TRIDENT PACIFIC ORTHODONTIC ALUMNI NEWSLETTER ARTH UR A. DU G ONI SC HOOL OF D E NT I ST RY
September 2019
COMMITTEE CHAIR’S REPORT By Dr. Jetson Lee, Class of 1986
Welcome to another issue of the Trident. I hope everyone had a good summer! The orthodontics department has been busy since our spring issue. In addition to a new chairman, we have a new clinic director in Dr. Joorok Park ’08. Joorok has been a full-time member of our faculty since his graduation. We will hear more from Joorok in his report.
EDITOR Jetson Lee
CONTRIBUTORS Jetson Lee Heesoo Oh Joorok Park Joseph Phillips Noor Mahjoub
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TRIDENT PACIFIC ORTHODONTIC ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
COMMITTEE CHAIR’S REPORT (CONT’D)
Many gathered at the AAO Annual Session in Los Angeles and reconnected at the Alumni reception on Saturday. At the end of June, Drs. Robert Boyd, Mohamed Fallah and Gabrielle Thodas officially retired. The school held a symposium honoring Dr. Boyd and his accomplishments in the field of Invisalign on Saturday, June 1 at the school. A panel of renowned Invisalign® providers included Drs. Sandra Tai, Bella Shen-Garnett, Donna Galante, and Bob Boyd. Proceeds from the meeting were used to establish a scholarship endowment fund.
Faculty with Dr. Sandra Tai.
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COMMITTEE CHAIR’S REPORT (CONT’D) The Class of 2021 matriculated in July.— you’ll meet them in the “Introducing the Class of 2021” column in this issue. We welcomed them with our annual picnic at Hellman Hollow in Golden Gate Park on Saturday, August 24. The 9th Annual Arthur A. Dugoni Graduation Symposium and Dinner is scheduled for Friday, September 27. In addition to the graduating class presenting their research, Dr. Greg Huang, Chair of the Department of Orthodontics at the University of Washington will be our speaker. Dr. Huang will discuss using evidence in our daily treatment decisions and also speak about open-bite treatment and stability. The day will conclude with a dinner at the City Club of San Francisco.
Attendees at Invisalign Symposium.
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DEPARTMENT CHAIR’S REPORT By Dr. Heesoo Oh, Class of 2005 Dear Alumni, It certainly has been a busy first six months as the department chair! Our three treasured long-time faculty members Drs. Gabby Thodas, Robert Boyd and Mohamed Fallah retired. Dr. Joorok Park (’08) became the new clinical director and a search for two tenure track full-time faculty is well underway. So far, there have been many strong candidates both nationally and internationally. We could not have successfully navigated these challenging times without the support of our alumni, faculty, staff and residents. In April, we had a productive faculty meeting that was attended by more than 20 faculty members. Participants provided numerous ideas and suggestions for the improvement of every aspect of our graduate program. I am very appreciative of their dedication to our program, as well as their support and belief in me. Our next faculty meeting is planned for November. We are extremely lucky to have Dr. Park as our clinic director. I am excited about the new changes that he will bring to our clinic and graduate program. As the new clinical director, Dr. Park is working hard to improve our delivery of patient care and to achieve the highest standard of clinical education through comprehensive case analyses for each of our finished cases. In addition, he is developing a streamline of digital workflow from scanning to printing digital models using 3D printers. Thanks to Dr. Ron Redmond’s donation of two 3D printers, we are now one of a few orthodontic programs that is implementing complete digital orthodontics. This is a great example of how the Dugoni School continues to be a leader in our profession by embracing new technology to advance the field and to improve patient care.
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TRIDENT PACIFIC ORTHODONTIC ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
DEPARTMENT CHAIR’S REPORT (CONT’D) On June 1, we gathered together to celebrate and honor Dr. Robert Boyd’s retirement after serving as an educator for 38 years. Under his leadership over the past two decades, our orthodontic program has earned the reputation of being one of the best programs in the world. I would like to thank our alumni for supporting the symposium and reception. It was a complete success! We had excellent attendance, and the symposium speakers were outstanding. The symposium featured the latest and the best information on new concepts surrounding Invisalign® including mixed dentition treatment, the mandibular advancement appliance, controlling the vertical dimension with open-bite treatment, traditional sequencing with Invisalign® for orthognathic surgery patients, and a surgeryfirst approach using aligners. Align Technology corporation generously supported the symposium, which generated about $32,000 that all went toward the Robert L. Boyd Scholarship Endowment. The purpose of this endowment is to provide annual scholarships to orthodontic residents who are most in need of financial assistance during their orthodontic education. We hope that students who receive this support will incur less student debt, and thus, will be motivated to teach and do research after residency. We are hoping that contributions will continue to be made to this worthy cause in the future. As we all begin the new academic year, I would also like to share some good news regarding recent publications by our residents and faculty: • Jake Zitterkopf’s (’17) Master thesis “How people make decisions about whether or not to seek orthodontic care: Upstream in the treatment chain” was published in the AJODO’s July 2019 issue. Congratulations to Dr. Chambers and Jake! • Brad Albertson’s (’18) case report was published in the PCSO Bulletin’s spring 2019 issue. Congratulations Brad! (Video versions of this and other case reports are available online as well.) • Adrienne Joy’s (’18) Master thesis “Airway and cephalometric changes in adult orthodontic patients after premolar extractions” was published online in the Angle Orthodontist. Congratulations Adrienne and coauthors! Finally, in light of preparing to celebrate our 50th anniversary in 2021, I would like to focus on strengthening our alumni network as we continue our endeavors to make the Dugoni School orthodontic program one of the best. With well over 200 alumni, it certainly time to try to bring everyone together to create a greater sense of connection. As our alumni, you are a great resource to the program, and I hope to encourage all of you to take an active role in advising, as well as supporting, the graduate program to help ensure its continued success. Thank you again for your great support! Heesoo Oh
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TRIDENT PACIFIC ORTHODONTIC ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
EVERY DENTIST MUST TEST THEIR STERILIZERS WEEKLY
The Dugoni School Sterilizer Monitoring Service provides quality monitoring services and supports dental education.
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5 Wenzel, ’1 Alexandra
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You already know that infection control regulations require use of a sterilizer monitoring service. But did you know that the University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry Sterilizer Monitoring Service uses its profits to provide scholarships for dental students? Since 2003, this service has generated $402,150 in student scholarships. With additional subscribers (like you) we could do so much more! Our Sterilizer Monitoring Service provides high quality biological monitoring for all types of office sterilizers. The cost is $199.00 annually for each sterilizer. Instructions for using the test strips are included. Reports of test results are provided to document your compliance.
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TRIDENT PACIFIC ORTHODONTIC ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
CLINIC DIRECTOR’S REPORT By Joorok Park, Class of 2008 Dr. Gabrielle Thodas decided to retire in April 2019 with her husband Dr. Gary Thodas. I am honored to take over her position as the clinic director. I cannot thank her enough for all the great work she has done for the department! My goals as the clinic director are to: 1. Strengthen the clinical program through clinical innovation and excellence 2. Provide more diverse clinical support by the RDA team 3. Brand UOP orthodontics, and make our clinic more visible to the community 4. Serve more patients and provide the most up-to-date clinical experience for the residents 5. Build a stronger and more cohesive team of faculty, residents, and staff We have implemented a systematic way of analyzing the finished cases. Residents have started to prepare thorough analyses of their finished cases, which closely follows the format of the ABO Case Report Work File. The supervising clinical faculty is asked to review the finished case analysis with the residents. The clinic is going fully digital and 3D! Our patients already have been taking iTero intra-oral scans and CBCT scans for their models and X-rays. We will also take routine 3D facial photographs, which can be merged onto the CBCT X-ray image. The intra-oral scans will be taken more frequently to track treatment progress. For most lab work, digital models obtained from iTero intraoral scans are sent directly to labs where retainers and soldered appliances such as hyrax expanders are fabricated from 3D printed models. EasyRx software is utilized to facilitate digital lab prescriptions and 3D digital model preparation. All Essix or Trutain retainers are now made in-house by our RDA team from the 3D printed models. Dr. Ron Redmond has generously donated two 3D printers — Formlabs’ Form2 and Moonray. The department is now well equipped to provide comprehensive digital orthodontic care. Dr. Brian Payne teaches the digital indirect bonding and fabrication of in-house aligners with the MotionView software. The uLab Systems is also available for residents to produce in-house aligners for patients with milder forms of malocclusion. In an effort to screen for patients with potential OSA, we have implemented a routine sleep questionnaire such as Epworth and STOP-BANG as well as obtaining BMI information. We anticipate a closer collaboration with the Stanford Sleep Clinic to better serve our patients with sleep apnea. We are excited to have a new part-time faculty member, Dr. James Chen. He received his DDS from UCSF in 2005 and obtained his PhD in Oral and Craniofacial Sciences in 2011 in combination with a certificate in Orthodontics at UCSF. Dr. Chen joined the faculty in the Division of Orthodontics at UCSF in 2011. He is also a diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics. Dr. Chen started his clinical teaching on Monday afternoons since the summer quarter. He also has teaching responsibilities with the pre-doctoral DDS/IDS students.
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ALUMNI IN THE NEWS
Case report by Dr. Albertson ’18, Xu ’19, and Oh ’05 appeared in the spring PCSO Bulletin
Portrait of a Professional appeared in the spring PCSO Bulletin.
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TRIDENT PACIFIC ORTHODONTIC ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
ALUMNI IN THE NEWS (CONT’D)
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TRIDENT PACIFIC ORTHODONTIC ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
ALUMNI IN THE NEWS (CONT’D)
Article featuring Drs. Christine and Michelle Stepanek ’19 Ortho appeared in the Spring issue of Contact Point.
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TRIDENT PACIFIC ORTHODONTIC ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
ALUMNI IN THE NEWS (CONT’D)
Angle Pearls by Dr. Thomas Roblee ’20 appeared in the Summer issue of the PCSO Bulletin.
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TRIDENT PACIFIC ORTHODONTIC ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
DR. ROBERT BOYD INTERVIEW By Dr. Joseph Phillips, Class of 2020 It is my honor to be interviewing and writing about my mentor and friend Dr. Robert (Bob) Boyd as he transitions out of the role as Frederick T. West Endowed Chair of our orthodontics department. Dr. Boyd has had a distinguished and varied career as an educator and researcher in orthodontics. Having met him for the first time in 2014 as an eager young dental student at the Dugoni School of Dentistry, I have only known him for a fraction of his professional life. However, I feel the guidance and teaching he has shared with me epitomizes his enthusiasm as a teacher and dedication to his craft. Bob Boyd was born and raised in the coastal town of Long Branch, New Jersey. There, he developed an interest in dentistry through his personal dentist Dr. David Erinhault. Having had previous bad experiences with dental care, including getting a tooth extracted, Bob was terrified of going to this new doctor. Dr. Erinhault patiently worked with him, and they actually became very good friends. Bob was charmed by his dentist’s patience and willingness to explain what he was doing. “It just seemed to me that being a dentist was the best job anyone could ever have,” he recalls, also admitting “I was also attracted to the fact that Dr. Erinhault had a sailboat and a silver Austin Healey.” Bob was invited to go sailing and even got to ride in the sports car. This started a passion for classic cars that has continued throughout his life. After graduating from the Christian Brothers Academy high school in Lincroft, New Jersey, he went on to Indiana University to pursue his desire to become a dentist. After three years of college he was accepted at several dental schools, and chose to go to Temple University School of Dentistry in Philadelphia. In dental school he became intensely interested in the emerging new area of periodontology. Bob recognized that periodontal disease was a widespread problem and that periodontology offered the basis for understanding all branches of dentistry. His roommate was an orthodontic resident, and Bob also became fascinated by orthodontics’ ability to move teeth and change a patient’s appearance. Unable to decide between these two interests. he found a program at University of Pennsylvania that offered a dual perio-ortho post-graduate education. Dr. Boyd’s two-year orthodontic training followed two years training in periodontology. His orthodontic training mandated five months of work on a typodont before being allowed to work on patients in the clinic. Because of his experience as a periodontist, faculty and fellow residents gave Dr. Boyd all the adult orthodontic patients because they didn’t want to deal what they thought would be more trouble. Also due to his previous training, Dr. Boyd didn’t have to repeat the master’s coursework, which gave him time to occasionally practice perio to support himself through residency. With so much postgraduate training, Dr. Boyd entered the U.S. army as a Major. He completed two years practicing both orthodontics and periodontics at Fort Riley, Kansas. Afterwards, he was appointed to the faculty at the University of Florida. There he taught both perio and ortho and completed a Masters of Education with Dr. MacKensie, his mentor. Dr. Boyd recalls this as a time when he matured as a teacher and developed the ability to teach in a way that would give his students the best opportunity to understand the material. It wasn’t until 1981, when Dr. Boyd moved on to teach at UCSF, that he met Dr. Sheldon Baumrind who would become a lifelong scientific collaborator on many of his research studies. During the 1980s and 90s, Dr. Boyd published numerous papers on various aspects of perio-ortho relationships, including the use of manual and electric toothbrushes, various toothpastes, rinses, oral irrigators, floss and different instructional methods. In 1986, while at UCSF, Dr. Boyd accepted the position as acting chair for one and a half years before deciding to beome full chair.
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DR. ROBERT BOYD INTERVIEW (CONT’D) In San Francisco, Dr. Boyd developed a mentor relationship with Dr. Arthur A. Dugoni and Dr. Donald Poulton. Dr. Dugoni told Bob “When you get tired of working at UCSF, you have a standing job offer here at University of the Pacific.” In 1996 Dr. Boyd decided to take him up on it and moved into his role as department chair, giving Dr. Poulton the opportunity to become AAO president. Dr. Boyd had several conditions on his hiring: he needed to bring along with him Dr. Baumrind and Dr. Sean Carlson, and that they would need a lab to continue their efforts with the Craniofacial Research Instrumentation Lab. “I would never have been able to accomplish what I have, and the department would not be where it is today, without the steadfast help of Dean Emeritus Arthur Dugoni,” he recalls. “He was always willing to give me his honest opinion.” Something that had a large effect on Dr. Boyd’s professional career would be his involvement in the development of clear aligner therapy beginning in 1997, when he was initially contacted to be the principle investigator on the first study for Invisalign®. Though initially hesitant, he become more confident in the capability of the technology as he worked with it first hand. He published the first case reports of Invisalign-treated patients in 2000 in the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics, and has since published 13 additional papers on clear aligner therapy. Dr. Boyd had a vision for what he wanted his influence to be in his time as chair here at the University of the Pacific’s orthodontics department. He and Dr. Dugoni agreed that a good orthodontist should be proficient enough clinically for private practice. This has carried into Dr. Boyd’s selection of faculty by bringing in experts with various techniques and appliances to share their know-how: Dr. Tom Pitts with passive self ligation, Dr. Terry Dischenger with Herbst, Dr. Robert Fry for business management, Drs. Donna Gallante and Bella Shen-Garnett with Invisalign, just to name a few. Additionally, Dr. Boyd is proud of the focus of our program to continue orthodontic treatment in the mixed dentition, and considers it to be a slam-dunk to combine the Invisalign appliance with early treatment. With the transition from chairman, Bob will continue his work in the orthodontic community as a reviewer for several journals. He plans on living in the South Bay region so that he may begin a role as an advisor for Align Technologies on their Global Scientific Advisory Board, and so that he can continue to do research with the appliance within our resident clinic. Dr. Boyd also plans to return occasionally to lecture to the residents and remind them of the importance of the perio-ortho relationship.
