The Christian Dental Fellowship is governed by...

Karen Paterson

President
Karen was elected as CDF President in Oct 2022, having previously been on CDF Council as Pastoral Care Coordinator for 10 years, and joined CDF as a student. Karen has recently retired but previously worked as a specialist oral surgeon, GDP, tutor at Charles Clifford Dental School, lecturer for HEEM, overseas as a tutor in Malawi, and volunteered with B2A in Tanzania and Smile train in Kenya.
 
She is married with 3 grown up boys and is on the church leadership at New Life Baptist Church in Nottingham.
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Prince Thomas

Immediate PAST President

Prince is honoured to part of the diligent work accomplished with a great sense of calling by his predecessors, and trusts God’s purposes are fuelled by God’s provision.

He qualified BDS from Tamil Nadu, India in 1994 and in 2001 received his Masters degree in Prosthodontics(MDS).After moving to the UK in 2006,he was awarded MFDSRCPS from Glasgow and pursued PG Cert in Endodontics from UCL, Eastman Dental institute and a Certificate in Dental implantology from Sheffield.

Prince shares his working week as an Associate GDP in Liverpool, Clinical teacher in Restorative dentistry at the Liverpool University Dental Hospital and as a Specialty dentist in Prosthodontics at the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals Trust.

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Susie Matthew

Prayer Diary Coordinator & Safeguarding Officer

Susie is a Past President of CDF and began editing the Prayer Calendar in early 2021.  She graduated BDS from the University of Dundee in 1982 and worked in general practice for a number of years before specialist training in Orthodontics.  In 2003 she gained a MSc in Orthodontics and MOrth from the University of Manchester. After this she opened a small specialist orthodontic practice in 2003 serving the southern part of Cumbria.  She also worked for the local NHS hospital trust as an Associate Specialist in Orthodontics in the Maxillofacial Department, retiring in 2019.

She joined CDF as a student in Dundee and is glad to continue serving CDF as Prayer Diary Coordinator.  Susie is married to John and they have three grown up sons and two grandchildren. Susie worships at her local parish church in Ulverston where she is the Parish Safeguarding Officer.  In her any spare time she has undertaken various horticulture courses, loves gardening and has too many books still waiting to be read!

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Peter Thornley

Treasurer

Peter Thornley has been a member of CDF since his days as a student at Manchester University.  With his wife, Alison, who is also a dentist, they worked for the Church Mission Society in Kisumu, Kenya for a few years in the 1980s.  Subsequently, Peter and Alison were partners in a General Dental Practice in Sutton Coldfield.  Peter was also a Training Programme Director for the Coventry Dental Foundation scheme, but has now retired from that post, and just retired from clinical dentistry.  He is currently the Local Dental Network chair for Birmingham and Solihull. 

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Liz Roebuck

Secretary

Liz is a Paediatric Dentist working in the Hospital Service in Edinburgh.  She is married to Stuart and they have one son.  Church life is based at St Mungo’s Episcopalian Church in Balerno.  She enjoys Nordic walking, particularly in the hills, reading, crooning along to her favourite music and being creative – crafts, a decent composite, an excel spreadsheet with some colour in it.

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Martyn Green

Vice President

Martyn was senior partner in an NHS dental practice for 30 years in Tiverton until 2013 having previously worked in Newport, South Wales, The Dental Unit in Kisumu, Kenya from 79 – 81 and in Wimborne Minster. He has been a Vocational Trainer, Vocational Training Adviser, Regional Adviser in General Dental Practice and Associate Postgraduate Dental Dean (DF1) in the South West Region. He was a member and a chair of the Fitness to Practise Panel of the General Dental Council for 10 years. Currently he is a lay tribunal chair of the GMC’s Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service and has other regulatory roles with the GDC, the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the First-tier Tribunal (Primary Health Lists). He is a Non-Executive Director of Dentists’ Provident Ltd.

Martyn is married to Sue, they have 3 adult children and live in Devon and are members of a local Anglican church where there are three other CDF dentists! In his spare time he enjoys walking, gardening, playing golf and listening to classical music. He is chair of the East Devon Choral Society and sings with the basses. Martyn joined CDF as a student, is a one of CDF’s past Presidents and has served on Council as Missionary Secretary.

