Meet Leslie Battersby

BCDHA Board of Director Elections (Northern B.C.)

My long and varied dental career has helped me see how far dental hygiene has evolved over the years. I started my dental career journey in 1984 when I graduated from the dental assisting program at Vancouver Community College. I thoroughly loved working as a CDA but after 10 years I was ready for a change, so I started the pre-requisites for dental hygiene.

I moved from Vancouver to Prince George when I was accepted into the Dental Hygiene program at the College of New Caledonia and I graduated in 1997. I worked in clinical practice for 10 years before starting my career as a dental hygiene instructor. I have been educating dental hygienists for over 22 years, and I absolutely love helping new aspiring dental hygiene students graduate as they eagerly start their new careers. I also have 5 years of experience working in Community Dental Health in Northern BC.

I have been involved as a site surveyor for the Canadian Dental Accreditation Commission at numerous dental programs across Canada and have experience as an item writer and appraiser with the National Dental Hygiene Certification Board. Additionally, I have been privileged to have had articles published in various CDHA journals. I completed a Bachelor of Dental Science in Dental Hygiene at the University of British Columba in 2007 and a Masters of Health Studies at Athabasca University in 2016. I have been an executive member of the Northern Dental Hygienists Society and I have enjoyed participating for many years in various national dental hygiene week activities.

I am interested in being part of the BCDHA Board as I believe with my numerous dental experiences and acquired knowledge I can be of value as your voice. I want to help continue to keep the profession moving forward and in a proactive way. The profession of dental hygiene has seen some very positive changes recently and in the past and I look forward to seeing many more in the near future. I believe in collaboration amongst fellow dental team members and if I was elected, I would value the opportunity to represent the BCDHA members, as a director representing Northern BC.

In my personal life I enjoy the outdoors by camping, quading, snowmobiling and horseback riding. Additionally, I love to travel. I have made many new friends and memories traveling the world, with hopefully many more to come.