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TRIDENT PACIFIC ORTHODONTIC ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
DR. GABRIELLE THODAS INTERVIEW By Dr. Noor Mahjoub, Class of 2019 Dr. Gabrielle Thodas bid farewell to the institution that granted her dental and orthodontic degree in April of this year. We sat down with her and talked about women in dentistry, transitioning from private practice into academia, and the real reason she does it all; the residents. Noor: Thank you for sitting down with me. Tell me about why you decided to pursue dentistry. Dr. Thodas: I always knew I had wanted to pursue something in healthcare. I actually went to school with someone who had a cleft lip and palate which got me somewhat interested in its embryology. Back then, there were very few women in medicine and dentistry, so you would apply and take whatever you got. I got in here, UCLA, USC, and I actually came to UOP because I had a full scholarship. Noor: A full scholarship to any dental school sounds amazing in this day and age! Dr. Thodas: Yes! The state of California gave five state fellowships per year, and mine paid for all of my tuition for my dental career. Noor: So you were just responsible for living expenses? Dr. Thodas: We were also responsible for a student kit. Except, our first year in dental school, they changed it from academic to a minority scholarship, and so I was not eligible for the scholarship. Noor: What did you do? Dr. Thodas: I went upstairs and figured I was going to have to drop out; no one was going to give me loans. However, the school helped me with financing and with tuition. This was one of the reasons I felt attached to UOP â&#x20AC;&#x201D; because they helped me with staying in school. I also got some grants, and the institution helped me pursue my degree. Noor: Did you immediately go into practice after dental school graduation? Dr. Thodas: I went right into practice. I also taught the preclinical/clinical crown and bridge, and waxing in occlusion course at the dental school. I did that for about 2-3 years, and once I had my youngest, I decided to spend more time with family and devote myself to private practice.
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DR. GABRIELLE THODAS INTERVIEW (CONT’D) Noor: What was your experience like as a general practitioner? Dr. Thodas: I really enjoyed it! I was a general dentist for about 16 years; my husband and I worked together. It made it really easy because we could consult each other on cases and also share the responsibilities, especially when raising kids. When I graduated, I did not want to specialize because I had to get to work. The last thing I would have thought I would have specialized in was orthodontics. Noor: Really? Dr. Thodas: Everyone says this, and it’s so true — you don’t get much exposure in dental school to orthodontics. As time went on, around 7-8 years into practice, I realized that I loved growth and development. I loved working with kids and understanding the development of the face and oral cavity, and I thought it would be interesting to be able to affect it. That’s how I started thinking that I wanted to go to orthodontics. I had to wait until my youngest was older before I could go back to school. Noor: When did you go back? Dr. Thodas: I started my residency in 1993. I graduated in 1995, and bought a practice in 1996 in Redwood City. Noor: Because you had had interest in cleft lip and palate patients, and with your current background on the craniofacial panel, did you get much of that in residency? Dr. Thodas: The experience was much different than the current one. We only had one cleft lip and palate patient in the whole clinic, so our experience was very limited. Today, each resident gets at least a handful of these patients. How the times have changed. Noor: What was your best memory in residency? Dr. Thodas: Because I had come back after a long career in general dentistry, I was one of the older residents. But probably what I remember the most is the camaraderie we had in the group. We would always be in the resident room just joking around and telling stories, having a great time. I had an excellent group of co-residents, and I keep in touch with many of them to this day. Noor: Did you go back into teaching after graduating residency? Dr. Thodas: After I graduated residency, I taught pre-doc night clinic one day a week. We made retainers and traced cephs. My practice got busy again, so I left teaching and came back in 2011. Noor: You came back in 2011 to the orthodontics department? Dr. Thodas: Yes. I was clinical faculty on Tuesdays. I always knew I wanted to come back and teach, but it was a matter of getting everything organized. We were in the old building at the time; Regina would know the exact date when I came back! Noor: How did you transition into your current role as clinic director, a role which you took for four years? Dr. Thodas: I always knew that I wanted to participate more in the academia part of orthodontics. Because I was a product of the program, and because the university had really helped me in terms of financial stability during my dental school days, I have a loyalty to University of the Pacific. I had some ideas on how to really structure each resident’s unique educational experience to allow each resident to feel competent in treating all kinds of cases when they leave. I took the role as part-time clinic director in 2014 while my practice was being sold. I became full-time clinic director February 2, 2015.
