Organizational Unit: Dental Providers

Since starting at Unity Care NW in 2003, I have enjoyed working as a team with my colleagues to help the children in our community grow up to have healthy smiles.

I graduated from the University of Oregon in 1994 with a BS degree in General Science. I went on to complete my DDS degree at Creighton University in 2003.  I am ABCD Pediatric Dentistry Certified and am a former member of the Whatcom County Oral Health Coalition and the National Health Services Corps. I am also an affiliate faculty member at the University of Washington’s Department of Pediatric Dentistry.

I am a member of NNOHA (National Network for Oral Health Access).

As a dental student, I served a community rotation at Unity Care NW and knew after graduation I would return. The supportive staff and commitment to quality healthcare for our community are what keep me here.

I earned a BS degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology at Western Washington University in 1997 and a DDS degree from the University of Washington in 2001. I am a member of the Academy of General Dentistry and a former member of the National Health Services Corps. I am certified in ABCD Pediatric Dentistry and remain an affiliate faculty member of the UW Department of Pediatric Dentistry. I have served on the Education Committee of the Whatcom County Oral Health Coalition. I am fluent in Turkish.

Public health gives me the opportunity to reach out to my community and help those in need of quality and gentle dental care.

I earned my DDS from the National Autonomous University of Honduras in 1999. I went on to earn a MS in Pediatric Dentistry from the University of Barcelona in 2003 and completed the Post Graduate Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) Program at Lutheran Medical Center in 2014. I am fluent in Spanish.

I started at Unity Care NW (formerly known as Interfaith Community Health Center) as a dental hygienist in September 1998, after graduating with an AAS degree in Dental Hygiene from Lake Washington Technical College. My story really began here in November 1995, when I came to work as a dental assistant part-time while preparing to go to dental hygiene school. My circumstance of needing a part-time dental job while attending college brought me to community health, where I discovered my passion wasn’t just working on people’s teeth, but in helping the overall health of the whole community.

I especially love working with children. A large part of my job is going to all of the elementary and middle schools in Whatcom County, where I work with a dental assistant to apply sealants and fluoride to over a thousand children’s teeth annually. In 2015, I participated in the Washington State Smile Survey, visually screening thousands of Whatcom County children, ages 3 to 11. During my many years working at UCNW, I have performed dental presentations to daycare and elementary school classes, dental hygiene classes, and WIC social workers.

When I work in the clinic, i enjoy utilizing all of my dental hygiene sills, including traditional hygiene, anesthesia, and restorative. I love the opportunity I have to work with our entire dental team to provide high-quality services while trying to make them as fun and easy as possible!