The Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA) is pleased to announce the installation of its new president, Anne Caissie, at its virtual annual general meeting on Saturday, October 22. Anne is from New Brunswick and joins president-elect Francine Trudeau (Quebec), past president Wendy Stewart (Nova Scotia), and directors Donna Lee (British Columbia), Alexandra Sheppard (Alberta), Kaylen Anholt (Saskatchewan), Kathy Yerex (Manitoba), Bev Woods (Ontario), Heather Cassidy (Prince Edward Island), Cindy Holden (Newfoundland and Labrador), and Tracy Bowser (North) on CDHA’s board of directors for 2022‒2023.
Anne graduated from CEGEP John Abbott College, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, in 1989. Over her 33-year career, she has worked in general and periodontic practices, was a dental hygiene educator, and held several positions with the New Brunswick Dental Hygienists Association, including serving as president from 2009 to 2011. Now working in private practice, Anne is in the process of opening her own independent dental hygiene business to make professional oral care more accessible to New Brunswickers.
As president of CDHA, Anne looks forward to continuing her advocacy efforts with other health care professionals, the public, and policy makers, highlighting the essential nature of dental hygiene care and the relationship between oral health and overall health. “Every person in Canada, regardless of how old they are, where they live or how much they earn, deserves to enjoy a life free from dental pain or disease. Dental hygienists are committed to realizing this goal.” Anne also hopes to meet with other members of the dental hygiene community to discuss their visions for the future of the profession.
CDHA is the collective national voice of more than 30,000 dental hygienists in Canada, directly representing 21,000 individual members, including students. Since 1963, CDHA has worked to advance the profession and promote the importance of oral health. Dental hygiene is the sixth-largest regulated health profession in Canada, with professionals working in a variety of settings, including independent dental hygiene practice, with people of all ages, addressing issues related to oral health. For more information on oral health, visit dentalhygienecanada.ca.
