On June 1, Dr. Janet Leith becomes the 153rd ODA President, succeeding Dr. David Brown. Her leadership comes at a time when many dentists are looking for a stronger connection, support and clarity. In her interview with Ontario Dentist (June 2026 issue), Dr. Leith explains that one of her goals as President is to get back to basics.
“We have a great ODA volunteer pool of tremendous people and amazing staff,” she says, “but we’ve been pulled in so many directions that we haven’t been able to focus as much on member services and support.”
She is looking to expand the ways members can communicate with the ODA and to understand that the ODA really is, at its core, a volunteer-led organization.
“I want members to see that the ODA is not just the Board and the President. It’s a huge group of volunteers, working together to support their colleagues and advance the profession.”
“I want members to see that the ODA is not just the Board and the President. It’s a huge group of volunteers, working together to support their colleagues and advance the profession. This is grassroots, basic-level professional association work that may not be exciting…but it’s stuff we must prioritize.”
Dr. Leith brings decades of volunteer experience to her new role. Her resume includes (but isn’t limited to) being President of the Ottawa Dental Society in 2016-2017, serving as Chair of the ODA’s Health Policy and Government Relations Advocacy Committee from 2017 to 2020, working as a member of the Pandemic Recovery Working Group during the COVID-19 pandemic and serving on the Board of Directors since 2020. All this while running her own practice in Ottawa. She recently sold that practice after 29 years, but works as an associate a few days per week.
Recently, the ODA has seen some social media criticism. Dr. Leith believes that constructive criticism is always welcome – it’s why she is such a big advocate for the improved avenues of communication – but it must be respectful and, hopefully, productive.
“Attacking doesn’t help and, in fact, detracts.”
“It’s OK to want change and to want things handled differently, but we need to decide to work together and move forward. When we start criticizing each other online and on social media, that only adds to fear and stress, making things worse,” she says.
“Is this a challenging time? Yes. But you can choose your path here. If you don’t like what’s going on, work with us. Attacking doesn’t help and, in fact, detracts.”
The ODA President’s workload is not insignificant, with a packed schedule that includes travel, meetings and ongoing engagement with members and stakeholders. To maintain some balance, Dr. Leith practices meditation and yoga and firmly believes in “having a goofy dog to remind you what’s important in life and to keep you grounded.”
Read Dr. Leith’s full interview in the June 2026 issue of Ontario Dentist.