Meet the Annual Clinic Day 2022 Presenters

Prof. Axel Spahr

Dr. Med. Dent. Habil., MRACDS (Perio) 

Prof. Spahr is Director of Oral Rehabilitation and Head of the Discipline Periodontics as well as Deputy Head of School at The University of Sydney Dental School.  

Prof. Spahr is the former Head of Periodontics at the University of Ulm in Germany and has worked at various international universities and research facilities. He has additional training in microbiology, molecular biology, extensive experience in basic science research, animal research and clinical research. His research interest includes periodontal regeneration, bone regeneration, periodontitis and systemic diseases, antimicrobial therapy as well as dental implants and peri-implant diseases. He has led large externally funded research projects and is collaborating with leading international research groups and companies in the field of periodontology, implantology and bone regeneration. He is author of numerous publications in international peer-reviewed dental and medical journals, book chapters and has presented his work at professional conferences worldwide. Prof. Spahr is a board registered periodontal specialist, he works part time in an established specialist periodontal and implant practice in Sydney and is the past President of the Periodontal Research Group of the International Association of Dental Research (IADR). He is a Fellow of the International Team for Implantology (ITI), the International College of Dentists (ICD), and the Pierre Fauchard Academy (PFA).  


Ove A. Peters

D.M.D., M.S., Ph.D.

Dr. Ove A. Peters joined The University of Queensland School of Dentistry in 2020 as the professor of endodontics and coordinator, postgraduate programs. He had held faculty positions in Heidelberg, Germany and Zurich, Switzerland, as well as at the University of California and the University of the Pacific, both in San Francisco, CA, USA. Dr. Peters received his postgraduate education in endodontics at the University of Zurich and at UCSF and is certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics.  

Dr. Peters has wide-ranging research expertise and has published more than 175 manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, related to endodontic technology and biology. He has authored two books and has contributed to several leading textbooks in endodontics. Dr. Peters has received, among other awards, the Hans Genet Award of the European Society of Endodontology and more recently the Louis I. Grossman Award of the American Association of Endodontists. He is also a Fellow of the International and American Colleges of Dentistry. 

Sarah Chaw 

BDSc (Hons) (UQ), DClinDent (Oral Med) (UQ), MRACDS (Oral Med), FOMAA 

Dr Sarah Chaw is a registered specialist in Oral Medicine. She graduated from The University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Dental Science with first class honours and was a recipient of multiple academic and research awards. She then completed her specialist training with a Doctor of Clinical Dentistry (Oral Medicine) from The University of Queensland. Sarah is a Fellow of the Oral Medicine Academy of Australasia and holds Membership in the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons in the Special Field Stream of Oral Medicine. 

Sarah is the Discipline Lead in Oral Medicine at The University of Queensland and is actively involved in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate dental students. She works in private practice at Queensland Oral Medicine (Wickham Terrace, Brisbane), and holds a public appointment with Metro South (Queensland Health). 

Her clinical interests include orofacial pain and temporomandibular disorders, mucosal and mucocutaneous disease, potentially malignant disorders, and oral oncology. Sarah practices the full scope of Oral Medicine, which includes the diagnosis and management of Oral Diseases, Orofacial Pain and Dental Sleep Medicine.

Maryam Jessri 

DDS, PhD, Cert Oral Medicine (Harvard), Diplomate ABOM, FOMAA 

Maryam is an oral medicine specialist with special interest in complex cases. After finishing her dental degree and a PhD in genetics of head and neck cancer, she trained as an oral medicine specialist at Brigham and Women's Hospital/Harvard Dental School with an externship at Eastman Dental Hospital, London. She returned to Australia in January 2019 to become the program convener and discipline lead in oral medicine at UWA and since June 2021 she has been practising in both public and private sectors in Brisbane.

Dr Mark J Gervais

BDSc (Qld), GradDipClinDent, DCD (Melb), FICD  

Mark is a prosthodontist in private practice in Southport. He graduated with a Bachelor of Dental Science from the University of Queensland in 1990, and completed his Doctorate of Clinical Dentistry at the University of Melbourne in 2006. Mark has lectured in prosthodontics at three universities and is a clinical demonstrator and lecturer at the University of Queensland’s School of Dentistry. He was the Director of Oral Health of the West Moreton Oral Health Unit for five years from 1998. Mark is a past-president of the Queensland branch of the Australian Prosthodontic Society, and an active member of the Academy of Australian and New Zealand Prosthodontists.    

Dr Claudia Lopez Silva

PHD

Dr Claudia Lopez Silva is a specialist in and the Discipline Lead of Special Needs Dentistry at the University of Queensland. She has over 5 years of experience and is involved in the teaching and clinical supervision of both undergraduate and postgraduate dental students within the School of Dentistry, and on clinical placement within Metro North Oral Health Services (MNOHS).

Lana Hall

Sage & Sound Psychology

Lana Hall is a psychologist, author and motivational speaker. First registering as a psychologist in 2009, Lana initially worked for government and non-profit organisations before opening her own individual private practice in 2014, followed by her group private practice, Sage & Sound, in 2018. Lana has written two books, How to Stop Worrying and Start Sleeping (2016), and The Slow Life Project, which was released in 2021. Lana’s psychological, written and speaking work revolve around the core themes of how to manage stress, anxiety, and a lack of purpose or direction within your life by using practical, easy-to-implement, evidence based -strategies to increase your feelings of confidence, fulfillment and joy in your work and life.