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Naomi Wilson

Three-in-One Editor

Naomi has been a member of CDF since Sheffield dental school and found the weekly student/staff prayer meetings really helpful for keeping focused on Jesus and putting dental-student-related problems in perspective. CDF kindly supported her during her elective to Rugarama hospital in Uganda with Chris and Polly, and later as a mission partner to Central Asia with her husband, where they adopted their son. Now back in England for the foreseeable future, Naomi is part of a team involved in outreach to unreached people groups in a Northern city in the UK. She loves reading and writing, in particular writing fanfiction for cult TV shows, and is excited to be taking over as editor of the 3-in-1, hoping to explore the difference that Jesus makes to us and our work in dentistry.

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Simon Crewe

Mission Partner Secretary

I have lived in Plymouth most of my life. Liza and I have been married since 1981, our three kids have left home and we have seven grandchildren. I spend my time, having given up clinical practice in 2002, working with Mercy Ships (until fairly recently), Operation Mobilisation, Dentaid and a few independent projects, funding this with forensic work. I run a French car which is the same age as my wife, and play a bit of music and do a bit of cooking.

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Cathy Fordyce

Vision and Development Coordinator

Cathy is based in Colchester, Essex and is wife to Andrew and mum to Isobelle and Abigail.

Cathy has worked in Oral Surgery, but now works in General Practice and is undertaking an MSc in Advanced General Dental Practice with Birmingham University. In her spare time she is active within the Church, likes to go to the gym and bake.

Cathy has a varied role on CDF Council and she enjoys it!

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Margaret Reynolds

Pastoral Care Coordinator

Margaret has been a member of CDF since she was a dental student at the London Hospital where she qualified in 1975. She has worked in GDP in South Woodford, Swansea, Hereford, and Llanelli and also in CDS in Bristol and Hereford. She is married to Trevor, a Baptist Minister, so has had plenty of experience in pastoral visiting in hospitals and homes.
Margaret enjoys cycling, swimming and studying foreign languages. She and her husband are
both ‘retired’ and live in Swansea.

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Victoria Rushton

Conference Secretary

Victoria Rushton has been a member of CDF since being a student at Newcastle Dental School. She joined council, initially to develop the pastoral care scheme and then served as president. After a short break, she’s back as conference secretary. Enthused by her dental elective in South India, she has travelled widely and worked both in the Caribbean and Nepal and taken part in fundraising treks for Dentaid and Cancer Research. As a GDP she has been privileged to work in a variety of practices as an associate before settling in Norfolk and enjoying being part of a mixed private/NHS general practice in Norwich for almost 20 years.

She is a keen supporter of Bridge2aid, and has volunteered several times on their Tanzanian training programmes designed to train local health workers in safe emergency dental treatment. Victoria lives and worships in rural Norfolk and together with her new husband they enjoy providing hospitality and day retreats for local Christian and community groups. She is also the East Anglia regional rep. for CDF.

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Malcolm Prideaux

Regional Group rep

Malcolm is married to Bridget, also a dentist, and together ran a small NHS practice in one of the poorest areas of Plymouth for over 30 years until 2016. Malcolm has been involved in Foundation Training from 1993 and teaching at the Peninsula Dental School since 2010. He is currently a Associate Dean for PLVE (a mentoring course for dentists qualifying overseas) in the SW for HEE. Malcolm is currently Churchwarden of the main city centre church in Plymouth and together with Bridget set up a dental surgery in Malawi with the charity Medic Malawi in 2010. They have been involved with CDF and have coordinated the annual regional events in the SW for many years. Malcolm enjoys supporting the local professional basketball team, Plymouth City Patriots with the family and runs regularly to stay fit.

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Jacqui Knowles

DCP rep
Jacqui is the DCP rep for CDF. Her involvement with CDF began as a child with her family coming to CDF conferences from an early age, (her father is a retired GDP! ). But now she is a member in her own right! 
She has been a dental nurse for 25 years, working first for her father for 7 years, until he retired. She also volunteered for 3 years with Mercy Ships dental team in West Africa, where CDF were a great financial and prayerful support. 
Returning to the UK. just before Covid, she now works as a nurse in a private practice .
She really enjoys running long distances and spending time with friends and family and her church family.
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Karen Silcox

Administrator

Karen has spent the last 10 years supporting charities and other community groups with their accounting and administration. She is treasurer of her local church in Exeter where she worships with her husband Colin and two children. Colin has been a member of CDF since his student days at Sheffield University. He now works full time as an associate in Dawlish, Devon. Karen took up the post of CDF administrator in 2019.

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