Nova Scotia Dental Association

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Retired Dentist Spotlight: Dr. Gary Foshay

Dr. Gary Foshay, while known well amongst many of his peers in Nova Scotia, wasn’t always on the path to dentistry.

“I was late coming to dentistry, having worked in several jobs. I worked cruising timber, went to sea on ice-breaker tankers as a deck hand, and then worked with Air Canada for four years before attending university in my mid twenties,” said Dr. Foshay.

He had intended to become a wild life biologist and had training under his belt with a BSc, Honours, from Mount Allison when he was offered a fellowship to continue his studies and complete his Ph.D. in Australia. Before committing to life down under, Dr. Foshay explained, “I decided to also apply for dentistry at DAL and was fortunate enough to be accepted, so I had the opportunity to delay my graduate studies for a year to see if dentistry was the right choice. I found I was fascinated by dentistry and the rest is history!”

And a dentist was born.

Throughout his studies, he shared that he was influenced by Dr. Gordon Pentz and encouraged to consider periodontics, and after 2 years of general practice in Lunenburg, he was accepted in Perio at the University of Pennsylvania under Dr. Walter Cohen and Dr. Jay Siebert. After graduation, the east coast was calling and he decided to return to his home, Halifax, where he had a part time teaching appointment at Dalhousie Dentistry and also a practice opportunity with Dr. Ed Hannigan and Dr. Noel Andrews. Teaching was a passion, and he taught at Dal for 25+ years of the 37 years he maintained a periodontal practice in Halifax.

Throughout his career, Dr. Foshay believed giving back to the profession through volunteerism was important, serving on both provincial and national committees, running the scientific programs for three national conventions, lecturing locally and internationally and held the role of President with the Canadian Academy of Periodontology.

Dr. Foshay with his wife, Mary Steckle.

Since his retirement, you can largely find Dr. Foshay on the water or enjoying nature! He enjoys sailing, skiing, and hiking as well as spending time with his amazing spouse Mary Steckle, friends and family. Of course, all the better when over a glass of wine and great food.

When speaking about the profession he ultimately chose, he said,

“I loved the spectrum of opportunity that Periodontics offered. This specialty offered challenging and dynamic changes over my career and allowed me to continuously pursue excellence in offering treatment for my patients, in teaching and lecturing widely.”

Standout milestones in his career include being an early leader in implant treatment, bone and sinus grafting, and tooth movement for periodontal reasons. Also, being invited back and honoured by the University of Pennsylvania as their guest speaker to the alumni of the Periodontal, Perio-Ortho and Periodontal Prosthesis annual meeting.

Dr. Foshay loves offshore sailing, racing and has undertaken some long distance boat deliveries, including a 32 day trip from Capetown, South Africa to Genoa, Italy to deliver a new 100 foot racer/cruiser! Skiing and heli-skiing were a passion for many years and fit nicely with his desire to travel and to experience different cultures and languages.

When asked for his advice to young and new dentists, he shared, “Dentistry is a great way to have a life, and keep work and personal life in balance. One is easily seduced into working too hard and neglecting personal needs and family commitments. Also, begin planning for retirement early…..never too early!

Being a retired dentist himself, he also shared words of wisdom with those about to embark on this next exiting chapter, “Plan well…and remember to develop hobbies and interests that will sustain you and provide satisfaction. Also…..enjoy the opportunity! A life well lived!

Thank you, Dr. Foshay, for your contributions and dedication to the people of Nova Scotia and the profession.

Are you a retired dentist embarking on your next great adventure? We would love to hear from you and share your story! Reach out to Samantha, NSDA’s Communications Manager, at communications.nsda@bellaliant.com.

November 9, 2023
Dalhousie Grad profile: Olu Brown

A whole new world

Olu Brown’s (DDS’23) first encounter with the Faculty of Dentistry at Dalhousie University was as a nervous patient needing several fillings.

