Sajeev Koshy (1956-2023) was an Indian-born specialist endodontist residing in Australia. He was a public dentist, clinical director and a social advocate. He was a recipient of The Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).[1][2]

Sajeev Koshy
Died21 February 2023
EducationMDS (Endodontics), MRACDS (Endodontics), MBA (Otago)
OccupationEndodontist

Education

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Koshy completed his schooling from St Joseph's High School, and graduated from Mar Ivanios College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. He completed his Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree from Kerala University, Thiruvananthapuram, and was the President of the Kerala Dental Students Association in 1978.[3]

He was an MDS in Endodontics, an MBA from the University of Otago, New Zealand, and an MRACDS (Endo) conferred by the Royal Australian College of Dental Surgeons.[4] He was a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.[5] Koshy also has an academic title with Griffith University.[6]

Career

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From 1995 to 1996, Koshy was the President of the Indian Dental Association Kerala.[7] Koshy also served as the president of Kerala Dental Council, the statutory body for dental registration and regulation in the State of Kerala, with more than 20,000 registered dentists.[8] He was first elected as a council member and after three years, was elected as the Chairman of the Council consecutively for three five-year terms.[8] He resigned in 1998 when he emigrated to New Zealand. He was the head of Endodontics, Prosthodontics, Implantology, periodontics and Specialist Endodontist at the Royal Dental Hospital Melbourne, Australia, the tertiary teaching hospital in Victoria.[9] Until March 2018, he served as the Clinical Director (Dental) of Plenty Valley Community Health.[10] Dr Koshy also assisted the rural health services in Victoria by working as Director of Dental Services for Boort District Health[11] and for SwanHill District Health Services . Koshy also worked as Clinical Adviser -Dental to the recently amalgamated new Central Highland Rural Health at Hepburn.[citation needed]

Philanthropy

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Koshy worked to assist refugees and asylum seekers with oral health care in Victoria.[12][13] He also worked abroad as a Rotary International dental volunteer with the UNHCR program in Hong Kong for Vietnamese refugees,[14] and Rotary programs with Kikuyu tribes in Kenya, Q'eqchi' Indians in Guatemala,[1] and orphans in Colima, Mexico. He was the clinical advisor for Smile High Foundation which volunteers in Nepal.He was a former member of the Gippsland Dental Task Force Group, facilitated by Dental Health Services Victoria, which drafted the first Gippsland Oral Health Plan in 2008.[15] He was Chair of the North and West Metro Oral Health leadership group for Victoria,[16] and former Board Chair and Director of Platinum Cove Pty Ltd,[17] which is trading as Northern Dental Centre.

Awards and recognition

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  • Appointed by the Victorian Minister for Suburban Development to the Northern Metropolitan partnership as a board member[18]
  • Knight of the Order of St John Knights Hospitaller with the title of Chevalier −2021[19]
  • Winner of Times NOW & ICICI Bank NRI of the Year Awards 2018 ( Professional Category)[20]
  • Recipient Australia Day Awards 2016 – The Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)[21][22]
  • Appointed by the COAG Ministerial Health Council to the AHPRA National Scheme – Dental Board of Australia since August 2015[23]
  • Appointed by the Victorian Health Minister to the Victorian Clinical Council[24]
  • Recipient of Victoria's MultiCultural Awards for Excellence in 2012[25]
  • Recipient of Victoria's first public oral health care awards in 2010[26]
  • Recipient of the 2008 Dentistry Achievement Award of the Australian Dental Association, Victoria[27]
  • Winner of the Victorian Health Care Award for the Best Health Care Team in Victoria, 2007[28]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Our Order of Australia Recipients – Dr. Sajeev Koshy". Freemasonry Victoria Magazine. 146: 5. Autumn 2016.
  2. ^ "Indian Origin Dr. Sajeev Koshy honoured with Medal of Order of Australia". SBS Your Language. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  3. ^ "IDA Kerala: History". idakerala.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  4. ^ "RACDS Yearbook 2016 – Flip Book Pages 1–50 | PubHTML5".
  5. ^ "Agenda – Company Director Magazine – AICD – Australian Institute of Company Directors". companydirectors.com.au. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  6. ^ "Academic Title Holders". griffith.edu.au. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  7. ^ Dentaura.com, Site designed by. ".:: IDA KERALA STATE ::. idakerala.com .:: Official website of IDA Kerala: Indian Dental Association". idakerala.com. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  8. ^ a b Dentaura.com, Site designed by. ".:: IDA KERALA STATE ::. idakerala.com .:: Official website of IDA Kerala: Indian Dental Association". idakerala.com. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  9. ^ "Dental Alumni Newsletter" (PDF). University of Melbourne.
  10. ^ Community Health, Plenty Valley. "Plenty Valley Community Health Organisational Chart" (PDF). Plenty Valley Community Health.
  11. ^ "Boort District Health – BDH Executive Team". bdh.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  12. ^ Friends, Alumni &. "International award winner a proud Otago graduate". University of Otago. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  13. ^ Annual Report (PDF). DENTAL HEALTH SERVICES VICTORIA. 2018–2019. p. 27.
  14. ^ "Master of universal care – Bite Magazine". bitemagazine.com.au. 12 April 2017. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  15. ^ https://www.dhsv.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/2853/gippsland-oral-health-plan-march-2009.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  16. ^ https://www.dhsv.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/64629/DHSV_AnnualReport_2015-16-for-web.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  17. ^ https://info.thewest.com.au/westadvertising/feature/20160126/downloads/feature.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  18. ^ Development, Suburban (27 August 2021). "Northern Metropolitan Partnership". Suburban Development. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  19. ^ "Order of Saint John Australasia |". Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  20. ^ "5th Edition of Times NOW & ICICI Bank NRI of the Year Awards 2018 Honors Global Indians – TelevisionPost". televisionpost.com. Retrieved 26 July 2018.
  21. ^ "Australia's highest civilian award for 3 PIOs". The Hindu. 27 January 2016.
  22. ^ "Dental Board of Australia – Honour for Board member". dentalboard.gov.au. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  23. ^ "Dental Board of Australia – Dental Board Members". dentalboard.gov.au.
  24. ^ "Dr Sajeev Koshy OAM to be appointed as Victorian Clinical Council member". sbs.com.au. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  25. ^ "2012 MULTICULTURAL AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE RECIPIENTS" (PDF) (Press release). vic.gov.au. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
  26. ^ "2010 winners – Dental Health Services Victoria". dhsv.org.au.
  27. ^ ADAVB. "ADAVB > About Us > Our History > Awards". adavb.net.
  28. ^ Services, Department of Health & Human. "Home – health.vic, Department of Health and Human Services, Victoria, Australia". Victorian Public Healthcare Awards. Retrieved 3 July 2018.