Community & Giving

Making a Difference in Dentists’ Lives

CDSPI is passionate and committed to giving back to the dental community.

As a not-for-profit, CDSPI doesn’t have to pursue profit to please shareholders. There are no shareholders. CDSPI is governed by corporate members who are the participating dental associations across Canada and CDSPI pursues value for dentists as a benefit of their dental association membership. This means an unmatched focus and understanding of dentists’ needs and giving back to the dental community.

Students & Early Career Dentists

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Supporting the dental community by helping tomorrow's dentists today. CDSPI provides the no-cost insurance program for dental students and offers discounted insurance rates for early career dentists because we know that dental school is a big investment that comes with a lot of debt. The coverage for students includes disability, life, accidental death and dismemberment and dental hand instruments. Protecting yourself financially with the right insurance is important so dental students can focus on learning and new dentists can transition to practice with confidence.

CDSPI has been a key supporter of the Federation of Canadian Dental Students Association (FCDSA) since it began in 2012, providing funding for the FCDSA Annual General Meetings as well as providing advice on marketing and communications. CDSPI is a Platinum Sponsor for the biannual FCDSA Conference which brings together students from across the country.

Mentorship Programs

Mentorship programs are an important part of achieving success in life and dental career goals. As part of our commitment to giving back and supporting the dental profession, CDSPI proudly sponsors and participates in many mentorship programs including those focused on leadership, women in dentistry and practice management.

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The UBC Dentistry Summer Student Practitioner Program (SSPP) allows incoming fourth-year students to practice dentistry within approved competencies for up to seven weeks in any city across BC. Students receive a temporary license and are paired with a practicing dentist, allowing them to experience the day-to-day operation and management of a dental practice. The SSPP encourages students to explore dentistry beyond Metro Vancouver, specifically in more rural BC communities. The CDSPI sponsorship provides for summer travel and accommodation expenses for students with placements outside of Metro Vancouver.

The alumni UBC Association is a global alumni community to inspire and engage alumni through lifelong enrichment by empowering personal growth and supporting professional development of UBC graduate practitioners.

Professional Development & Financial Literacy

At CDSPI, we are committed to helping all dentists thrive professionally and financially, offering guidance to achieve their goals for the future. Providing professional development and financial literacy programs through CDSPI speaker sessions and workshops as well as supporting study clubs and other opportunities for CE credits.

CDSPI facilitates sessions on campus to educate and empower dental students with financial knowledge and resources, so they can apply this knowledge to their lives, have financial security and attain financial wellness. We provide a holistic financial literacy curriculum offered at multiple touchpoints throughout a student’s dental school journey.

Educational Partner: University of Saskatchewan,
Faculty of Dentistry

As part of the University of Saskatchewan, School of Dentistry curriculum, CDSPI provides financial wellness sessions every year, helping to educate and empower dental students to make informed financial decisions today and as a new dentist.

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Wellness Initiatives

Members' Assistance Program

CDSPI sponsors the Members’ Assistance Program (MAP), a valuable resource at no cost to members. MAP provides 24/7 access to confidential health and wellness support and resources for work, life, and health. The MAP program is provided by Telus Health and is available to dentists, dental office staff, dental students, and their families.

Supporting Wellness Initiatives

CDSPI presents wellness sessions specifically tailored to the dental profession. Wellness experts are brought in to share resources and strategies to help dentists and their teams achieve and maintain a culture and state of emotional, physical and financial wellbeing for themselves, their families and their employees. Sponsorships are also available for dental association and other dental community wellness initiatives.

Community Connections

Left to right: Lyle Best and his partner Marnie Weckel, Tony and Beverly Patey, Ed and Darlene Dermit.

Left to right: Lyle Best (former Board Chair of CDSPI) and his partner Marnie Weckel, Tony and Beverly Patey, Ed (President & CEO of CDSPI) and Darlene Dermit, at the NLDA Retirement Gala for Tony Patey.

Proudly sponsoring and participating in over 100 important initiatives annually in the dental community. CDSPI supports dental associations and their AGMs and conventions, continuing education, events that fundraise for community access to care and other initiatives that nurture a sense of connectedness and growth for the profession. In addition, we contribute financial thought leadership with articles for publications and educational sessions featuring professional guest speakers and industry experts.

To learn more about the dental associations that comprise our membership, click the links below: