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Michele Aerden is a dentist and was president of the FDI World Dental Federation from 2005 to 2007. She was the first woman ever to be elected president of this non-profit organization and worked to promote oral health within the World Health Organization and worldwide.
Michèle Aerden was born in Hasselt, Belgium. She has been married to Guy Warlop since 1966 and has two sons, two daughters in law and five grandchildren. At the age of 20, Michèle started and ran a small business with 13 employees in haute couture. She then closed her company and started dental studies at the age of 28. In 1977, Michèle graduated with distinction in dental studies from the ULB, Université Libre de Bruxelles.
Michèle practices in her own private dental clinic in Brussels, Belgium. She has been very involved in the Belgian Dental Association.
Activities in the national level:
Chambres Syndicales Dentaires which were created in 1994 by the merger of the two French speaking dental chambers:
- Councillor 1994–2016
- Vice- President 1995-1997 and 2000
- President 2003- 2004 (first woman president of a Dental association in Belgium)
Conseil de l’Art Dentaire: advisory committee to the Minister of Health:
- Member 2013-2015: Member of the WG “Deontologie”
- Member 1999-2006
- Leader of the WG : Compétences particulières
Michèle Aerden was Vice-President and President of the Chambres Syndicales Dentaires. Her first international involvement was as the Belgian delegate to the FDI. She then served as the Chair of the Individual Members Committee and as a member of the Committee of Ethics from 1994 to 1997. In the FDI European Regional Organization, she was the founder and leader of the working group on women in dentistry and a member of the working group on social security in Europe. She became a member of the FDI Council in 1997, the second woman to be nominated to that position. She served as a member of the Committee of Developing Countries from 1998 to 2001 and was a member of the group strategy. She started Women Dentists Worldwide in 2001; this group published the Kuala Lumpur Declaration. In the FDI Council, she led the governance task force from 2003 to 2004 and became President-Elect in 2003 and President in 2005.
Activities on the international level:
FDI: World Dental Federation, is a federation of 191 National and International associations from all over the world representing 1 million dentists. The Vision and Mission can be found on: www.fdiworldental.org
ERO: European Regional Organisation of the FDI represents 40 European countries
CED: Dental Liaison Committee of the European Commission (advisory committee founded by EU):
As a member of the Council, she was part of the Committee of developing countries and member of the Task Force “Strategy; From Mission to action”. During her period as President-Elect (2004–2005), Michèle centred her efforts with the review of the FDI governance and finances. Consequently, the new governance was adopted and the constitution adapted. Under her Presidency, the FDI made had a positive balance sheet for the first time in ten years.
During her presidency, Michèle Aerden decided to be focus on 3 issues:
1) Excellency
Excellency at all levels of the organization; the FDI has performed exceptionally well during her tenure. The Annual World Dental Congresses organized by the FDI were very successfully. Policy Statements were reviewed, improved and renewed. During the General Assembly of 2007, the FDI decided to implement the World Oral Health Day, which will be held on 12 September each year.
As President, Michèle Aerden gave a new positioning to the FDI President’s role. During each of her visits in nearly 60 countries, she consistently met the President of the country or the Prime Minister, and the Ministers of Health and sometimes Minister of Education in order to advocate for a strategy of Oral Health integrated into the strategy of General Health through prevention, planning and budget. “No general health without oral health !!” was her leitmotiv. She obtained tangible results during those visits and always received large media coverage.
2) Medical Positioning of the Profession
Michèle Aerden is convinced that it is necessary to increase the recognition of the dental profession as a fully medical profession. Twice she introduced a candidate of the dental field for the Nobel Prize in Medicine. In 2007, for the first time in 26 years, a resolution concerning Oral health was on the agenda of the WHO. The resolution was adopted on 23 May 2007 by the 191 countries member of the WHO and the Director general of WHO, Dr Chan, recognized the urgency to acknowledge oral diseases and their impact on the socio-economic development of a country.
3) Ethics
Ethics are the foundation to the success of the dental profession and organisations. Without ethics, there's no trust nor credibility. It's under her presidency that the FDI launched the first “Dental Ethics Manual”. The FDI also launched conferences tackling ethics and its role in international health NGOs.
Travelling around the globe with the message ‘No general health without oral health» allows Michèle Aerden to meet and collaborate with exceptional personalities beyond the dental world: Professor Muhammad Yunus (micro credits) Dr Bertrand Piccard (ballooner) Madame WU Yi, (vice-President China Republic of people) Michelle Bachelet (President of Chilli) etc.
Through her 20 years of activities with the FDI, and certainly in the last two years as president, the contribution of Michèle Aerden to improving the quality of life and well-being of hundred of millions of people is recognized by her peers with numerous awards and also by the FDI partners and the dental industry.
2008
2007
2006
2005
Honorary member of the Armenian Dental association
2004
2002
Honorary Member of the American Dental Association
Dr. Aerden has spoken at the following conferences:
Public Health
Oral Health and General Health
Ethics
Industry
Women in Dentistry, Women Leadership
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