The process of truth and reconciliation is complex and has many dimensions. Overcoming gaps in preventive dental health care for Indigenous people is part of the path to reconciliation, says U of T alumna Janelle Brown-Walkus (MSc 2021). “During residential schools, people were getting their teeth removed with no anesthesia,” she explains. “Understanding this explains why there’s a lot of fear and dental anxiety in Indigenous communities.”
Brown-Walkus aims to make things better. After her studies with a McCall MacBain Scholarship, she hopes to take the lead in helping dentists improve care for Indigenous communities.
Read more: Two University of Toronto alumni win prestigious McCall MacBain Scholarships