Meet Your Alumni Society Executive Committee

Dr. Chanin graduated from University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 1983 and was the chief dental resident at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, NJ. Dr. Chanin then became a partner in Hamilton Dental Associates, a multi-speciality group practice in NJ for 33 years. When he retired from Hamilton Dental Associates, he founded Diamond Dental Associates in Flemington, NJ, focusing on cosmetic dentistry as well as family dentistry. He is a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry, a Fellow of the American Society of Dental Aesthetics, a Fellow of the International College of Dentists, a Fellow of the International Academy of Dento-Facial Esthetics, on staff at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and a clinical Associate of Restorative Dentistry at University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and Vice President of the Penn Alumni Society. Dr. Chanin is married to Susan, has two children and lives in Titusville, New Jersey.

Flemington, NJ
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Dr. Greenberg has chosen to serve on the board to stay connected to Penn Dental and promote what the school believes is the cutting edge of dental treatment and education. She hopes to bring more peers from her generation back into the fold in any form of re-engagement.

Tampa, FL
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Born into a family of medical professionals in Jackson, Mississippi, Dr. Alani grew up primarily in the Middle East. She completed dental school there in 2001 before returning to the United States. Dr. Alani then received her DMD from Penn Dental Medicine in 2013, graduating with both clinical and research honors. She was also the recipient of the Delta Dental Student Leadership Award and the Dr. Earle Banks Hoyte Teaching Award.

Dr. Alani and her husband, Dr. Wesam Alani (D’13), operate Alani Dental Center in Chattanooga, TN

Chattanooga, TN
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Dr. Pamela Alberto earned her D.M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine and her specialty certificate in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey –University Hospital. Dr. Alberto is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine. Formerly, she wasthe Assistant Dean of Predoctoral Education in the office of Academic affairs andthe Director of Predoctoral Surgery in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.She is a Fellow in the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, the American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery the Academy of Dentistry International,the International College of Dentistry, and the American College of Dentist. She is a member of the International Society of Plastics, Anesthetics and Reconstructive Surgery. She has lectured nationally and internationally on oral surgery,implant surgery, alternative medicine local anesthesia and enteral sedation. Dr. Alberto also started Cheerful Heart Missions, which sends groups of dentists and dental students to Haiti and the Dominican Republic each year to provide oral care to hundreds of patients who would otherwise go without.

Sparta, NJ
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Born and raised in a dental office with over 45 years of experience in dentistry. Speaker, Author, Clinician. Faculty at Penn Dental Medicine, Alumni board member at The University of Pennsylvania Dental School, President of the University of Pennsylvania Dental Hygiene Alumni and advisory board member at Palm Beach State College. Member of the CAMBRA coalition, American Academy of Cariology, & American Academy of Pediatrics- Section on Oral Health. Longstanding member of ADHA and Distinguished Academy member of the Pennsylvania Dental Hygiene Association. Listed in Dentistry Today as a top speaker for over a decade. Volunteer clinician home and abroad.

Delray Beach, FL
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Dr. Laurence Chacker is a member of the Penn Dental Medicine Class of 1985. Following his time at Penn, he earned his postdoctoral degree in Periodontology from Boston University’s School of Graduate Dentistry in 1987. Dr. Chacker held faculty positions at both the University of Pennsylvania and Boston University; and is also an active member of the New Jersey Dental Association, American Academy of Periodontology, and Academy of Osteointegration. Dr. Chacker’s practice, the Center for Contemporary Periodontics and Dental Implants, has locations in Center City and Lawrenceville, NJ.

Lawrenceville, NJ/ Philadelphia, PA
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Dr. Choi is thankful to become a part of the Alumni Association and be able to help the alumni stay connected to each other, as well as to the school and its current students. She is thrilled to take my first step into mentorship as a Penn alumni and hope to find creative ways for alumni to stay engaged so that we can foster and maintain the love for the school that brought us all together!

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Bedford, NY
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Dr. Doshi was born and raised in upstate New York and attended college at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology. He then earned his DMD from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. While at Penn, Dr. Doshi received numerous awards and accolades including induction into the Matthew Cryer Honor Society and the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Honor Society. Dr. Doshi next completed his residency in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine where he served as Class President and was awarded the Dr. Edward G. Austin Scholarship. During his residency, he focused his research on using 3-D CBCT scans to evaluate the effects of maxillary palatal expansion. He currently has a private practice in Elmhurst, IL and is excited to contribute to the Alumni Society Executive Committee.

Elmhurst, IL
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Dr. Lee Durst graduated from Penn Dental Medicine in 1983. She had a neighborhood practice in the East Falls section of Philadelphia for over 27 years before transitioning her dental experience back to the School. Dr. Durst currently sees patients and mentors students at the LIFE Center (Living Independently for Elders). Dr. Durst has been involved with the Alumni Society Executive Board since 2011 serving as President from 2012- 2016.

