Dentistry stops to honour Dr Nathan Cochrane

The life of Dr Nathan Cochrane, one of the 'favourite sons' of the dental community, was celebrated at St Mark’s church, Camberwell on 20 November.

Close friend and colleague, Dr Sath Saranathan*, told the congregation that dentistry had practically ceased because staff and students of the Melbourne Dental School, staff from Dental Health Services Victoria, dental practitioners from throughout Victoria and representatives of the Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch had come to celebrate his life.  Dr Saranathan said that as Dr Cochrane was passionate about oral health, he "would not be happy about this".

Dr Cochrane, aged 34, died suddenly on 9 November.

Internationally recognised for his research work on a variety of dental matters, his professional life was strung with awards and honours.  His energy, enthusiasm and academic acumen will be missed by all who benefitted from his intelligence, leadership and good nature.

Dr Cochrane is survived by his wife Lisa, and two young sons, James and Elliott.

A more formal tribute to Dr Cochrane's contribution to his profession and the community will appear in the February ADAVB Newsletter.

*Apology: An earlier version of this post mistakenly attributed these remarks to Dr Matthew Hopcraft. ADAVB apologises for this error.