Improving equality in leadership roles

What has your career journey been like?

As a young dentist, my career began working as an associate in a busy NHS clinic in a deprived area, then in CDS working in various settings, including a homeless centre. Enthusiastic to support better care pathways for this group of patients I also started working in a young offenders’ institute in Feltham, and HMP Brixton (a local prison in London).

At the beginning of my career, I was determined to learn as much as possible. My passion for special care dentistry, and the provision of high-quality care for everyone further ignited a sense of justice, health equality, and my passion as an advocate for vulnerable people.

What challenges have you have faced throughout your career?

Equality is an issue that is close to many people’s hearts and an issue I am passionate about. As a non-British woman of colour, I have faced barriers throughout my career, but I have also benefitted from allies, which I am grateful for. I cannot express enough the importance of receiving support in all stages of your career. I am grateful to my wonderful peers, sponsors, and mentors for their continuous support.

We are all individuals and each one of us will have unique valuable experiences that we can share. I feel that with increased awareness of intersectionality, highlighting the traditional and societal roles and gained cultural competency, we can work together not only to identify the barriers but to improve the current situation.

The good news for dentistry is that that the number of male and female dentists is starting to become more equal which provides more role models for women who want to enter any career pathways in dentistry whether that is becoming a GDP (as an associate or practice owner), working in secondary care, in salaried services, or in academia. We currently have strong female representation for the rest of the oral healthcare team too, with male colleagues showing an increased interest to join this group.

When I became Co-Chair of the BDA Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) committee I was congratulated by many people, who also asked me what my visions were to make improvements in these areas. It shows that as a profession, we want change. Impactful changes can benefit all members of the team irrespective of age, gender, race, and disability. This is the fundamental basis that we are working hard on as a committee to provide a platform for advocating change within these important areas.

How can we encourage more women to take leadership roles?

Throughout their working lives, females often tend to have the traditional role of being the main caregiver for children or parents and there is still unfortunately some stigma attached to career breaks, or flexible working. Initiatives such as parental leave which is open to both parents, and mindfulness about the timing of meetings or networking events can aid having an inclusive and diverse workforce.

These steps towards work/life balance help to create a supportive environment and inspire women to enter leadership roles. Awareness of the challenges is a great first step, but action is the key part. Diverse role models representing all members of the profession (such as neurodivergent colleagues) will inspire the next generation of leaders. We must not be afraid to highlight the fact that although the path is not always smooth, it is very much worth taking.