WSPD President’s Report
2024 Rob McAlpine WSPD
President
Dear Esteemed Board Members, Colleagues and Distinguished Guests,

I am delighted to welcome you all to the Fall Meeting 2024. I am grateful for your willingness to take time away from your loved ones and patients to be here. Your dedication to the mission of the WSPD is truly commendable.

For those unfamiliar with me, my name is Rob McAlpine. I am a pediatric practitioner based in a remote part of Alaska, the Kenai Peninsula, situated two and a half hours to the south of Anchorage. I have been practicing there since completing my residency in 2012. My association with the WSPD began around 2017, as the Alaska Representative. Thanks to the encouragement of our former Alaska Rep and current Executive Director, Christine Roalofs, I have been part of the executive committee since 2022. I would like that thank you all for allowing me to serve as President for the 24-25 term. It is a true honor.

In October of the previous year, our organization commenced the process of defining our vision and mission for the WSPD by developing a strategic plan. Our vison: Optimal oral health for all children, and our mission: The Western Society of Pediatric Dentistry monitors child oral health issues throughout the district. We advance the specialty of pediatric dentistry for the benefit of the optimal oral health of infants, children, adolescents and persons with special health care needs. As we work towards implementing this plan, it will provide a blueprint that will steer us in the direction that promotes our values and future endeavors.

I had the honor of attending the AAPD Leadership Conference held in Chicago this September. The depth and quality of information presented were remarkable and offered a new perspective on how organized dentistry can positively influence our profession. The most important lesson I gained from the conference was that if we encounter a threat to achieving our mission of optimal oral health, we should not hesitate to seek help. It is likely that other state organizations have faced or are currently facing similar challenges, and we can achieve more when we collaborate. “Better All Together”

In conclusion, I believe that with our strategic plan, we are headed in the right direction. I am confident that with our collective efforts, we will be able to achieve our vision of promoting optimal oral health for all children.

Thank you for your time and dedication to our profession. I look forward to working with all of you in implementing our strategic plan and in achieving our mission. Let us continue to work together for the betterment of pediatric dentistry and the oral health of the children we serve.