Celebrating leading ADAVB women on International Women's Day - Dr Rachel Martin
What motivated you to study dentistry? Were you ever constrained by perceptions about what women ‘can’t’ do?
I wanted to work in a field of health where I could really make a difference in people’s lives. My parents were both health professionals and both were able to create unique career pathways in their respective careers.
As the second born of six children I grew up wedged between my two brothers. I was determined to do everything they could do. So, I played a lot of cricket - usually fielding on the boundary, where I was inevitably perched halfway up a tree in our back yard, or out in the waves at the beach.
Describe some of the inspiring women in your life that have made an impact on you.
My mother was a woman of abundant grace and determination. She quietly set about further study whilst the six of us were still at school. As a practising physiotherapist, she soon earned herself a theology degree and moved into the world of ethics. She created the inaugural role of bioethicist at Mercy Hospital, where she worked with families and clinicians, patiently supporting them through some of the most heart wrenching issues of life and death, until her early passing at the age of 57.
How has the dentistry workforce changed since you studied and throughout your career?
When I studied, the emphasis was on dentists treating patients. Over my working life, there has been a shift towards a team approach where collaboration between all members of the oral health and wider health team occurs whilst working in partnership with the consumer. This, along with a preventive approach, is the change that will make the biggest difference to oral health outcomes for our community.
Tell us about your pathway throughout your leadership journey.
I didn’t think a lot about leadership until the last year or two, when I realised that some of what I had been doing was probably called ‘leadership’. Really, what has led me along this pathway has been a passionate conviction that change is needed in our approach to oral health care. I am very fortunate to have wonderful colleagues and mentors that are with me on the journey. Leadership is not a solitary journey. It takes a team, and I am very fortunate to be a part of an inspiring and committed team.
Describe some of the highlights of your role as Chair of the Public Dentistry Committee.
Seeing the culmination of the process for the new EBA for Victorian public dentists, which provides the largest incremental increase in salaries for public dentists that I have seen in my lifetime. Yet this still sees us well below our interstate counterparts.
What do you say to women considering taking the step into leadership with the ADAVB?
Embrace the opportunity to be supported in roles within the ADAVB. ADAVB has excellent resources to help build leadership skills. It’s far less of a men’s club than when I was a young dentist.
Further information
Contact a councillor: council.adavb.org
Contact a committee member: adavb.net
Join our mentoring program (ADAVB login required. Applications extended to 8 March): mentoring.adavb.org
Nominate for a committee role (ADAVB login required): adavb.net
Nominate for the Health Sector Leadership Program: hslp.adavb.org
Apply for the ADAVB BOQ Specialist $10,000 Practice Bursary or $5000 Recent Graduate CPD Bursary: bursary.adavb.org
Find your ADAVB Regional Group: adavb.net
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