OHAA Oral Health Awards

2026 OHAA Awards - Nominations Now Open

We're pleased to announce nominations are now open for the 2026 OHAA Awards. The Oral Health Association of Australia Awards are a way to recognise oral health practitioners who consistently demonstrate outstanding commitments to oral health care and to acknowledge OHAA members who significantly contribute to the profession. 

Do you know a member who contributes to the oral health profession, OHAA or improves access to care? Perhaps one of your peers contributes to impactful projects, serves in rural and remote areas or contributes via education or mentoring. We want to hear from you so we can recognise those members whose efforts influence oral health within patient care, the overall profession, workplaces and the broader community. 

2026 OHAA Award Categories

1. OHAA Oral Health Practitioner of the Year Award "The Golden Pikster" - sponsored by Erskine Dental

2. OHAA Early Career Award - sponsored by MIMS Drugs4dent

3. OHAA Quiet Achiever Award - sponsored by the Australian Dental Council (ADC)

What you need to know - key dates

• Nominations open on Tuesday 2 June 2026 and close on Friday 31 July 2026.
• Accepted nominees will be notified via email on Thursday 6 August 2026.
• OHAA Oral Health Practitioner of the Year finalists will be notified via email on Thursday 3 September 2026.
• Award winners will be announced at the OHAA Congress 2026, Wrest Point Hotel, Hobart at the Gala Dinner on Friday 16 October 2026.

Access further information about the OHAA 2026 Awards here.
View the 2026 Awards Criteria and Assessment information here.

NOMINATE TODAY

2025 OHAA Award Winners

The inaugural OHAA Awards were designed to acknowledge OHAA members who significantly contribute to the oral health profession and to recognise oral health practitioners demonstrating outstanding commitment to oral health care.

We are thrilled to publicly announce the three winners for 2025 here, following the formal announcement at our OHAA Congress 2025 Gala Dinner & Awards Night on Friday 17 October 2025 at The Star, Gold Coast.

Oral Health Practitioner of the Year Award Winner "The Golden Pikster"

- Michelle Wright

Award sponsored by Erskine Dental 

This award recognises oral health practitioners who have made outstanding contributions to the field of oral health. It celebrates excellence, innovation and dedication in dental hygiene, dental therapy and oral health therapy.

Michelle Wright's Qualifications, Experience and Career Highlights

With 28 years in dental hygiene, Michelle has built a career spanning private practice, hospital settings, specialist implant and periodontal clinics. Beginning as a general dental hygienist, she progressed into specialist practice and has worked as a Periodontal Hygienist for the past 15 years.

Her career highlights include her role as lead Senior Researcher in the Smile Study, a large randomised controlled trial in Perth investigating links between maternal periodontal disease and preterm birth. 
(Read the published research paper here).

She has also contributed extensively to education, delivering lectures, clinical tutoring, and serving as an examiner for undergraduate dental and oral health therapy students.

Previously, she held the role of Clinical Lead in a specialist periodontal practice, where she guided and mentored a team of seven oral health practitioners — supporting new graduates and collaborating as a respected colleague with highly experienced clinicians. She currently works clinically at The Centre for Prosthodontics, the only Straumann Centre for Excellence in Australia, alongside world-leading prosthodontists.

Her professional journey reflects a unique balance of clinical expertise, research, education, and leadership, with an enduring passion for prevention and patient empowerment.

Ella Wakely's Qualifications, Experience and Career Highlights

Ella Wakely began her career with five years as a dental assistant in Karratha, where she also gained valuable experience in practice management. After returning home to Adelaide and graduating from the ADOH program at TAFE SA in 2022, she worked in a large, fast-paced city clinic. The work there, however, felt repetitive, and she felt like a "small cog in a very big machine" without a sense of personal or professional growth.

Making the deliberate choice to return to Karratha in June 2023, Ella now serves as the only dental hygienist in a small mining town with a high population of vulnerable people. This reality pushes her to work at the top of her scope, learn faster, think more critically, and pursue additional CPD. Ella is an excellent example of a metro-raised professional who is actively modelling the choice to work in rural areas, recognising the benefits for both her career and the community's need for care. This choice demonstrates a commitment to serving communities in need while developing her confidence and sense of purpose

Ella has demonstrated outstanding expertise and key achievements in oral health education and promotion, showing a deep commitment to improving health outcomes in Aboriginal communities. She facilitates monthly oral health workshops at an Indigenous youth shed in Roebourne, a remote area in the Pilbara region, where she leads supervised brushing and educational activities like "a day at the dentist" and "diet & decay".

She collaborated closely with local stakeholders to embed daily toothbrushing routines, with many of the children having never brushed their teeth before the program commenced. Her culturally sensitive approach and ability to build trust were instrumental to the initiative’s success, with Ella seeing real improvement in the kids' brushing and oral health knowledge. This work has been widely recognised, with Ella being one of just two finalists from the entire Asia-Australia region for the "Best of Bupa" Awards, and she travelled to London in mid-October 2025 for the ceremony.

Early Career Award Winner

Ella Wakely

Award sponsored by MIMS Drugs4dent

This award recognises the achievements of oral health practitioners within the first five years of their career. It celebrates those who have made significant contributions to patient care, research, or community service, setting a strong foundation for an impactful career in the oral health field.

Quiet Achiever Award Winner

Elizabeth Cobbledick

Award sponsored by Curaprox

This award recognises oral health practitioners who have made substantial contributions to the oral health field through their consistent, behind-the-scenes efforts and dedication. It celebrates the unsung heroes who embody quiet leadership and humble service in the oral health profession.

Elizabeth Cobbledick's Qualifications, Experience and Career Highlights

Liz Cobbledick is an accomplished Oral Health Therapist with a Bachelor of Oral Health from the University of Melbourne (2011) and a Graduate Certificate in Dental Therapy (Advanced Clinical Practice) obtained in 2018, enabling her to provide comprehensive care for adults. She further enhanced her leadership and management skills by completing a Master of Business Administration (Healthcare Management) from Deakin University in 2022.

Currently employed by Oral Health Victoria (formerly DHSV), Liz plays a pivotal leadership role, overseeing clinical supervision, onboarding, training, and governance. She spearheads the Smile Squad program’s clinical training, developing targeted e-learning modules and workshops addressing areas such as working with children with special needs, informed consent, and radiation safety. Liz chairs a senior clinician group, manages university placements, and mentors students from multiple institutions, ensuring adherence to clinical standards and patient safety.

Liz’s dedication extends beyond clinical practice into advocacy and policy development. She has demonstrated outstanding leadership within the former ADOHTA VIC/TAS Branch and National Council, driving significant policy reforms, including crucial contributions to the Victorian public sector Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA). Notably, she balanced advocacy efforts while raising two young children, exemplifying her commitment and resilience.

Her international impact includes participation in the Colin Riley Scholarship, where she helped strengthen dental services in Tonga through collaboration with local health authorities and dignitaries. Liz embodies the core values of the former ADOHTA, now unified as OHAA, including collaboration, equity, and oral health advocacy, consistently making a lasting impact on oral health outcomes at the local, national, and international levels.