Northern Irish dentist to be next president of the BDA
by Guy Hiscott
Dr Barry McGonigle, a general dental practitioner from Omagh, Northern Ireland, will take up the presidency of the British Dental Association (BDA) later this month.
He will officially take up his position as the BDA’s 127th president in a ceremony at the Association’s annual British Dental Conference and Exhibition on 25 April, succeeding the current president Dr Frank Holloway.
Coming from a dental family, Dr McGonigle was brought up in Omagh, County Tyrone. He undertook his dental education at the University of Manchester and the Turner Dental Hospital and then worked as an assistant dental surgeon with a practice in the Republic of Ireland.
He then did further training as an SHO in Manchester Royal Infirmary and held an associateship in general practice in York.
He returned to the family practice in Omagh in 1982 and has worked there ever since. He is currently the practice owner.
A member of the BDA since 1983, Dr McGonigle’s past positions include chair of the BDA’s Education Committee, chair of the BDA International Affairs Committee and chair of the BDA Northern Ireland policy group. He was also the first dentist from Northern Ireland to chair the UK National LDC conference.
Over the past twenty years he has served on many BDA committees including the Executive Board, the General Dental Practice Committee, the Representative Body, the Pensions Committee, and Northern Ireland Branch Council. He has also represented the BDA through positions on outside bodies and in external negotiations.
Speaking ahead of his inauguration on 25 April Dr McGonigle said: ‘I am hugely honoured to be taking up the position of president of the BDA. It will be a particular honour to serve as BDA president in the year in which our Northern Ireland branch celebrates its 90th anniversary.
‘As dentists in the UK we face the shared challenges of improving the oral health of the population as well as challenges specific to the countries where we are based. I look forward to representing the profession during my year of office and working together with colleagues across the UK to help meet those challenges.’
