Denplan, part of Simplyhealth, is announcing the appointment of Louis Mackenzie as head dental officer, starting on 14 April 2020.
Louis has been working part-time for Denplan as head of clinical training for the last five years. He will combine this to become a full-time role as head dental officer. He will work closely with and report to Catherine Rutland, clinical director at Simplyhealth.
In his new role, Louis will provide up-to-date clinical advice and guidance supporting Denplan’s 6,500 member dentists and promoting the growth of the Denplan brand. Key areas of focus will include supporting dental practices with sensitive clinical risk management issues as well as providing clinical risk management advice to colleagues.
‘I am delighted to be joining Denplan on a full-time basis as head dental officer,’ Louis says.
‘Having been head of clinical training at Denplan for the past five years, I know the organisation and the wider dental community extremely well. I’m looking forward to working with Catherine’s clinical team to further enhance the support services that we offer to all Denplan members.
‘The current coronavirus pandemic demonstrates that it is more important than ever to provide relevant and timely clinical, business and legislative support for Denplan dentists and their teams. This will be crucial in the next few months and far beyond the current crisis.’
Louis’ background
Louis has been a Denplan dentist for 30 years. He has worked part-time as a clinical lecturer at the University of Birmingham School of dentistry for 16 years. He also works in the postgraduate department at King’s college London.
Louis has presented over 1,000 hands-on courses. He lectures both nationally and internationally on direct and indirect restorative techniques, clinical photography and minimally invasive dentistry. He is also the academic lead of Birmingham University’s MSc in restorative dentistry.
As Denplan’s head of clinical training, Louis has therefore worked closely with the events and training team to help design and deliver the UK’s widest ranging programme of training courses for Denplan dentists and Denplan practice teams.
‘Louis has a fantastic grasp of the whole dental profession,’ Catherine Rutland, clinical director at Simplyhealth, says. ‘We are really excited that he is going to be joining the clinical team here at Denplan.
‘He will be a dynamic asset to our team. He will drive forward how we can make sure we are reaching all areas of the profession.
‘Louis will work closely with the rest of the team and with our national network of 23 dental practice advisors. They support our unique clinical governance programme, Denplan Excel.’