Dr Andrew Heap was awarded a Distinguished Service award for his contribution to the dental community.
Dr Andrew Heap’s contribution has been consistent throughout the dental community as a clinician, a volunteer and a mentor.
Andrew is known for his long history of volunteering with numerous groups. “Motivation for that type of thing has been with me since I was a child,” he says. “It was always something I liked to do.”
Kimberley Dental Team
Andrew began going on KDT trips in 2012, and has made nine trips with KDT since 2012 to support and supervise final year dental students. He also performed dental work on Aboriginal children and their families.
“Being a part of the KDT team is very exciting,” he says. “Getting out into the remote areas of Western Australia is something different from the normal routine of daily clinical practice. It is inspiring to be able to provide a service to people who need that service.
“I would like to thank my friends Dr John and Jan Owen for giving me the opportunity to be involved.”
St Pat’s
Andrew also spent three years volunteering at St Pat’s in Fremantle. “That experience is again very rewarding,” Andrew says. “I wasdoing a lot of denture work, and there were people who had been waiting years with no teeth. You give a patient a set of dentures and the smile on their face is incredible – it is reward enough to see them so happy.”
Equal Health
Andrew was also an instrumentalpart of Equal Health – travelling to India to provide treatment on six occasions from 2005 until 2017. He continued to organise the dental side of things until the project wound up in 2020.
“I was very keen to do some volunteer work in that area, and it seemed like an exciting prospect to me,” Andrew recalls. “Dr Simon Shanahan who also recently received a Distinguished Service Award was already involved and had been since its dental inception. I was constantly talking to Simon about it and was happy when it became possible for me to be involved.”
Practice support
Within his practice, Andrew has also been able to support the profession, with the practice always supporting the training of dental assistants by way of work placements. Andrew also lectured to dental assistant trainees over many years on a voluntary basis. In addition to their support of training dental assistants, the practice has also given back by hosting an ADA DHF Dental Rescue Day.
Getting more than you give
To another dentist considering volunteering, Andrew says it is incredibly rewarding. “You get more than you give,” he explains. “In some ways it is almost a selfish thing because you do get rewarded in different ways. It is not financial reward, but the personal reward you get from it, and that is amazing to help people who need help but can’t access normal means of getting dental help.”
Giving back to ADAWA
As well as his volunteering ventures, Andrew has been an active member of ADAWA, being involved since graduation.
Andrew says he always wanted to help the Association in some way – and joined ADAWA Council back in the 1990s – Chairing the Oral Health Education Committee.
“I thoroughly enjoyed Chairing the Oral Health Education Committee because it enabled me to engage in certain projects for the Association,” Andrew recalls. “We organised a Royal Show exhibit, and we did career expos at schools.”
Andrew’s support of ADAWA also went national in his early career – with him being selected to represent ADAWA, along with Dr Andrew Thompson, at the Young Dentists Conference in Sydney.
Andrew was also the Chair of the Entertainment Division for the 2009 ADA Congress in Perth – a contribution for which he received a Service Medallion from ADA Federal.
In recent years, Andrew joined the Recent Graduates and Student Liaison Committee through his friend, Dr Nick Albatis.
Helping the next generation
Andrew has been a teacher, tutor and mentor for many years – now tutoring at OHCWA one day a week. “I really enjoy being involved with the students and being able to pass on some tips and tricks to them,” he says.
Andrew retired from practice work at the end of 2021. He says retirement has been enjoyable – always busy doing something dental or otherwise (including sitting on the committee of the Western Australian Forensic Odontology Group).
“It is a profession ingrained within me,” he says. “I am so involved in dental study groups and other things; it is something I am and something I do.”
Distinguished Service Award
Receiving a Distinguished Service Award from ADAWA has been a surprise. “I was incredibly shocked,” he says. “It was not something I ever expected so I am very humbled.
“I have enjoyed every moment of my career,” he adds. “I really have thoroughly relished every moment of it and what I have done beyond the practice.”
Congratulations Dr Heap!
