Recognising An Industry Leader, Pam Clark AO

Directors, members and staff of the Australian Dental Industry Association (ADIA) have congratulated Ms Pam Clark AO who was appointed as an Officer in the general division of the Order of Australia. The announcement was made by Government House during the 2017 Queens Birthday celebrations.

ADIA is the peak business organisation representing dental product manufacturers and suppliers and, thanks to Ms Clark's contribution, has undergone a significant transformation in recent years.

"ADIA's mission is to help our members grow sustainable businesses through representation, promotion, information and education. Through her active and enduring support for ADIA Pam has contributed to our ability to achieve real and lasting goals in this area," said Phil Jolly, ADIA National President.

Ms Clark served as ADIA National President between 2006-10 and served on the ADIA Board for some seventeen years. Since 2011 she has served as the chair of ADIA's national policy committee that brings members together in order to develop agreed approaches to issues associated with medical device regulation. According to Ms Clark, this is the most rewarding aspect of her work.

"It's been a genuine privilege to work with so many colleagues from across the dental industry who set aside their competing commercial interests in order to progress matters where there is a common agenda," Ms Clark said.

ADIA's vision is for an industry that empowers oral health professionals to advance the health well-being of all Australians. To achieve these goals, the dental industry needs to work cooperatively with the dental profession and this has been a major feature of Ms Clark's work.

Cooperation between the dental industry and dental profession is typified through Ms Clark's leadership of the Australian Dental Research Foundation (ADRF), a joint initiative of ADIA and the ADRF that for more than forty years has provided grants to support research into dental and oral health research issues. Ms Clark is the current ADRF Chair.

Another contribution that Ms Clark has championed is the Minamata Convention on Mercury that, in order to reduce the environmental impacts of mercury, seeks to phase-down the use of dental amalgam. She supported Australian Government representatives in treaty negotiations and as an ADIA appointee to the ADA Dental Instruments and Materials Committee has helped the dental industry and dental profession develop a common position on the use, capture and recycling of dental amalgam.

For her work on such issues in 2016 Ms Clark received a rare honour for person from the dental industry, this being made an Honorary Member of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons (RACDS). In 2017 she received a Merit Award from the ADA.

"The dental industry and dental profession have a symbiotic relationship and I hope that the recognition serves to highlight just how important that is," Mr Clark said.

Beyond Australian shores, between 2010-12 Ms Clark serves as President of the association of International Dental Manufacturers (IDM) the dental industry's global body and served on its executive from 2006 to 2016.

Mrs Clark was received the ADIA Meritorious Service Award in 2013 and made an ADIA Life Member in 2015.