Dr. Jayne Jones is a registered dentist with over 39 years of experience in private and public dental practice. She graduated from London University in 1984 and worked as a general dentist in the South of England until 1988 when she emigrated to Australia. She worked in private practices in Sydney and in 2001 set up a dental practice in Pymble which operated successfully until it was sold in 2018. She visited the local schools and preschools to provide Oral Health education and in 2002 was filmed as the dentist for the ABC children’s production, Playschool. In July 2016 she joined the University of Newcastle as a clinical educator in Oral Health and took on a full-time position as a lecturer early in 2019. Her area of research is the development of an educational module for dental practitioners to develop their confidence and competence in providing preventive dental care for persons with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She has a special interest in dentistry for patients with special needs, the elderly, and children, and believes in the need for a preventive focus in dentistry. During 2018–2019 she worked as a dental officer at Wyong Hospital and mentored the newly graduated dentists to assist and develop their clinical experience in the public sector. During this time, she also supervised the Bachelor of Oral Health Therapy students at Wyong Hospital. In 2022 she returned to a full-time position at the University of Newcastle and currently works as a lecturer in Oral Health.

Dr. Elysa Roberts is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Health Sciences (Occupational Therapy), University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia. She holds a PhD (Occupational Therapy) from the Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA, and a Master of Science (Occupational Therapy) from the Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA. She is a Registered Occupational Therapist, NBCOT, USA. She joined a team of active educators and researchers in her field of occupational therapy (OT). Her research focuses mostly on recovery from eating disorders and the value of teaching/learning activities.

Deborah Cockrell is an Adjunct Professor at the School of Health Sciences (Oral Health), University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia. Deborah Cockrell holds a Ph.D. from the University of Sydney, a Bachelor of Dental Surgery from the University of Birmingham, UK, a Graduate Certificate in Educational Studies from the University of Sydney, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Newcastle. Deborah Cockrell was awarded a Fellowship in Teaching and Learning at the University of Sydney. Deborah Cockrell’s research interests are dental education, reflective practice, rural oral health, rural placements, and self-assessment.

Denise Higgins is currently employed as a Lecturer and the Program Convenor for the Bachelor of Oral Health Therapy Program with The University of Newcastle. Her qualifications include a PhD in Oral Health simulation, a Diploma in Applied Science in Dental Therapy, a Bachelor of Oral Health, a Bachelor of Health Science [Honors], and graduate certificates in the Practice of Tertiary Teaching and Clinical Simulation. Her research areas include simulation in oral health and higher education. She is an innovator of fit-for-purpose simulation technology to enhance the student experience in the educational environment. Her creations include the design and development of a synthetic tissue simulator capable of repeated needle insertion and dental local anaesthetic deposition. She joined The Australian Dental and Oral Health Therapists’ Association (ADOHTA) NSW branch Executive Committee and has served as a general member, Vice President, and the current President. During her time on the committee, she has also fulfilled the role of Newsletter Editor. She is a member of ADOHTA (NSW), Simulation Australasia, College of Oral Health Academics (COHA), UON Oral Health External Advisory Group, UON BOHT Clinical Advisory Group, and a peer reviewer for academic journals.

Dileep Sharma is the Professor and Head of Discipline, Oral Health Therapy in The University of Newcastle and an Adjunct Professor at James Cook University Australia. Dileep holds a PhD from Griffith University in addition to his Clinical Masters in Periodontics and Bachelor Degree in Dentistry. His research team was awarded the Clarks Family Award for Sustainable Dental Materials research by Australian Dental Research Foundation and the ANZ Joan Chong Award in Dental Materials by the International Association for Dental Research. Dileep was also awarded two fellowships in the FDI World Dental Congress held at the International Convention Centre Sydney in September 2023 - Fellowship of Pierre Fauchard Academy and Fellowship of International College of Dentists – both awarded in recognition of his contributions and leadership in the field of Clinical Dentistry, Research and Dental education. Additionally, Dileep has extensive experience as principal and co-investigator for various externally funded research projects with various funders including Australian Dental Research Foundation and Tropical Australian Academic Health Centre, Australia.