It was with incredible sadness that ADEE heard of the untimely passing of our past board colleague and friend Prof Julia Davies, Malmö University. Julia’s husband, Hans, advised us that Julia sadly died as a result of a tragic accident while with him and friends in Marrakesh. To say this news impacted us with shock and disbelief is an understatement and we can only imagine how Julia’s family and colleagues in Malmö must be feeling.
Julia received her Bachelor’s Degree in Biology in 1983, from Durham University, England. After receiving her PhD in Medicine in London, she moved to the south of Sweden. After some years at Lund University, Julia then moved to Malmö University Dental School, where she was Professor of Oral Biology, and Vice Dean. In Malmö Julia specialized in teaching oral biological aspects of dental care to dental and oral hygiene students. Importantly, she played a major role in developing what Malmö Dental School has been known for, namely the educational philosophy of Problem Based Learning. Julia has been a long-term supporter of ADEE and its work on curriculum.
Julia joined the ADEE board in 2016 and went on to serve as ADEE Treasurer from 2021 to December 2025. She has been part of our ADEE family in so many ways for well over a decade and always with a welcoming, inclusive and collaborative ethos.
Julia’s commitment to the delivery of quality education was the embodiment of her working approach within the ADEE Graduating European Dentist Curriculum Taskforce on which she served for many years. She was a regular participant in ADEE school visits on our LEADER programme freely sharing her time and knowledge internationally. She regularly advocated for meaningful change and the inclusion of multiple perspectives to better improve the student experience. Her work on ADEE’s most recent Erasmus Project ‘O-Health-Edu’, where she led on the development of ‘Articulate’, the first Oral Health Professions Education Dictionary of its kind, has been widely applauded and taken on board by ADEE sister organisations for translation.
For the other members of the GED taskforce and ADEE Board members past and present, Julia’s untimely passing leaves a considerable void. Julia was not just a colleague but a mentor and friend. She freely shared her experiences, wisdom and love of academia, life and family. For this generosity and commitment to our community Julia was recently awarded a mature career educator award at ADEE 2025 in Dublin. Her delight at receiving this recognition was clear to see by all.
With Julia’s passing the world has lost a strong advocate for dental education this month and we in ADEE have lost a dear friend. Should you wish to leave a message of condolence for Julia’s family you can do so at the following webform which will remain open until 31st March at which stage the messages received will be collate and delivered to Julia’s family.
On behalf of the ADEE Board, the GED Taskforce, and ADEE office we extend our deepest sympathies to Hans and Julia’s wider family. We are also remembering her colleagues in Malmö at this very difficult time.
Julia Rest in Peace, you are missed and will always be remembered by your ADEE friends.
