How a transformational gift from UM alum Dr. Ernest Cholakis will empower future dental hygienists to serve communities across Manitoba
Dental hygiene was never just about teeth for Stacey Urban [DipDH/24]. It was about people. After changing academic paths and discovering a passion for preventive health care, she found her place in the University of Manitoba’s (UM) dental hygiene program. There she learned not only the technical skills of her profession, but also the importance of community service, education and outreach.
It's that commitment to community that reflects the values of educator, mentor and philanthropist Dr. Ernest Cholakis [DMD/82], who today made a transformational $2 million gift to the School of Dental Hygiene. Urban had the opportunity to personally thank Cholakis, along with fellow students, alumni, faculty, staff and members of Manitoba's dental community who gathered at UM to celebrate this historic milestone for the School.
The largest gift in the program's history, Cholakis's investment will help ensure more students can participate in the kinds of community-based learning experiences that helped shape his own career. By expanding outreach initiatives, enhancing teaching and clinical spaces, and advancing educational innovation, the gift will strengthen the School's ability to attract outstanding faculty and create new opportunities for more students and scholars.
In recognition of his generosity, UM is proud to announce the naming of the Cholakis School of Dental Hygiene, taking its place among other prominent names including the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry, the Max Rady College of Medicine and the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.
Cholakis says UM changed the course of his life, providing an education, opportunities and relationships that shaped both his career and personal journey.
Throughout his career, Cholakis has seen firsthand how community-based learning experiences can shape future health-care professionals. The goal of this gift is not simply to maintain the opportunities available to today's students, but to expand them. By strengthening the School's resources and supporting innovative learning experiences, he hopes to ensure future dental hygienists have expanded opportunities to learn through service while preparing for an increasingly important role in oral health care.
“I see the profession playing a greater role and responsibility in health care, in outreach and communication, serving Indigenous communities and underserved areas within our province,” he said. “Supporting the School represented an opportunity to invest in a profession and in an educational institution I have long admired.”
Cholakis's belief in community service extends beyond his support for the School. For many years, he has championed initiatives that improve access to care while creating meaningful learning opportunities for students.
One example is the Cholakis Dental Group Kids Dental Outreach Program, which provides free dental care to children in Winnipeg schools.
"This was a program that had lost funding, and I was so honoured and felt so privileged to step forward, not just to maintain the program, but to expand it," he said.
Today, the program works with more than 30 inner-city schools. At the same time, it gives dental students valuable hands-on experience delivering pediatric care to young patients.
The program reflects a philosophy that has guided Cholakis throughout his career: education and service are most powerful when they work hand in hand. The same philosophy underpins his investment in the Cholakis School of Dental Hygiene, and it is already shaping students and graduates.
During her final year in the diploma program, Urban travelled to Churchill to provide oral health education in the community. The experience gave her an opportunity to step outside her comfort zone, connect with people from different backgrounds and see firsthand how oral health professionals can make a difference beyond the clinic walls.
"The educators that worked with me were all incredible and cared so much about their students and the success of people in the program," she said. “They reinforced my desire to work in community health.”
Current student, and Class President, Samantha Joy has found similar support during her time in the program. When the demands of clinical training become overwhelming, she says classmates and instructors are always there to help.
"What’s made the biggest difference for me is the instructors. No matter how stressful things get, I always feel like they genuinely have my back and believe in my abilities,” said Joy. “Sometimes all you really need is someone who has done this before to reassure you that you can do it, and I feel that support every step of the way.”
Joy added that she is excited to see how this gift will enhance the education of the dental hygiene students who will follow in her footsteps.
Urban sees the gift as an example of something equally important: alumni helping future generations succeed.
"It's reciprocity," Urban said. "It's giving back to something that really helped you grow and thrive. It's great to look back and give to the future."
That sentiment resonates strongly with Cholakis, who views giving not as recognition, but as responsibility.
"I don't see legacy as an accolade, as an achievement or as an award," he said. "I see it as a responsibility and obligation to a city and country that has given us so much."
As the Cholakis School of Dental Hygiene begins a new chapter, students, faculty and alumni see more than a new name.
They see expanded opportunities to learn, to serve and to improve the health of communities throughout Manitoba.
For generations of future dental hygienists, Cholakis's leadership and gift will stand as a reminder that education and community service go hand in hand, and that the opportunity to succeed carries with it an opportunity to give back.
What does a future fuelled by generosity look like? It’s in the faces of new graduates with big ideas, in bold research solutions for Manitoba and the world, and in community initiatives coming to life in collaborative ways. Here, a legacy of philanthropy is shaping the leaders, innovators and change-makers of tomorrow. Learn how you can get involved.
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