THUNDER BAY — "This is quite an honour," said Bruce Pynn, one of three University of Toronto graduates to receive Alumni of Influence awards this year.
U of T's faculty of dentistry describes the recipients as having sky-high goals, being technically precise and impressively innovative, and demonstrating a deep level of care for their patients.
Dr. Pynn is chief of dentistry/oral and maxillofacial surgery at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre while also running a private practice and teaching at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine.
An online article posted by the U of T outlines a host of accomplishments and contributions, and credits him with building "a meaningful career in a community where the needs are palpable," but adds that he remains modest about his work.
"I came to Thunder Bay from Toronto 30 years ago. I'm super glad that I stayed," he says.
In an interview with Newswatch, Pynn said he was a little older as a graduate from the U of T because he focused on research in a plastic surgery lab for years before going into dentistry.
"I came to Thunder Bay for a year to just make some money, and then I met Dr. (Bill) Dowhos, the oral surgeon. We were kindred spirits, so I stayed."
He said the most rewarding aspect of his job is "fixing up" trauma patients.
"There's up to 10 fractured jaws per week, so it's among the busiest services in the province for the fewest number of oral surgeons. There are 200-plus in the province, and only three up here looking after an area the size of France."
Pynn said he's received requests to care for patients from as far away as Timmins.
He called the award "very special" because he puts a lot of effort into treating his patients, and sometimes even goes to their homes to do a consultation or post-operative check.
"That's following in the footsteps of Dr. Dowhos. You have to be helpful, because the next place for big oral surgery in Ontario is Toronto. Not everyone wants to go, so I take the effort to see people and spend time with people."
Pynn also supervises dental students at Confederation College, and travels to Toronto monthly to oversee U of T oral surgery students.
Next month, he will take a long flight overseas to deliver a talk about his professional experiences in Thunder Bay at a meeting of the International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons in Singapore.
