In surveys, it's always journalists and politicians who are least liked by the public. Dentists don't figure because deep down, beyond the fear, we know we need them. What may shock the public is that they've probably had more fillings than there are female professors of dentistry in the UK. When Liz became Professor of Dentistry at Manchester University she was the first in more than one hundred years.

Liz remembers the late Dorothy Geddes from her first academic appointment in the late 1980s: 'She was outstanding, and a great mentor to me. She became the first woman professor of dentistry ever, but that was only about five years ago.'

The experience of having to forge her own path goes back to Liz's childhood where, at school, she was one of only three girls taking science A-levels. Her strength was originally in arts subjects but at university she wanted to study a subject related to a caring vocation. After graduating from Edinburgh University, she did a master's degree in public health, and began lecturing at Glasgow University. At the same time she worked for her Fellowship of Dental Surgery and her Ph.D. In 1994, she published her book Clinical Decision-Making: an Art or a Science. As a professor in the new, holistic Dental School she brought with her a reputation for innovative decision- making.

Liz's experience has taught her an invaluable lesson about women in academic life. 'Perhaps the brilliant women do tend to get recognised, but I believe it is important that ordinary women get promoted as quickly as ordinary men. Generally, I think that men tend to crave control and power more, so women have to be more determined.'

Further reading:
Manchester Dental School