Top civilian honour for outstanding Victorian public dentist

Specialist Dentist at The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne, Dr Sajeev Koshy, has been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to public dentistry in Victoria.

In addition to his role as Acting Head of Endodontics at The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne, Dr Koshy has offered his clinical expertise to various public dental clinics across Victoria.

He is the Clinical Director at Plenty Valley Community Health and Director of Dental Services at Boort District Health and has trained oral health professionals in a number of regional clinics.

“It’s an honour to be recognised and it inspires me to keep going beyond my call of duty,” Dr Koshy said.

“I thank Dental Health Services Victoria for being supportive and innovative with service delivery and providing me with the opportunities I’ve had.”

CEO of Dental Health Services Victoria, Dr Deborah Cole said that Dr Koshy’s strong sense of social justice has seen him provide compassionate care to his patients, including survivors of torture, bushfire-affected patients and children experiencing disadvantage.

He has also focused on reducing health inequities by improving the oral health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“We are thrilled that his commitment to oral health has been recognised with one of Australia’s top honours,” Dr Cole said.

Dr Koshy has also received a number of recognition awards including the Victorian Minister’s Award for the Best Healthcare Team in Victoria, Dentistry Achievement Award by the Australian Dental Association in Victoria, Victoria’s Multicultural Awards for Excellence and at Dental Health Services Victoria’s first Public Oral Healthcare Awards in 2010.