The Dental Hygienists Association of Australia recently announced the appointment of Dr Melanie Hayes as the new chief executive officer of the association.

The appointment of a CEO was determined to be a strategic priority of the DHAA at its Leadership Day and subsequent board meeting held in May this year—one that would signal their commitment to ensure greater outcomes and accountability to DHAA members, the community, industry partners and government.

Dr Hayes is a dental hygienist who has worked in both general and periodontal practices. For the past eight years, she has worked in academia, most recently as a senior lecturer at the University of Melbourne. She completed her PhD in 2013, focusing on the musculoskeletal health of dental hygienists.

Dr Hayes has also been a director and president of the DHAA Board for the past three years.

“I am passionate about dental hygiene and what the future has to offer the profession,” Dr Hayes said. “I am looking forward to implementing the DHAA strategic plan during this exciting period of development for the association.”

This article was originally sourced from Bite Magazine.