A/Prof Len Crocombe has worked as a private dental practitioner in rural and regional areas of Australia and as the State Coordinator of the Tasmanian Dental Service. He completed his PhD in oral health outcomes in 2009 to obtain the necessary research skills to improve community oral health, and in a relatively short time since then have published over 45 papers in peer-reviewed journals, presented at over 85 conferences, drafted 30 submissions and reports, and led a collaboration between the Universities of Adelaide, Tasmania and Western Australia in the successful application to establish an APHCRI Centre for Research Excellence in Primary Oral Health Care. His main areas of research interest are rural oral health, and aging and oral health, . He has recently been awarded a NHMRC Translating Research into Practice Fellowship in aged care oral health.