Abano Uni | Continuous Learning & Development

Welcome to Abano Uni, designed exclusively for our clinicians, dental support teams, and support office employees.

We are dedicated to providing a comprehensive educational experience that fosters growth, innovation, and excellence in the field of dental healthcare.

Our curriculum is tailored to empower our clinicians and teams with the latest industry knowledge, practical skills, and leadership development necessary for delivering exceptional patient care and advancing their professional careers.

At Abano Uni, we believe in nurturing a culture of continuous learning and collaboration, ensuring that our teams are equipped to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.

Our learning methodology

We strive to have learning in our DNA - Abano Uni promotes and supports continuous learning, providing multiple ways and methods to learn:

Courses and events

Delivered online, by distance, in person or person to screen. Designed and facilitated by internal experts, external partners and our valued dental industry suppliers.

Resources

Curated libraries to enable learning on demand - job aids, frameworks, videos, cheat sheets, podcasts and research articles.

Learning at work

Implementation guides and assignments to apply knowledge in the workplace – whether the workplace is one of our support offices, a clinic, a treatment room or a remote working environment.

Social learning

Where our network can learn from each other with communities of practice, forums and mentor networks through technology platforms and social media channels.

Our learning methodology harnesses our experts from within our business along with external partners and suppliers to build a synergistic foundation for learning and capability enhancement.

We strive to make learning part of our DNA. Join us in our commitment to excellence and become part of a community that values education and learning as the cornerstone of success.

Dynamic Capability Academies

Our capability academies are built around a blend of soft and hard skills, delivered and reinforced in a number of ways. Content and theory are supplemented with relevant case studies and developmental assignments aligned to our business model – so that you learn how things work in your Abano workplace, not just in theory. Program participants learn by practice and application as well as by example—through mentorship or instruction by existing experts within our network as well as our trusted external partners and suppliers.

Contextualised for brands and culture

Our programs contain core material and broad concepts whilst also delivering localised and contextualised content – whether it be specific induction and onboarding to ‘how we work’ at Lumino the Dentists, Maven Dental or 1300SMILES or cultural nuances related to Australia, New Zealand and regional areas.

Leveraging our internal expertise

We leverage the expertise of our internal subject-matter experts. You’ll interact with people who understand the reality and challenges of your role and who can offer valuable perspectives.

Opportunities for career growth

Participants in our programs follow learning pathways that can lead to career advancement through specialisation and mentoring roles.

AbanoU - Coming soon!

An optimised digital platform for accessing learning pathways, community building and collaboration. AbanoU is a place to learn and a place to share. Our support office employees, Clinic Support teams and Clinicians can join community groups to discuss topics, receive feedback and mentoring, collaborate with peers and complete assignments. Built on the concept of experiential learning with the opportunity to apply what is learnt to real-world business or patient cases.

For more information, email us at uni@abanohealthcare.com.

“
The establishment of Abano Uni underscores our unwavering commitment to excellence in dental care and professional development. By investing in our team's growth and education, we are not only enhancing the quality of care we provide to our patients but also reinforcing our position as the employer of choice in the dental industry in Australia and New Zealand. ”

– John Burns, Chief Executive Officer

“
As registered Oral Health Practitioners, we have made a commitment, and are responsible for the delivery of quality dental care to the patients for which we treat. To continue to support clinicians who strive for excellence, at Abano Healthcare, we are committed to developing tailored learning pathways for newly registered clinicians and continue to expand the portfolio of learning and development opportunities made available through Abano Uni for all clinicians within our growing network. ”

– Dr Fred Calavassy, Chief Clinical Officer

“
As a collective of professionals, we can learn from each other and grow from collegiate support and the sharing of knowledge. We are committed to provide the means to connect, to share and to learn and are excited by the expansion of the learning opportunities afforded by Abano Uni. ”

– Dr Fred Calavassy, Chief Clinical Officer

“
As a learning and knowledge Centre of Excellence, Abano Uni is committed to supporting Clinicians, clinic teams and all support office employees with the skills and knowledge essential for mutual success, clinical best practice and optimal patient experience. But people don’t only learn to get better at their job. We want our people to feel confident and empowered and with a sense of ‘I love what I do’ throughout their workday and when they think about their work. ”

– Melinda Hills, Head of Organisational Capability

“
As a fellow Dentist, I have experienced and understand the excitement, successes and challenges of starting a career in private practice. The transition from university to practice can be extremely daunting. Abano Healthcare is dedicated to supporting that transition. Abano empowers the new generation of clinicians to build their careers in a well-established and mutually supportive environment. Our Graduate Program offers the unique opportunity to develop and grow while also exploring the many clinical pathways that dentistry offers.”

– Dr Dilhan Rajasingham, Clinical Capability Development Lead

“
We strive to have learning in our DNA - Abano Uni promotes and supports continuous learning, providing multiple ways and methods to learn. Our learning libraries and academies are not ‘off the shelf’ but carefully curated for real workplace application. Our own internal subject matter experts are integral members of the curriculum committees that curate, design and deliver. ”

– Melinda Hills, Head of Organisational Capability

Learning Governance Committee

Our governance committee exists to ensure that our learning and development programs and events delivered through Abano Uni are a strategic driver of our business pillars:

To be the Clinician’s Operator of Choice;
To be an Employer of Choice;
To Deliver Outstanding Patient Experience; and
Scale through thoughtful growth.

Standing Members:

John Burns – Chief Executive Officer
Melinda Hills – Head of Organisational Capability
Dr Fred Calavassy – Chief Clinical Officer
Helen Stockwell – Chief People Officer
Natalie Duve – Chief Operations Officer
Jane Stagg – GM Operations Australia
Matthew McNelley - Head of People Partnering Australia
Craig Kirkland – GM Operations New Zealand
Nikki Silvester – Head of People Partnering New Zealand
Anthony Oates - General Counsel
Derek Del Simone – Chief Talent Officer

Faculty and Curriculum Advisory Members

Our Faculty and Curriculum Advisory Committee members are internal or external subject matter experts and/or role experience experts.

We also have guest members rotate in and out of these committees who work in our clinics and support teams, ensuring we create programs that are highly relevant to places of work and stakeholder needs.

Standing Members

Melinda Hills – Head of Organisational Capability
Dr Dilhan Rajasingham – Clinical Capability Development Lead
Leeara Griffith – Learning and Development Coordinator
Dr Fred Calavassy – Chief Clinical Officer
Dr Angus Henderson – Clinical Advisor Australia
Dr Sophia Armstrong – Clinical Advisor New Zealand
Dr Chris Brooks – Clinical Advisor New Zealand
Christie Young – Regional Operations Manager – Australia
Joseph Allum- Regional Operations Manager – Australia
Helen Gerrard – Regional Operations Manager – New Zealand
Justine Grieve – Regional Operations Manager – New Zealand
Justine Warne – Work, Health and Safety Specialist New Zealand
Alison Coates – Health and Safety Specialist Australia
Ruchira Gajabe – Head of Product and Practice Support
Tara Lindsay – Internal Communications Advisor