The story could have turned out very different differently, but Brown says that she and her dentistry student Wade Power (DDS’07) worked through the treatments together. “He improved my dental IQ and decreased my dental fear. And I just fell in love with this place,” she says with her big smile. That was in 2006.

The start of a beautiful – and very long – relationship

At the time, Brown was a psychology student at Dalhousie University, trying to decide between becoming a nurse or a psychologist. But her connection with Dal goes back much farther.

As a student at Highland Park Junior High, Brown was selected to attend a week-long math camp for African Nova Scotian kids, which gave her the opportunity to live on campus and attend classes.

“It opened my eyes to university and university life,” says Brown. “Nobody in my family had gone to university and I had no idea there was this world out there.”

Brown returned to campus in 2001 to take the Transition Year Program for African Nova Scotian and Indigenous students. “The idea is that it helps you bridge the gap between high school and university,” says Brown. “It was a deep dive into our history – who we are and why, and why education is so important. It was really great for me.”

Nearly four years later, Brown was reaching the end of her BSc in psychology when her trip to the Dalhousie Dental Clinic opened her eyes to the world of oral health. She began to take the prerequisites for the diploma in dental hygiene program and her application was successful.

The process may sound straightforward, but Brown was also caring for her young daughter, born was Brown was 18, and working in blood collection in the Dickson Building at the QEII Health Sciences Centre. “I’d work 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. and then run across to class in the Dentistry Building at 8:00.”

Brown says she loved dental hygiene and the feeling of belonging to a profession. But after graduating in 2009 and a year of practice, she came back to take the recently introduced bachelor of dental hygiene (BDH) degree program. “I wanted the degree – the full package,” she explains.

The BDH program exposed Brown to outreach clinics in schools and, most memorably, at Mount Hope Hospital where she cared for patients with mental diseases. Brown realized she wanted to help people who live in long-term care facilities.

The process of packing and unpacking instruments and supplies each week and travelling to the hospital gave Brown a solid foundation for her mobile dental hygiene business, which she launched in 2011, shortly after the dental hygiene profession became self-regulating.

Successful right out of the gates, she worked with United Way and travelled between clinics at schools and different special needs and youth groups. Brown operated her mobile business for nine years, until COVID-19 brought it to an end.

Exciting beyond what she imagined

By then, however, Brown was back at the Faculty of Dentistry. The initial spark Brown had felt when she first visited the Dalhousie Dental Clinic in 2006 had not gone away. “I loved dental hygiene, but part of me wasn’t satisfied. I wanted to do more for my patients.” Her mentor and role model, Dr. Barb Hamilton-Hinch, also encouraged her.

“I am ambitious,” she admits. “I enjoy achieving the impossible and being uncomfortable doing so. Becoming the first doctor in my family and starting a legacy for them is really important to me.”

With her daughter more independent, the time felt right. Brown assembled the credits she needed for dentistry and continued to operate her mobile clinic until she was accepted on her second application.

In 2019, Brown was back at Dal again as a first-year dentistry student. She was already familiar with hand skills and patient care, but the science involved in dentistry was a whole new world for her. “I was blown away by evidence-based medicine, the intricacy of the human body, and the link between the oral cavity and overall health.”

Working in the outreach clinic at the North End Community Health Centre was another highlight. “Most of the patients were people from my home community,” she says, “including some of the friends I grew up with.”

She also recalls the moment she delivered her first denture. “It’s so exciting to be able to give a patient new teeth and a smile,” she says. “After eight or nine appointments, you’ve built a relationship with them and you’re nervous and happy for this moment in their life.”

Brown loved the spirit and supportiveness of the class, too. “When I was in dental hygiene, the world was a different place,” she explains. “I was one of two black kids in my class. I felt really isolated.”

Fast forward nearly 20 years and her class is made up of students from a wide range of ethnicities and backgrounds. “I can’t imagine a better group of people. I never felt I was a part of something as much as I do now,” she says.

Now 43, Brown thinks her student years have come to an end. She’ll begin working at the Bible Hill Dental Clinic this summer, and she and some of her classmates plan to create a website to help students from minority backgrounds find the educational information and resources they need.

