National accolade for young dental communicator

Dr Mona Nasser has won a prestigious national prize for young dental communicators
Dr. Mona Nasser, Clinical Lecturer in Evidence Based Dentistry

A dental academic from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry has overcome stiff competition to win second prize in a prestigious national award for young dental communicators.

Dr Mona Nasser is Clinical Lecturer in Evidence Based Dentistry, and she has won second prize in the British Dental Editors Forum (BDEF) Young Dental Communicators Award.

Mona won the award for the successful communication of her evidence review around the issue of environmental sustainability in dental practice, published in the British Dental Journal. The subject for the review came from a call for questions from the dental community from the Shirley Glasstone Hughes Trust.

She highlighted the results of her review through a number of channels throughout the past year, including a presentation to the Annual Symposium of the Institute for Sustainability Solutions Research, a video of which was further promoted via social media.

The review led to a workshop with discussions on Twitter and collected via the social media software - Storify.

As well as being a blogger, Mona uses her communications skills to engage more widely at scientific events using Twitter. For a week in July she curated the well-known @realscientists twitter account (with around 12,000 followers) for one week. Most recently she created and conducted a tablet-based app survey of dental hygiene habits, which took place during Universities Week on Plymouth University’s stand at the Natural History Museum in London.

Mona will receive her award at a ceremony at the British Dental Association in September.

Mona was nominated for the award by Professor David Moles, Director of Dental Postgraduate Education and Research at Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry.

He said: “Mona’s communication skills are exceptional, and her approach to getting key dental health and research messages ‘out there’ is extremely effective and successful. We are delighted that she has won such a prestigious award, and our congratulations go to her for such a superb achievement.”
The aim of the British Dental Editors Forum is to encourage high quality and ethical publication and communication in dentistry. Each year it recognises the achievement and future potential of young dental communicators and writers through its Dental Communicator of the Year Award. For further information about the Forum, please contact Professor Ken Eaton, Chair, at kenneth.a.eaton@btinternet.com.