Safari Children's Dentistry

I was born and raised in Long Beach, California where I attended the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA) and obtained my Bachelors of Science degree in biochemistry. Being a true UCLA Bruin, I decided to also pursue my Doctor of Dental Surgery degree (DDS) at UCLA. It was during a volunteer dental mission in Mexico that I realized my passion was to be with kids and help them achieve better oral health. This led me to dedicate my career to specialize in children where I completed my residency in pediatric dentistry at UCLA. I had the opportunity to work with medical experts at the world famous Rady's Children's Hospital in San Diego, California where I had extensive experience working with children with special needs. I also have experience working at the San Ysidro Community Health Clinic working with low-income populations.

I then moved to historic Philadelphia to attend the 2nd oldest dental school in the Americas, Temple University where I obtained a combined Doctorate in Dental Medicine (DMD) and Masters of Public Health Degree (MPH). I felt that obtaining an MPH in addition to my DMD was important because I understand that teeth are connected to people who are part of families that make up communities. This allowed me to approach dentistry from not only a clinical perspective, but also from a community one emphasizing prevention on a larger scale.My passion for children and being a true kid at heart led me to further education and training in pediatric dentistry at the prestigious University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in beautiful Southern California. It was during my training at the world renowned Mattel Children's Hospital that I became an expert in the growth and development and behavior management of children learning from the world’s top experts in the field.