And, because she loves “this place” so much, Brown would love to return to Dal – again – to teach.

Olu Brown. Photographer: Bruce Bottomley

October 25, 2023
Dalhousie Grad profile: Alero Boyo

Figuring out the future step by step

For Alero Boyo, convocation this year meant tying a bow on 17 years of university education. Her most recent degree, a combined Doctor of Medicine/Master of Science in Oral Maxillofacial Surgery from Dalhousie University, accounts for the final six years. The university accepts just one student into this program each year, so Boyo is the lone graduate for 2023 – and only the second female graduate from the program.

Back in 2006, when she was studying for her first degree at the University of Ottawa, Boyo didn’t dream of becoming an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, but she felt that a health sciences profession was in her future.

“I don’t think anyone knows where they’re going to end up, unless your plans are really focused,” says Boyo. “And sometimes you have plans and then your plans change.”

She explored both medicine and dentistry during her undergrad years as a medical science student, volunteering at a children’s hospital in Ottawa and a dental clinic for homeless and underprivileged people. But it was what she saw at the dental clinic – and the influence of a good mentor – that captured her interest.

Boyo’s next step surprised even her. “I decided rather late that I wanted to do dentistry,” she explains. “So even though I’d written the DAT exam, I had missed the deadlines to apply to the Canadian dental schools that cycle.”

So, “just to see”, she applied to dental schools in the UK and Ireland and was accepted at the School of Dental Science at Trinity College Dublin, a five-year program.

“It was a great decision, and it gave me a different life experience,” says Boyo, who enjoyed easy and inexpensive European travel while she was in Dublin, and the opportunity to make friends from many different places. The second term of her fourth year at dental school was spent as an Erasmus scholar on exchange in Stockholm, taking over the patient lists of a Swedish dental student who spent the term in Dublin treating Boyo’s patients.

A series of stepping stones

Dr. David Psutka, Boyo’s mentor from Toronto and an oral and maxillofacial surgeon, helped her think about her next step and encouraged her to consider specializing.

Although her interest in oral and maxillofacial surgery was growing, Boyo decided to spend a “stepping stone” year doing a general practice residency (GPR) at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

“In Canada, you don’t typically apply for oral and maxillofacial surgery right out of dental school,” Boyo explains. “A GPR gives you more hands-on exposure to complex cases, including oral surgery, so it helped me explore my options.”

There are just five English-speaking oral and maxillofacial surgery programs in Canada, so it’s competitive to get in. The first time she applied, Boyo was turned down. Although it was disappointing, Boyo decided to spend a second stepping stone year at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry where she pursued an oral surgery internship.

She explains that the role meant functioning as a first-year resident, helping out in the clinics, being on call, and assisting in the operating theatre. “It was great experience to get, whether you wanted to pursue oral surgery or add to your skills as a general dentist,” says Boyo. It also strengthened her applications to study oral and maxillofacial surgery the second time round.

In it for the long haul

Not surprisingly, Boyo says she had doubts and concerns before embarking on her six-year program at Dalhousie. “It’s hard work and a long commitment,” she admits.

But she likes that oral and maxillofacial surgery is a “bridge” between medicine and dentistry. She also says that it’s really rewarding professionally, particularly in terms of the kinds of difference an oral and maxillofacial surgeon can make in some patients’ lives.

The work ranges from caring for patients who have been in accidents or are receiving cancer treatment, to dealing with wisdom teeth or treating temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. Boyo says she enjoys it all, even though a typical day begins at the hospital around 6:30 a.m. with rounds and doesn’t end until around 5:30 or 6 p.m. It’s not unusual to study for exams in the evenings, plus residents are typically on call one night a week and one weekend a month. It’s a real job combined with being a student.

Boyo may joke about going to law school next, but really, she is happy with the path she has taken to get where she is. Each of her stepping stones gave her an opportunity to explore her options and to learn and prepare for the next step.