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DR. GABRIELLE THODAS INTERVIEW (CONT’D) Noor: What was the best moment in your current role? Dr. Thodas: I think most definitely, the best part of all of this is working with the residents. Each one of them is so excited and so motivated to learn. Watching them become successful, watching the lightbulb go off when they understand something; that is just really cool. I really tried to make the clinical experience as organized as possible, while giving everyone a fair and equal experience. Noor: I think every resident that walked through this program since you became director can attest to that. Dr. Thodas: I really hope so! You’re never just going to treat Class 1s, and you’re also never going to just treat the difficult cases. You need to have all of the biomechanics knowledge to approach every case, and hopefully, with the experience you have, can work to get the best result for the patient. It just makes it easier if you’ve seen one of almost everything, and that is what I have tried to do for the residents. Noor: I think it is safe to say that is the legacy that you will leave behind. Dr. Thodas: I hope all the residents were able to get enough of all of the right patient experiences. It also makes me so happy when I get to hear back from the residents. Whether they come back to the school or I see them at alumni events or conferences, it’s so exciting to see them happy and successful. It really is a great field, and I’m lucky that I get to see off so Noor: What do you mean? Dr. Thodas: You get attached to the residents. I always have to remind myself, as it gets closer to September, and the graduating class is getting ready to leave, to let them go. They have to move on with their lives and their next step, and so that is always the hardest thing too. You build connections with these people and watch light bulbs go off in their education. But I can’t deny how amazing of a role I have. Noor: Is there anything you won’t miss? Or perhaps something that you will be happy to say goodbye to? Dr. Thodas: There are so many limitations that Axium imposes on us. When the residents get out into practice, they will find many more superior orthodontic managing software that can generate very informative reports. Also, private practice is much more streamlined. But I will definitely not miss Axium! Noor: Do you have any advice for anyone thinking to go into orthodontics? Dr. Thodas: I would definitely recommend some experience in general dentistry. It is definitely easier physically. But I think that orthodontics is actually more difficult diagnostically. This is why we spend so much time on treatment planning and having discussions in seminars on diagnosis. The more you practice in diagnosis, the easier it gets. Noor: What are your future plans? Dr. Thodas: My husband and I will be moving closer to Placerville to be closer to family. We’re escaping the city life and heading for the hills! It’s been an incredible journey to be a part of this program, and I will certainly be back to say hello. Noor: Thank you so much for your time, Dr. Thodas. The clinic will never be the same without you, but we all wish you well in your future endeavors.
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INTRODUCING THE CLASS OF 2021 Laura Chew A California native who grew up in Pasadena, Laura attended UCLA where she earned a B.S. degree in psychobiology. Prior to dental school, she worked as a research assistant in the neuropsychology department at the West Los Angeles V.A. She received her DDS degree from the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry and worked in private practice for several years prior to returning to UOP for orthodontic residency. Laura enjoys outdoor activities, sports, art, and cherishes quality time with family and friends.
Ali Ghowsi Dr. Ghowsi has had a passion for helping people from an early age. He loves to use comedy to create a positive dental experience for people of all ages; “If I can help a patient turn a bad day into a good one then I feel that I had a successful day.” He received his doctorate DDS from University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry with high honors in 2018. He has worked at many different private practices as a general dentist. In his free time, he loves to go to the gym and practice archery. He enjoys watching all kinds of movies and enjoys acting in his spare time. In school he won the National American Dental Association Ethics Video Contest starring in the short film “Ethical Loupes.”
