Meet your FDS Board trainee representatives

The Faculty Board appointed two trainee representatives in 2020.  Trainee representatives are invited to participate in discussions and decisions of the Board, and play an active role in the Faculty’s Postgraduate Education Committee. The appointment is for two years and anyone that is interested in applying for these positions in the future can contact the Faculty Office.

Helen Rogers

I graduated from Newcastle Dental School in 2011 and undertook a series of dental core training posts before commencing an Academic Clinical Fellowship in Paediatric Dentistry in Sheffield. I obtained my Masters in Clinical Research from the University of Sheffield in 2017 and successfully completed my specialist examinations in Paediatric Dentistry in 2018. I recently completed my PhD, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, to develop a utility measure for children with dental caries. I have a passion for clinical academia and founded the award-winning CONNECT trainee-led research group and am the current Chair of the Teachers Branch of the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry. I successfully completed the prestigious Lady Estelle Wolfson Emerging Leaders Fellowship at RCS England earlier this year. I am currently training towards my Intercollegiate Speciality Fellowship Examinations and my ultimate goal is to become a Professor in Paediatric Dentistry.

Outside of work, I enjoy doing yoga, travelling and looking after my two cats.

Rupal Shah

I qualified from Kings College London in 2011, and after gaining experience in various disciplines of Dentistry including Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Paediatric Dentistry and Restorative Dentistry, I went on to complete my specialist training in Orthodontics at the Eastman Dental Hospital. I am currently an ST5 post-CCST trainee working between Ashford Hospital and the Eastman Dental Hospital. I particularly enjoy being involved in postgraduate teaching and the management of complex multidisciplinary cases. Outside of work, I enjoy travelling, playing netball, and socialising with my family and friends.

Being the trainee representative on the FDS board this year has been particularly interesting, given the significant changes to training, national recruitment and RCS examinations as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. It has given me very good insight into management and issues arising within the profession, and I look forward to continue to represent trainees over my tenure.