Expanding the understanding of endodontics through hands-on practice.
Who We Are
About East Coast Endodontic Study Club (ECESC)
Since 2003, our renowned industry experts have been providing dentists with supportive learning opportunities that provide the tools needed to feel confident in the field of endodontics. Our study club is the only accredited program of its type in Atlantic Canada and helps dentists expand their understanding of endodontics while enjoying the encouraging company of other dental professionals.
“The club has taught me more about endo and dentistry in general than I ever could have hoped!”
Our History
After noticing a need for live patient continuing education in 2003, Dr. Randy Balcom (Dal DDS ’81) approached his classmate Dr. Robert S. Roda with the idea to create an Endodontic Study Club for general dentists in Atlantic Canada. Dr. Roda had tremendous knowledge and success in endodontics and immediately jumped on the idea of creating a study club in Nova Scotia. Dr. Balcom’s wife, Suzanna Balcom, quickly joined on as Program Director and created and distributed a flyer about the study club to every dentist in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
The initial response to the study club was overwhelmingly positive, with the club filling up immediately with a two to three-year waitlist. For over 20 years, the study club has been a supportive and optimistic community where hundreds of dentists from across Atlantic Canada can participate in our live patient study club and gain professional freedom.
Co-Founders
Dr. Randy Balcom – Co-founder & Operator ( right in photo )
January 8, 1956 - April 5, 2023
Dr. Randy Balcom graduated from the Faculty of Dentistry at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1981. Dr. Balcom practiced dentistry for 18 years in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he was a member of the Fairview Endodontic Study Club and the Vancouver Ferrier Gold Foil Study Club.
When he and his family moved back to Nova Scotia in 2002, he was inspired to create a study group on the East Coast where general dentists could create a community and further their studies. For the past 18 years, Dr. Balcom has continued to educate general dentists in endodontics while continuing to practice dentistry.
Diagnosed in 2015 with Dementia ( DLB ) & Parkinson’s , Randy passed away gently on April 5, 2023 surrounded and supported by his family. In honour of his passing, wife Suzanne , son Sam and daughter Rebecca sponsored the study club membership fees of the 2023 Dental Grads .
Dr. Robert S. Roda – Co-founder and Mentor ( left in photo )
Dr. Robert S. Roda graduated from the Faculty of Dentistry at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1981. He then practiced as a General Dentist in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia for ten years before earning his Master of Science degree in Oral Biology and certificate of endodontics from Baylor College of Dentistry. In 2003, he joined his classmate, Dr. Randy Balcom, in the creation of the ENDO Study Club. Dr. Roda would travel to Nova Scotia six times a year to mentor general dentists as they grew their endodontic skills. Post Covid , Dr. Roda travels annually to mentor in person meetings and presents 3 live winter webinars to members from his Scottsdale, Arizona home base.
Dr. Roda served as the 110th President of the Arizona Dental Association and is currently a member of the Arizona Dental Association, Past President of the American Association or Endodontist’s Canadian Academy of Endodontics, and the Central Arizona Dental Society. He also became a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics in 1998.
Suzanne Balcom – Co-Founder & Program Director. ( middle in photo )
Suzanne Balcom became an integral part of the ECESC from its inception. As the Program Director, Suzanne is responsible for researching, planning, developing and implementing the study club’s programming.
Before becoming an instrumental part of the ENDO Study Club, Suzanne was an actress, appearing as series lead Rachel Woods on the television show Neon Rider. When she isn’t planning and organizing study club meetings, Suzanne can be found singing at fundraisers, giving public speaking seminars for university students, and supporting Holly Carr’s Light in the Forest Mental Wellness Initiative.