Speaker biographies

Learn more about the experts behind our scientific programme

Keynote speakers

Dr David Chvartszaid

Dr Chvartszaid is an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and the dentist-in-chief at the Department of Dentistry, Alpha Omega Dental Center, Baycrest Hospital. David is the director of Undergraduate Clinical Periodontics Program at the University of Toronto. He has served as the director of the Graduate Prosthodontics Program at the University of Toronto and as the president of the Association of Prosthodontists of Canada. David has been elected to the executives of the American Association of Hospital Dentists, American Society for Geriatric Dentistry, and Geriatric Oral Research Group of the International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research.

Prof Marko Jakovac

Professor Jakovac is Professor in the Department of Fixed Prosthodontics, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb. He is the author of Protocol – Standardisation in Fixed Prosthodontics (Quintessence, 2024) and Preclinical and Laboratory Fixed Prosthodontics, and has contributed numerous textbook chapters and scientific publications. His academic and clinical focus includes digital workflows, adhesive prosthodontics, and minimally invasive aesthetic restorations. Prof Jakovac is an internationally active lecturer and key opinion leader for Ivoclar, Zeiss, and Dentsply Sirona, presenting at major global conferences. He is founder of the European Academy of Digital Dentistry and Vice-President of the Croatian Society of Minimal Intervention in Dental Medicine, and promotes digital excellence through Aesthetica Polyclinic and AE Vision Educational Centre in Zagreb.

Speakers

Dr Rebecca Ellis

Dr Ellis graduated top of her class with a BDS (Distinction) from the University of Otago in 2011. She completed a three-year doctoral degree in Periodontology at the University of Melbourne, where she received an ITI research grant for preclinical implant dentistry research. Her interests include immediate implant placement and guided bone regeneration, with publications in high-ranking peer-reviewed journals. Dr Ellis is a Fellow and Australasian Section Chair of the International Team for Implantology. She is Adjunct Senior Lecturer at Charles Sturt University and lectures locally and internationally. A former specialist periodontist in New Zealand, she relocated to Sydney in 2022 and is Co-Director of Sydney Periodontics & Implant Centre.

Dr Janice Kan

Dr Kan is an Australian board-certified prosthodontist who graduated with Honours and the Wyn Needham Memorial Prize from the University of Western Australia. She holds Membership in Prosthodontics from the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons and a Doctor of Clinical Dentistry from the University of Melbourne. Dr Kan founded Centre for Prosthodontics in 2011, now providing specialist care across multiple Perth locations. She is Past President and Fellow of the Academy of Australian and New Zealand Prosthodontists and holds Fellowships with ITI, ICD, ADI, and Pierre Fauchard Academy. An Adjunct Senior Clinical Lecturer at UWA, Dr Kan lectures internationally, publishes widely, and is committed to advancing specialist education and leadership.

Dr Karl Lyons

Dr Lyons is a specialist prosthodontist who, following hospital and general practice work, pursued a career as an academic in the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Otago, where he has been for 30 years. Karl is currently the Deputy Dean (Clinical) and head of the Discipline of Prosthodontics. He teaches at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and is the programme lead for the DClinDent in prosthodontics at Otago. Karl has presented both nationally and internationally, has over 100 refereed journal publications, and 17 co-authored book chapters, and is a past president of The Australian and New Zealand Academy of Prosthodontists, the New Zealand Association of Prosthodontists and Restorative Dentists, and the Australian and New Zealand Division of the International Association for Dental Research.

Dr Carolina Perez Rodriguez

Dr Perez Rodriguez graduated from the University Complutense of Madrid in 2006 before relocating to England, where she worked as a general dentist and obtained Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. In 2013, she settled in Melbourne and, while in private practice, completed a part-time Diploma in Clinical Dentistry (Implants) at the University of Melbourne. She later undertook specialist prosthodontic training at the University of Melbourne, receiving the Straumann Group Award for academic achievement. Carolina works at Melbourne Prosthodontic Centre and is a part-time lecturer at the University of Melbourne. She is an ITI Fellow and member of several professional dental societies.

Dr Tony Rotondo

Dr Rotondo is a registered specialist in Prosthodontics who completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Queensland in 1984 and a postgraduate residency in Prosthodontics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1996. He currently practises in Brisbane, Australia, with special interests in dental aesthetics, dental implants, and aesthetic dental materials. Tony has been a visiting lecturer at the University of Queensland, the University of Sydney’s postgraduate prosthodontics program, and Griffith University’s School of Dentistry. A Fellow of the International College of Dentists, he has held leadership roles within ASAD (QLD), ANZAP, and the Australasian Osseointegration Society, and regularly presents continuing education nationally and internationally.

Dr Nischal Singh

Dr Singh is an American board-certified Orofacial Pain specialist and dental practitioner with over three decades of clinical experience. He holds a BDSc from the University of Melbourne and a Master of Science from Tufts University, USA, where he completed advanced training in craniofacial pain and sleep disorders. Dr. Singh is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orofacial Pain and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain—one of only a few in Australia with this distinction. He is a Fellow of the International College of Dentists and currently lectures in Orofacial Pain and Dental Sleep Medicine at the University of Melbourne.

Dr Oon Take Yeoh

Dr Take Yeoh is an academic and specialist prosthodontist in the Department of Restorative Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya. He coordinates Operative Dentistry teaching and contributes to the development of digital dentistry education for undergraduate and postgraduate programs. Trained in implant dentistry under ITI fellows during his postgraduate studies at the University of Melbourne, Dr Yeoh remains actively involved in implant and digital dentistry education. He conducts courses focusing on chairside digital workflows, digital implant planning, and prosthetic workflows, and was recently appointed Study Club Director of the ITI Malaysia Study Club Plus. His research interests include dental adhesives, dental ceramics, digital technologies, and implant prosthodontics.

Dr Alan Yap

Dr Yap obtained his Bachelor of Dental Surgery in 2001 and Master of Dental Science (Prosthodontics) with Honours in 2007 from the University of Sydney. In 2008, he was awarded the ITI Scholarship to attend the University of North Carolina, Department of Periodontics. Alan is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Hong Kong and Chair of the Education and Research Committee for the Australian Prosthodontic Society. He is a Fellow of the International Team for Implantology and the Academy of Australian and New Zealand Prosthodontists. Alan also serves as a mentor, examiner, clinical educator, journal reviewer, and Managing Director of CREED CE.

A/Prof Geoffrey Young

Associate Professor Young is a specialist endodontist and founder of Sydney Endodontic Centre, the largest accredited specialist endodontic group practice in Sydney’s Inner West. He obtained his BDS with University Medal from the University of Sydney and his specialist qualification from the University of Melbourne. He was the first endodontist in NSW awarded Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons in Endodontics and is a senior RACDS examiner. A/Prof Young is Head of Endodontics at La Trobe University, Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Sydney, and Adjunct Associate Professor at Charles Sturt University, with a strong commitment to professional education nationally and internationally.