And that included coming to Dalhousie. “It’s a strong program and well rounded,” says Boyo. Some other oral and maxillofacial surgery programs are only four years long, whereas Dal’s is six years and incorporates medical school as part of the program. “Did I enjoy all of it? Probably not, but it was all good learning,” Boyo admits.

This graduation is the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Boyo. Her six years in Halifax have convinced her that this is now home. She will start work at a private practice this summer and also hopes to have a role supervising and mentoring undergraduate students in the Faculty of Dentistry.

Alero Boyo. Photographer: Bruce Bottomley

October 11, 2023
Retired Dentist Spotlight: Dr. Kim Mailman

In response to NSDA’s recent call for submissions, Dr. Mailman, a retired dentist in Halifax, responded to with an idea to profile another side to the profession – retired dentists and their experiences.

We would like this to be an ongoing section in our magazine, as this publication is for you, our members, and your stories spanning all moments in time in your career from your time in dentistry school to what you take on next once you decide to lay down your instruments. These stories are of great interest to those in the profession in your home province! See below if you know someone who would be great to profile or you yourself would like to share your experiences and story. We would love to hear them.

We hope you enjoy the first Spotlight!

Dr. Kim Mailman enjoying his boat in retirement.

Dr. Mailman is a very humble man, while dedicating his life to making sure others have a healthy mouth and teeth, his response to me asking him to be our first Spotlight was, “No, no, you need someone every one knows and is more deserving than me.” After he finally agreed to tell me his story, nothing could be further from the truth. A devoted family man, loving husband and pilot (in his spare time!), his grin when talking about the possibly of this new section (and of course his daughters, Michelle and Laura) lit up the boardroom of 210 Waterfront Drive in Bedford.

So, who is Dr. Mailman?

Kim Mailman graduated in 1984 from Dalhousie School of Dentistry in Halifax. He had been practising 35 years when he decided it was time to move on and open the next chapter. He has fond memories when looking back at his studies, describing Friday nights at the Dental House on Coburg Road as some very fun times. While it wasn’t all fun and games in school, he shared that his most significant professor who had an impact on him in school was Dr. Ed Spracklin. Dr. Mailman describes him as a quiet, competent person who always seemed to respect students, and provided great orthodontic information.

Married for 37 years, his wife became an integral part of his practice, with him admitting, “I had the ideas but she did the work to make it all actually happen.” Barb was a Registered Dental Assistant (RDA). Dr. Mailman worked in Shelburne, Lockeport, and Barrington, and, eventually, owned his own practice with many associates.

Dr. Mailman now resides in Hammonds Plains with his wife. One of his daughters, Michelle, is a commercial pilot and the other, Laura, is a pharmacist and pharmaceutical drug rep. He has dedicated his time outside of his family to serving the community, serving meals at Souls Harbour Mission and working as a patient advocate in the Emergency Department at Cobequid Hospital. He also loves boating in Halifax Harbour and, up until recently, was a private pilot of a Cessna 172, taking to the Nova Scotia skies by air instead of on four wheels for weekends away from home.

When asked for his advice to those entering the profession he shared, “Have fun in your daily activities as a dentist… It will come to an end before you know it! Retirement is good, but working as a dentist is great.”

He also imparted some wisdom advising that planning for retirement is key. “Plan a lot and then double what you think you need to be secure.”

On a final note, he shared words of encouragement with those who choose to dedicate their lives to caring for others. “Make sure you balance your own health and well-being with that of your patients. Do not lose sight of that.”

Dr. Mailman’s plans for the future? Since beating prostate cancer, he takes nothing for granted and is hoping to indulge his love of travel, seeing the world, and, most importantly, wintering in sunny Florida!

Dr. Mailman and his wife, Barb, on their travels.

Thank you, Dr. Mailman, for taking the time to share your experiences and advice with the profession.

Are you a retired dentist embarking on your next great adventure? We would love to hear from you and share your story! Reach out to Samantha, NSDA’s Communications Manager, at communications.nsda@bellaliant.com.

October 6, 2023