Get to know me

My work as a dentist in clinical practice directly informs my health communications work. In turn, my writing and research naturally influence the way I practise clinically.

My passion for preventive care and advice led to an early interest in the evidence supporting oral health products. I wanted to be able to recommend the most appropriate products and devices for the patient in front of me. I remain curious about the choices patients make, why they make them, and what evidence there is to support those choices.

Clinically, I enjoy restorative dentistry and prosthodontics. I am currently undertaking further training in Advanced Aesthetic and Restorative Dentistry through the Academy of Dental Excellence and the University of Portsmouth. Postgraduate study has further developed my approach to structured evidence searches and critical appraisal, as well as how I apply research to clinical decisions.

My clinical career so far has been varied. I have worked across military, corporate, independent, and educational environments, providing dental care as an associate and locum within both NHS and private dentistry.

I have also worked in some less conventional settings. These include The 24/7 Dentist (providing out-of-hours emergency dental care), At Home Dental (providing domiciliary dental care in patients' homes and residential settings), and HMP Exeter with Time for Teeth. In 2022 and 2024 I travelled to Nepal to support Project Yeti, volunteering my skills in a dental clinic at a monastery in Kathmandu.

These experiences have given me the opportunity to care for people from a wide range of backgrounds and with very different needs. I see first-hand how factors such as health literacy can influence the way people understand and engage with healthcare information. They have also taught me the importance of adapting my communication style to make health concepts meaningful and useful to individual patients and the wider public.

Education has also been a significant part of my career. For three years, I worked as a Clinical Supervisor at Peninsula Dental School at the University of Plymouth. I supported and assessed dental students and dental therapy and hygiene students as they treated patients in clinic, including guiding them through their first clinical procedures.

At Eilertsen Dental Care Plymouth I worked as Clinical Lead, supporting and mentoring Dentist and Dental Therapist colleagues, as well as leading the practice's outreach programme. Throughout my career, I have also trained and supervised dental nurses undertaking extended duties and enhanced skills courses. These have included Measuring and Recording Bleeding and Plaque Indices, Dental Photography, and Application of Rubber Dam.

Working with learners at different stages of their careers has taught me to adapt my approach as an educator. I enjoy translating evidence for people with different levels of clinical knowledge and providing supportive mentorship and coaching, wherever somebody is in their dental career.

This breadth of clinical experience has exposed me to very different working environments and a broad cross-section of society. It means I bring more than scientific knowledge and a healthcare qualification to a health communications or medical writing project.

I understand how products, materials and devices, treatment options, and health information are encountered in real practice. I hear the questions patients ask, see the barriers they experience, and understand the practical considerations that can determine whether a recommendation works outside the evidence base.

My breadth of experience shapes the questions I ask when reviewing evidence or advising on a project. Not simply “What does the research say?”, but “How does this translate into real clinical practice?”, and “How will patients and professionals actually experience this?”.