Dental Health Services Victoria is servicing and caring for those in need across the State of Victoria, providing clinical dental services and oral care. Deborah Cole, CEO of Dental Health Services Victoria, recently spoke to The CEO Magazine about how the organisation is developing and directing its essential services.
The CEO Magazine: With your diverse range of experience across multiple sectors, how have you utilised your knowledge and expertise in your current role?
Deborah: I started off as a dentist and I still am a registered dentist. Then I moved into local government, then into the acute hospital sector in both public and private settings. All those different experiences assisted me immensely.
I think when youre working in public health, you cant do anything by yourself, particularly when youre in an environment like public dentistry. We have to work with The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne and 57 community health agencies to deliver our services. We don’t do it by ourselves; we do it in partnership and collaboration. I think the skills that I brought from local government and working in the acute sector have really helped me know how to work in a collaborative way with lots of different organisations.