Pearls of Wisdom

we made it happen

After retiring from my practice in Thunder Bay last year, I spent six months volunteering with Remote Area Medical, providing free dental care to underserved communities across Northern Ontario and Manitoba. It was the most rewarding experience of my career. If any alumni are interested in volunteering, I'd love to connect you with the program.

Overjoyed to announce the arrival of our daughter, Lily Mai Tran-Wallace, born January 15, 2026\! She weighed 7 lbs 4 oz and is already keeping us on our toes. Mom and baby are doing great. Can't wait to bring her to campus one day — maybe she'll follow in her parents' footsteps\!

At age 62, I completed my first Ironman triathlon in Mont-Tremblant! 3.8 km swim, 180 km bike, 42.2 km run — finished in 14 hours and 37 minutes. My dental training taught me patience and precision, but apparently it also taught me stubbornness. Already signed up for next year. Any alumni want to join a team?

Excited to share that my book 'Beyond the Chair: A Dentist's Guide to Global Health' has just been published by University of Toronto Press\! It chronicles my experiences providing dental care in rural communities across Southeast Asia and East Africa over the past decade. Available at the UofT Bookstore and online. A portion of proceeds supports the Faculty of Dentistry's Global Outreach Fund.

Just celebrated 25 years since graduating from the Faculty of Dentistry\! My wife Anika and I marked the occasion with a trip back to Toronto — we walked through campus and even stopped by the old clinic where I did my first filling. Time flies. To my classmates from the Class of 2001: let's get a reunion going\!

Thrilled to announce that I've been appointed as the new Chief of Dentistry at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre\! After 15 years in private practice and academic teaching, this feels like a natural next step. I'm grateful to the Faculty of Dentistry for the incredible foundation it gave me. Looking forward to mentoring the next generation of dental professionals.