ODA Member: Dr. Nicole Nellis

NICOLE NELLIS, DDS Tulsa, OK

By: Madison Bolton, ODA Membership Manager

After being inspired by her childhood dentist (also her father’s high school best friend) Nicole Nellis knew she wanted to be a dentist and nothing else at a very young age. She recalled, “When I was in second grade, I wrote in one of my journals (which I still have) that I wanted to be a dentist. By the time I was in fourth or fifth grade, I was literally obsessed with anything and everything related to dentistry. I dressed as a dentist every year for Halloween and I built a dental office for my Barbie dolls in my bedroom. I started shadowing on school breaks when I was in sixth grade and I had my first job in a dental office at age 15. After completing her undergraduate studies at the University of Oklahoma, Nellis received a scholarship from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio to attend its School of Dentistry. She says, however, “Although my diploma is from Texas, I’m a die-hard OU Sooner fan!”.

After her graduation from dental school in 2014, Nellis returned to Oklahoma and completed the Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) Residency at the OU College of Dentistry, where she met “some amazing role models” that included Drs. Rieger Wood, Shannon Griffin, and Paul Mullasseril. She was not only inspired by their clinical knowledge, but also their leadership roles in the ODA.

Nellis learned at an early age how important it was to become a member of organized dentistry and knew that she would be an ODA member one day. She said, “When I was in high school, I would print off issues of the ODA Journal from the website and read them. All the wonderful people leading the dentists in our state fascinated me. While in dental school, one of my professors stressed that the single most important thing we can do once we graduate is to be members of organized dentistry. I never thought twice about signing up for ODA membership the moment I could.” Since joining the ODA, Nellis has definitely been very involved! She is currently serving as President of the Tulsa County Dental Society, Chair of the Council on Membership and Membership Services, and was appointed by ODA President Dr. Paul Mullasseril to chair the 2021 ODA Annual Meeting Planning Committee. When she isn’t busy with her many roles in organized dentistry, Nellis finds time for her hobbies, which include being a Lilly Pulitzer clothing enthusiast and collecting Barbie dolls! She still has the Barbie doll dentist office she built back in grade school. This project was brought to real life recently when she opened a brand-new location in Tulsa. Nellis admits, “It was a challenge working with some contractors, but the experience has made me a stronger person.” Her future plans are to start a family with her high school sweetheart and husband of three years, Stephen. For now, though, she is living the dream and being an excellent role model for women in dentistry.

DR.NICOLE NELLIS BARBIE DENTAL OFFICE est. 1999