GETTING THE CONVERSATION GOING ON THE CONNECTION BETWEEN ORAL HEALTH AND CHRONIC CONDITIONS
With
Dr Carol Tran, Oral Health Therapist &
Scientific Program Chair,
Oral Health Association of Australia (OHAA) Congress &
Past President, Dental Hygienists Association of Australia (DHAA) &
Co-director, Oral Health Home
PEOPLE IN HEALTH CARE SEGMENT
Filmed in Brisbane | September 2025
Dr. Carol Tran is an Oral Health Therapist and co-founder of Oral Health Home, an organisation focused on innovative, prevention-oriented oral health education and outreach. She is a Past President of Dental Hygienists Association of Australia (DHAA) and currently is the Scientific Program Chair, for upcoming congress in October 2025, for the newly formed Oral Health Association of Australia (OHAA).
A pivotal moment in Dr. Tran’s career was her leadership work with the DHAA. Throughout her tenure, she has served as a Director and President, leading national advocacy strategies and chairing committees on governance and special needs dentistry. One of her major achievements was successfully campaigning for oral health therapists, dental hygienists, and dental therapists to receive provider numbers, enabling them to be recognised as Medicare health care providers in their own right. This experience helped shape her belief in the potential for oral health practitioners to drive broader healthcare reform, ultimately inspiring her to co-found Oral Health Home.
Dr. Tran enjoys making oral health accessible and meaningful, particularly for often-overlooked communities. Currently, she is piloting a chewing and oral hypofunction program in aged care that uses technology to enhance residents’ oral function, alongside collaborating with CSIRO on food engineering research. She observes a growing awareness of the connection between oral health and overall wellness, but acknowledges ongoing challenges such as workforce shortages and fragmented funding. For those looking to enter this sector, she advises aspiring professionals to advocate, innovate, and think beyond traditional clinical roles.
Source: Adapted from supplied text
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A New Era in Primary Health Care Nursing
Coinciding with this year’s International Nurses Day, this week’s Federal Budget has had some significant outcomes for the primary health care, nursing workforce.
The Federal Budget delivered on 9th May 2023, APNA believes will strengthen Australia’s primary health care (PHC) system by addressing growing nursing shortages, seeing more nurses hired where they are needed, and better utilising the largest workforce in PHC of nearly 100,000 nurses to their full potential to reduce the pressure on the health system.
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Imperatives for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer
Professor Clare Scott, a pioneering clinician scientist at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, also serves as a medical oncologist at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and the Royal Women’s Hospital.
Her comprehensive training in medical oncology has fuelled her specialisation in gynaecological cancer, combining rigorous research with clinical trials to improve patient outcomes. With over a decade of involvement in ANZGOG, Australia’s foremost gynaecologic cancer research organisation, she is deeply committed to advancing research and saving lives.
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People in Healthcare: Danica Prodanovic
Continuing our series on people on healthcare, meet Danica Prodanovic from Biointelect. Now a Senior Associate who migrated from Serbia in 2014, Danica is a former Eurovision Song Contest singer and musician. Yes, you read that right! Hear about her story doing a PhD in Pharmacology at The University of Melbourne and starting her career in healthcare. Recently she performed at the ARCS Australia Dinner, reflecting her musical background remaining part of her life. Danica’s story shows the vibrancy of the Australian health sector. Watch the interview and her performances now!
