Janet is an appointed board member of the NSW, Dental Council, currently serving her second term.

Research Expertise

Student placement in residential aged care, service -learning evaluation, oral health of older people living in residential aged care, nutrition and oral health, pediatric aboriginal oral health, geriatric oral health student placements, clinical oral health therapy, oral health therapy teaching.

Teaching Expertise

Clinical oral health therapy, student experiential models of learning, service-learning evaluation, qualitative analysis methods, self-directed learning, DVD learning delivery. 

Administrative Expertise

Curriculum development, course development, program and course evaluation.

Collaborations

Dr Janet Wallace collaborates with other oral health practitioners in Australia and nationally.  Her most recent collaboration is with Central Coast, Local Health District, Geriatric Department and the Division of Aged and Subacute and Complex Care to implement an oral health student placement program in Geriatric wards.  This is an extension of her 'Senior Smiles' research.

QUALIFICATIONS
  • PhD (Oral Health), University of Newcastle
  • Diploma in Frontline Management, NSW Health
  • Diploma of Dental Therapy, College of Dental Therapy (Westmead Hospital)
  • Certificate IV in Workplace Assessment & Training, NSW Health
  • Bachelor of Oral Health, University of Newcastle
  • Graduate Certificate Practice of Tertiary Teaching, University of Newcastle
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