Andrew Dent
Encyclopedia
Associate Professor Dr Andrew Wesley Dent AM
(1 February 1955 – 10 June 2008) was an Australian doctor and humanitarian worker.
, and educated at Warragul High School and Wesley College, Melbourne
before being admitted to study Medicine at Melbourne University, initially at Queen's College
.
at the Missionaries of Charity
in Calcutta, the commencement of a lifelong commitment to medical care in developing nations.
Dent completed his surgical training in the United Kingdom, being admitted to the Royal College of Surgeons in 1985. Following this he spent many years at a mission hospital at Shishong in Cameroon
, where he was the only qualified surgeon in a small team of doctors. He helped bring modern medical and surgical methods to a chronically under-resourced hospital, and his surgical training was invaluable in helping people in hundreds of local villages. His fundraising efforts help upgrade the very basic equipment, and he was the first doctor on-scene with medical aid at the 1986 Lake Nyos
disaster: the eruption of a cloud of volcanic gases which killed almost 2000 people and sparked a major international aid effort.
Leaving Cameroon for the birth of his first son, Dent worked briefly in Australia before taking up a hospital role in Rabaul
, New Guinea. His work on tropical medicine in New Guinea was cut short by the 1994 double volcanic eruption which almost completely destroyed the city. Although his wife and children were evacuated by the RAAF, Dent stayed on in New Guinea after the eruption, attending to the medical needs of many of the tens of thousands of displaced people.
Returning to Australia in 1995, he became a member of the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine, was admitted as a Fellow of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine and became Director of Emergency at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne
.
At St Vincent’s, he instituted wide-ranging changes, increasing the number of patients seen each year from 24,000 to over 40,000, ensuring a very low rate of ambulance by-pass, advocating for a specialist mental health emergency centre, establishing the Emergency Practice Innovation Centre, and helping ensure that emergency medical services were provided with “compassion, justice, and a respect for human dignity”. He had a particular focus on ensuring that homeless people received good medical care.
Earning a Masters in Public Health and appointed as an Associate Professor at Melbourne University, he published many dozens of research papers and developed practice manuals used globally. He was active in the development and education of young doctors in Australia and internationally.
Dent continued visiting New Guinea frequently, working for improved public health, particularly in the Southern Highlands and Gulf provinces. In order to ensure that this important public health work continued he helped establish the Pacific Health Foundation. In 2008 Dent was admitted to the Order of the International Federation for Emergency Medicine.
Dent was diagnosed with cancer in June 2007. In 2008 Dent’s contributions were recognized with an Order of Australia
on the Queens Birthday, one day before his death.
) while living as a guest worker on a kibbutz in Israel in 1977. They married in 1978, and had two sons . Dent joined the Catholic Church in 2007 and is interred at St Ignatius, Richmond Victoria.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(1 February 1955 – 10 June 2008) was an Australian doctor and humanitarian worker.
Early life
Dent was born in Warragul VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
, and educated at Warragul High School and Wesley College, Melbourne
Wesley College, Melbourne
Wesley College, Melbourne is an independent, co-educational, Christian day school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1866, the college is a school of the Uniting Church in Australia. Wesley is the largest school in Australia by enrolment, with 3,511 students and 564 full-time staff...
before being admitted to study Medicine at Melbourne University, initially at Queen's College
Queen's College (University of Melbourne)
Queen's College is a residential College affiliated with the University of Melbourne providing accommodation to 220 students who are attending the University of Melbourne, Victorian College of the Arts, RMIT University and Monash University's Victorian College of Pharmacy.In addition to the...
.
Medical & Humanitarian Career
Graduating in Medicine with first class honours in 1979, in 1980 Dent undertook a placement with Mother TeresaMother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
at the Missionaries of Charity
Missionaries of Charity
Missionaries of Charity is a Roman Catholic religious congregation established in 1950 by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, which consists of over 4,500 sisters and is active in 133 countries...
in Calcutta, the commencement of a lifelong commitment to medical care in developing nations.
Dent completed his surgical training in the United Kingdom, being admitted to the Royal College of Surgeons in 1985. Following this he spent many years at a mission hospital at Shishong in Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, where he was the only qualified surgeon in a small team of doctors. He helped bring modern medical and surgical methods to a chronically under-resourced hospital, and his surgical training was invaluable in helping people in hundreds of local villages. His fundraising efforts help upgrade the very basic equipment, and he was the first doctor on-scene with medical aid at the 1986 Lake Nyos
Lake Nyos
Lake Nyos is a crater lake in the Northwest Region of Cameroon, located about northwest of Yaoundé. Nyos is a deep lake high on the flank of an inactive volcano in the Oku volcanic plain along the Cameroon line of volcanic activity...
disaster: the eruption of a cloud of volcanic gases which killed almost 2000 people and sparked a major international aid effort.
Leaving Cameroon for the birth of his first son, Dent worked briefly in Australia before taking up a hospital role in Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
, New Guinea. His work on tropical medicine in New Guinea was cut short by the 1994 double volcanic eruption which almost completely destroyed the city. Although his wife and children were evacuated by the RAAF, Dent stayed on in New Guinea after the eruption, attending to the medical needs of many of the tens of thousands of displaced people.
Returning to Australia in 1995, he became a member of the Australasian College of Tropical Medicine, was admitted as a Fellow of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine and became Director of Emergency at St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne
St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne
St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne is the major hospital in Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia.It is operated by the St Vincent's Health service, previously known as the Sisters of Charity Health Service, Melbourne...
.
At St Vincent’s, he instituted wide-ranging changes, increasing the number of patients seen each year from 24,000 to over 40,000, ensuring a very low rate of ambulance by-pass, advocating for a specialist mental health emergency centre, establishing the Emergency Practice Innovation Centre, and helping ensure that emergency medical services were provided with “compassion, justice, and a respect for human dignity”. He had a particular focus on ensuring that homeless people received good medical care.
Earning a Masters in Public Health and appointed as an Associate Professor at Melbourne University, he published many dozens of research papers and developed practice manuals used globally. He was active in the development and education of young doctors in Australia and internationally.
Dent continued visiting New Guinea frequently, working for improved public health, particularly in the Southern Highlands and Gulf provinces. In order to ensure that this important public health work continued he helped establish the Pacific Health Foundation. In 2008 Dent was admitted to the Order of the International Federation for Emergency Medicine.
Dent was diagnosed with cancer in June 2007. In 2008 Dent’s contributions were recognized with an Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
on the Queens Birthday, one day before his death.
Personal life
Born one of five siblings, Dent met Blandine Janot (daughter of French constitutional lawyer and statesman Raymond JanotRaymond Janot
Raymond Janot was a French politician who played a significant role in the writing of the 1958 Constitution of France....
) while living as a guest worker on a kibbutz in Israel in 1977. They married in 1978, and had two sons . Dent joined the Catholic Church in 2007 and is interred at St Ignatius, Richmond Victoria.