A conversation with Dr Susan Bissett, a lecturer at Newcastle School of Dental Sciences, and Claire Hills-Wilson, Artistic Director at The Lawnmowers, a local charity ran by, for and with adults with learning disabilities. The podcast was a ‘From Newcastle’ podcast production. This podcast explores the development of a collaboration that led to the co-design of a film. The narrative of the film was informed by stakeholder workshops, funded by the Department of Health & Social Care, that looked at the barrier’s that exist in the system for adults with learning disabilities accessing NHS dental services. The aim of the film is to raise awareness in our undergraduate community of the challenges to accessing care for this population, and how we as dental professionals can make adjustments that can really make a difference.

A conversation with Professor Chris Vernazza, Professor of Oral Health Services, a Consultant Paediatric Dentist, Head of School at Newcastle School of Dental Sciences. This podcast explores Chris’ own career in dental academia and his research background in health economics. In addition, Chris shares his knowledge of the current dental clinical academic pathways for both dentists and dental care professionals, especially the National Institute of Health & Care Research Integrated Academic Training (NIHR IAT) & NIHR Integrated Clinical and Practitioner Academic Programme (NIHR ICA) schemes.

A conversation with Sarah Farmer, a General Dental Practitioner and National Institute of Health & Care Research Academic Clinical Fellow. Sarah is the first primary care dental practitioner to be awarded one of these fellowships through Newcastle University & NIHR. The title of her research is: ‘Why aren’t we doing better? Are dentists and dental students prepared to support patients with lived experience of Intimate Partner Violence and Abuse’. During the podcast Sarah talks about her own experience of treating patients with dental trauma who she suspects have been victims of intimate partner violence, and how the incidence of this increased during the pandemic. She describes her research and findings to date; as well as what it is like to win gold medals for powerlifting!

A conversation with Professor Janice Ellis, Professor of Dental Education & Consultant in Restorative Dentistry, at Newcastle School of Dental Sciences. Janice started her academic career with an interest in periodontal disease and spent a fascinating PhD looking at drug induced gingival overgrowth, developing novel lab techniques, and conducting large scale epidemiology studies. Following her PhD she moved her attention towards implant supported over-dentures, which led her to collaborate with McGill University in Canada; but her career took another turn, when she rediscovered a passion for education research. During the podcast Janice describes the twists and turns of her academic career, and shares her love of the Northeast of England and exercising outdoors.

A conversation with Helen Mather, a dentist, who is working as a clinical fellow, in Newcastle SDS. Helen is teaching and conducting a PhD in dental education over 6 years. The research is specifically looking to define the attributes required of newly qualified dentists, a subject which the GDC is very interested in. Helen talks about the twists and turns of her career, her teaching, all whilst studying for a part-time PhD.

A conversation with Lydia Austin, a dental therapist, who has completed a foundation training research module at Newcastle University and has recently been appointed a Leadership and Management Clinical Fellowship with the deanery, Health Education England North-East and Cumbria. Lydia describes her experiences of doing foundation training and her new fellowship which will involve working on projects based around Dental Therapists and NHS contract reform.

A conversation with Professor Paula Moynihan, Director of Food & Health in the Faculty of Health & Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide; and Visiting Professor of Nutrition & Oral Health at Newcastle Dental School. Paula describes the evolution of her research, shares her experiences of working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and explained how her work informed policy. She also gives some tips for early career researchers informed by her wealth of experience.

A conversation with Dr Nick Jakubovics, an oral biologist and senior lecturer, whose research into health-related biofilms has won him international acclaim. Nick describes his research and working with industry partners, including explaining the issue of intellectual property. He is also editor in chief of the Journal of Dental Research and shares some tips for getting your work published.

A conversation with Zella Sayeed, who has a master’s in Clinical Dentistry and is currently studying for a PhD investigating the effects of novel nicotine products on oral cells and tissues. She shares her experiences of finding a way to balance the demands of studying and looking after yourself.

A conversation with Greig Taylor, an Academic Clinical Fellow in Child Dental Health. In this podcast, Greig talks about how he got started in research and about how he conducted his molar research called DECIDE, during a pandemic. He also explains how he came to design a catchy acronym as a short study title.