As we enter the fourth year of the Victorian Women Dentists’ Association, it is with great satisfaction that we see a number of our members extending themselves and fulfilling the aims of our association:
* To provide a network to encourage, support and empower women dentists in the profession of dentistry.
* To promote the advancement and exchange of knowledge.
* To promote leadership and encourage mentoring within the profession.
* To provide a voice for the growing number of women dentists in the profession.
Some members will be attending the ADEA Second International Women’s Leadership Conference in Göteborg – presenting and facilitating a workshop in mentoring – and will bring back to us a combination of their knowledge and what they have learnt, in the form of a presentation on mentoring which will take place on 21 October 2003, as part of our new program.

Dr Pam Dalgliesh, our immediate past president, is one of the principal organisers of the Women Dentists Worldwide day at the FDI Symposium in Sydney in September 2003. Pam, along with another of our members, will be facilitating some of the afternoon sessions. Quite a number of VWDA members will attend, and some will be assisting in the running of the day’s activities.

The other two meetings in the new program are representative of the diversity of interests expressed whenever members have been canvassed on what they would like to hear about. We are planning a change of venue for our evening meetings in the new program, and invite your feedback about this.

As the membership of the Association is open to anyone who is interested and supportive of our organisation, we would encourage you to invite your colleagues and friends to come along as guests and to experience that special feeling of camaraderie that is talked about by those who attend meetings, the annual dinner and our seminar.

I look forward to meeting and greeting you during 2003–04, and hope that you will your involvement in the Association beneficial and rewarding.

Dr. Ruth N. Paluch
VWDA President
ruthpaluch@hotmail.com