Vikas (Vick) Gupta Vikas was born and raised in East Lansing, MI where his parents still live. He has two sisters and a brother. He attended the University of Michigan (GO BLUE!) for his undergraduate degree where he studied Industrial and Operations Engineering. Vik then moved to New York to attend Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine. After an exciting vacation in Europe he moved to San Francisco to start his orthodontic residency at the Dugoni School. He is particularly interested in accelerated tooth movement and sleep apnea as it relates to orthodontic treatment. His hobbies outside of school include working out, watching/playing sports, hanging out with friends and family, and listening/dancing to music. “Looking forward to meeting y’all!”
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INTRODUCING THE CLASS OF 2021 (CONT’D)
Tae Keong (Cindy) Kim Originally from Seoul, Korea, Cindy earned her B.S. degree in earth and environmental science and later received her D.D.S. from Seoul National University. During her childhood, she lived for two years in the Bay Area with her family, and those joyful memories led her to come back to the States to continue her studies. Before entering the residency program, she did a year of research fellowship at CRIL where she was deeply impressed by the humanistic atmosphere and vision of the Dugoni School family. In her spare time, Cindy enjoys cooking, traveling and trying out new activities. She is ready to fill her 27 months of residency with memorable moments.
Mahsa Mortazavi Born and raised in Iran, Mahsa earned a D.D.S. degree from Tehran University of Medical Sciences. She went on to graduate from Isfahan University with a certificate in orthodontics, after which she passed the Board of Orthodontics of Iran and started working as a faculty member at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. She is excited to improve her skills in orthodontics at University of the Pacific. She enjoys traveling, hiking, reading books and spending time with her family and friends.
Mana Naeim Mana is 28 years old and a recent graduate from UCLA School of Dentistry. She just moved to San Francisco from Los Angeles this month and is very eager to explore this “lively, colorful and progressive city” as she pursues her specialty in orthodontics. A second-generation Iranian American she enjoys Persian music, food, and, most of all, dancing. Hobbies include traveling, spending time with her family and two King Charles Cavaliers and exploring new coffee shops.
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INTRODUCING THE CLASS OF 2021 (CONT’D)
Jacqueline Payne Jacqueline is excited to extend her time at the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry by transitioning from the DDS program to the orthodontics program. Before dental school, she studied human biology at Georgetown University. Outside of dental school, She enjoys backpacking in the Sierras, running in Golden Gate Park and practicing yoga. “I am eager to learn from the distinguished orthodontics faculty, especially my dad, Dr. Brian Payne, and to one day practice with him in Santa Rosa.”
Micaela Zaverdinos Micaela graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a D.M.D. and M.P.H. this past year where she had the opportunity to participate in two studies, one on TADs and another on craniofacial orthodontic patients. “Ever since I can remember, I knew I wanted to be an orthodontist. I feel so fortunate to be a part of the University of the Pacific family. I am so looking forward to all the knowledge transfer and invaluable relationships that I will build here while I explore what this incredible city has to offer!”
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KEEPING IN TOUCH Richard Portalupi ’89 sold my half of the Vacaville practice to my partner Scott Anderson (UCSF Ortho 89), and now have my main practice (previous satellite) in Woodland, CA. Loving what I do and not planning on retiring anytime soon. Besides working in my office, I am traveling, and spending time with my beautiful wife and family, enjoying the grandkids. Headed to Malaga, Spain in October for the Forestadent Symposium.
Joorok Park ’08 was recently named clinic director replacing Dr. Gabby Thodas who retired in April. Joorok also became a newlywed when he got married in Korea on Saturday, July 13th.
Andrea Delurgio ’09 bought a practice in the suburb of Sacramento in 2010. I have been practicing there ever since. In December of 2016, I had my son Jack. I am enjoying being a mom and private practice is finally getting a little easier.
Dr. Andrea Delurgio ’09 and family.
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