Peter V Cooney
Bicentennial Honorary Degree Recipient
Doctor of Laws (honoris causa)
Clinician, mentor, public health practitioner and advocate, administrator, and public servant, Dr. Peter Cooney has had many different roles during his career. To each role, he has brought his great expertise, energy, diplomacy, humanity, and humour to engage health professional, government decision-makers, academics and individuals in the pursuit of better oral health for all Canadians.
Born and raised in Cork, Ireland, Peter Cooney was awarded a Bachelor of Dental Surgery with honours in 1977 from the National University of Ireland. He moved to Newfoundland in 1979, where he owned two dental practices.
Dr. Cooney completed a dental diploma in public health at the University of Toronto and later completed a Master of Science at the University of Manitoba. He became the executive director of Manitoba Dental Health and taught at the University of Manitoba.
From 1991, Dr. Cooney was employed by Health Canada as a public health practitioner, with responsibility for First Nations and Inuit clients in northern and remote communities. In 2004 he was appointed to the inaugural position of chief dental officer for Canada, the most prominent position in dental public health in the country. During his 11 years in this role, he demonstrated great leadership by leading three national dental health surveys, including the Inuit Oral Health Survey and the First Nations Oral Health Survey, which demonstrated the critical oral health conditions among indigenous populations.
Dr. Cooney set a standard of excellence for promoting oral health and supporting advances in oral health program planning and policy. He also inspired many to work together to raise the status of Canadian oral health and place it firmly in the health spotlight.