Rate My Professor Pip MacDonald

Dr Pip MacDonald is Head of Clinical Services (Dunedin) and Senior Hospital Dentist in the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Otago. She obtained her Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) from the University of Otago in 1998. Following her graduation, Dr MacDonald spent more than two decades in private dental practice, focusing particularly on children’s dentistry. In pursuit of a lifestyle change for her family of six, she returned to the University of Otago Faculty of Dentistry, where she began teaching and discovered a passion for mentoring the next generation of dental professionals. She previously served as Acting Clinical Director before being appointed Head of Clinical Services in 2023. A dentist with 27 years of experience, including 20 years in private practice, Dr MacDonald continues to practice clinically, shares her expertise with students, and participates actively in the university’s forensic dental team, which covers half of the South Island. She strives to provide the best learning experiences for students as they train to become dentists.

Dr MacDonald’s research expertise is in Clinical Dentistry. Her clinical interests include working with children and the elderly, as well as the diagnosis and management of dental pain. In her teaching role, she instructs on diagnosis and management of dental pain in the urgent care clinic, medical history-taking and its interpretation, and the management of elderly patients in primary care environments. She holds multiple professional affiliations and leadership positions: Secretary of the New Zealand Society of Hospital and Community Dentistry; Credentialled Member of the New Zealand Society of Forensic Odontology; member of the New Zealand Dental Council, New Zealand Dental Association, and New Zealand Dental Protection; Co-Chair of the Titanium User Group; Chair of the Feedback Response Outcome Group; and member of the Clinical Operations Group, Clinical Governance Committee, Senior Executive Team, Wait List Group, and Health and Safety Group.