Rate My Professor Yvonne Golpak

Dr Yvonne Golpak is a Lecturer in the Department of Oral Sciences within the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Otago, where she also holds the position of Associate Dean (Pacific). Born in Papua New Guinea, she earned her Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) from the University of Papua New Guinea in 2012. After graduating, Golpak practiced as a general dental practitioner in Papua New Guinea for five years before pursuing her Doctor of Clinical Dentistry (DClinDent) in Paediatric Dentistry at the University of Otago, commencing her studies with support from a New Zealand Scholarship. She completed her doctorate in 2020, with her thesis focusing on a randomized clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of bi-annual applications of 38% silver diamine fluoride and 5% sodium fluoride varnish on primary teeth of children in a rural setting near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

Golpak's research interests lie in the epidemiology of dental caries and oral health conditions affecting children, particularly those who are medically compromised or have special needs, as well as the outcomes of oral health promotion, prevention, and intervention strategies in communities. Her work contributes to advancements in paediatric dentistry and public health dentistry. Key publications include the editorial 'Domestic versus global oral epidemiology: New Zealand oral health data and the World Health Organization,' co-authored with J. M. Broadbent in the New Zealand Dental Journal (2024), and 'Using enzyme immunoassay to assess the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori IgG in saliva and blood plasma,' published in the Pacific Journal of Medical Sciences (2013, with J. Nara, B. Solok, R. Rowe, and M. S. Siddiqi). In her teaching responsibilities, she delivers lectures on paediatric dentistry topics to undergraduate BDS students and postgraduate candidates training to become specialist paediatric dentists, and provides clinical teaching to students caring for children at the Faculty of Dentistry's dental clinics. Golpak is a member of the New Zealand Dental Association, Australasian Academy of Paediatric Dentistry, Medical Society of Papua New Guinea, and Papua New Guinea Dental Association.