BDSc, Ad Dip Mus, FICD, FPFA
Dr Sharonne Zaks AM has more than 25 years of experience in private dental practice with a special interest in working with anxious and phobic patients, and survivors of sexual assault and trauma, who travel from across Australia for her care.
Her compassionate approach incorporates the trauma-informed principles, her clinical expertise, and ongoing research into dental anxiety and trauma. It benefits patients, clinicians, and staff, and is being taught locally and internationally.
The free video resources she developed are being used globally by healthcare providers and survivors.
A passionate educator, Dr Zaks AM is a clinical lecturer at the University of Melbourne and regularly speaks at conferences, including TEDx Sydney, the Australian and World Dental Congresses, and the BSC meeting at the Royal Society of Medicine in London.
Sharonne’s work has attracted global media attention, with interviews by the ABC, BBC, SBS, The Age, and many others. It has also been featured in books and will be included in a new textbook due for worldwide release.
In her parallel career as a musician, Sharonne is an award- winning composer and performer, playing trumpet and piano/keys in bands and orchestras at venues and music festivals across Australia, including a national tour with ‘The Cat Empire’.
Her contribution to the dental profession has been recognised with fellowships of the Pierre Fauchard Academy and International College of Dentists, the ADA Dentistry Achievement award, and her appointment as a Member of the Order of Australia for her ‘significant service to dentistry and to the arts’.
