'A true visionary'

The dinner was a culmination of the Alpha Omega European Convention, which ran on June 10-14.  The dinner held at the Marriott Hotel, Regents Park, was attended by over 200 people and included notable attendees such as Professor Nairn Wilson (current President of the BDA), Ishmael Khaldi (the first Bedouin diplomat in the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the Deans of Tel Aviv Dental School and School of Dental Medicine Jerusalem, Professor Adam Stabholz (International President of Alpha Omega) and Professor Dianne Rekow (Dean of the Dental School of Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals). 

Not only was Mervyn’s dedication to dentistry recognised by Alpha Omega, but he also received two prominent letters of congratulations.  The first came from Professor Joseph Klafter, President of Tel Aviv University, which acknowledged his “longstanding contribution to Alpha Omega,” and “bears witness to [his] major impact in the area of dental medicine.”  The second letter was from Daniel Taub, Israel's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, which observed that “ Mervyn Druian is not only an extraordinary dentist but an extraordinary friend of Israel, who has supported our State both as leader of Alpha Omega and as a visiting lecturer to dental schools across the country, passing on his expertise to the next generation.  His efforts, in addition, to reach out to Palestinian dentists are testament to his dedication to building personal and professional relationships that advance the prospect of peace.”