Philadelphia, PA
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A 1984 graduate of Penn Dental Medicine, Dr. Dunoff completed a General Practice Residency Program at the Virtua Health System (West Jersey Health) in Camden, New Jersey in 1985. Licensed to practice Dentistry in the State of New Jersey and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, he pursued his initial practice location as a start-up venture in Winslow Township, New Jersey. Four years later, he acquired a second practice in Pleasantville, New Jersey which was later sold. The initial practice was relocated to Berlin, New Jersey; and currently he has acquired a practice in Swedesboro, New Jersey.

Dr. Dunoff is a member of many professional organizations including the American Dental Association, New Jersey Dental Association, American Society for Geriatric Dentistry Board of Directors, Special Care Dentistry Association, and the Academy of General Dentistry. He has hospital affiliations at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center and Virtua Health System. He has a clinical appointment as Associate Professor at Penn Dental Medicine where he teaches restorative dentistry. He has been a consultant to the insurance industry with Bravo-ElderHealth Plans and Prizm Solutions and currently is dental consultant to many long-term care nursing facilities. Concurrently with the start-up of his private practice Dr. Dunoff founded a mobile dental service that provides on-site care to many skilled nursing facilities. He is also dental director for CFG Health Systems Correctional Care Division.

Swedesboro, NJ
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Caryn Siegel is thrilled to be a member of the Alumni Society Executive Committee. Born and raised in New York City, Caryn attended the University of Pennsylvania for both her undergraduate and dental degrees. In 2001, she completed her residency in pediatric dentistry at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard School of Dental Medicine. She has been practicing pediatric dentistry on the Upper East Side of New York City since 2001, first as an associate dentist and, since 2009, as one of the partner dentists at NY Kids Dentistry and Orthodontics. In 2011, Caryn began volunteering her time as an attending dentist at Columbia School of Dental Medicine, working in the pediatric dental residency program. She truly enjoys teaching and educating the pediatric dental residents and molding them into future practitioners. Caryn loves treating children and adolescents and takes great pride in the positive impact she makes on the lives of the families she treats. She currently lives in Long Island City with her husband, son Jake and dog Buddy.

New York, NY
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Dr. France is very excited to extend her multi-level involvement with Penn Dental Medicine in this new capacity. She hopes that her passion for volunteer activism can provide benefit to the Board and is looking forward to forming and rekindling relationships with alumni across class years.

Philadelphia, PA
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Joel B. Frankel is a diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 2006. Joel received certificates in Periodontics and Periodontal Prosthesis from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010. His practice in Margate, NJ is limited to periodontics, implants, and complex restorative dentistry.

Margate City, NJ
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Dr. Andrew Fraser is a member of the Penn Dental Class of 2016. Following his time at Penn, he completed his orthodontic residency at the UCLA School of Dentistry where he also served as chief resident. While at UCLA, Dr. Fraser’s research focused on the effects of maxillary skeletal expansion on the adult orthodontic patient’s breathing and airway. He now practices orthodontics in Newton, MA.

Boston, MA
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It is an honor for Dr. Maria Perno Goldie to have been selected to serve on the University of Pennsylvania, School of Dental Medicine, Alumni Society Executive Committee. The dental hygiene program at Penn that she and over 1600 others completed, is now gone. There are many who wish to keep the spirit of dental hygiene alive at Penn, by encouraging scholarship, research, community service, and prevention in oral health.As dental hygiene alum, Dr. Goldie wishes to engage in common goals such as health promotion, disease prevention, improving access to care, and advancing evidence-based practice with the dental alumni. She wishes to support and promote the Dental Hygiene Research and Innovation Fund, which has been established to support one or more dental hygiene (DH) scholars. She would also like to promote the Penn Dental Medicine Dental Hygiene Alumni Association and the Dental Hygiene Alumni Special Achievement Award, which is presented annually and recognizes the outstanding contributions of dental hygiene alumni to the growth and development of the profession. She will do these things through social media, and reaching out personally to the alumni that she knows. Dr. Goldie believe that if we all reach out, and “each one touches one”, we can continue to have an active and robust Dental Hygiene Alumni Society.

San Carlos, CA
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Chalfont, PA
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Dr. Henry is an Assistant Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM). Dr. Henry completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Dayton and then attended dental school, medical school and OMFS residency at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. A 2019 graduate from the prestigious Orthognathic and TMJ Surgery fellowship in Charlotte, NC where he was working under the tutelage of Dr. Brian Farrell and partners at Carolinas Center for Oral and Facial Surgery. Dr. Henry has established a practice centered around orthognathic surgery (and surgical treatment of obstructive sleep apnea) and temporomandibular joints surgery. He has the ability to treat internal derangements via holmium-yag laser assisted arthroscopy as well as the treatment of various arthiritides via arthroscopic or open approaches, including arthroplasty and total joint replacements. He is also well versed in reconstruction in the form of complex bone grafting and secondary facial trauma repair.

Dr. Henry has research interests in improved outcomes following orthognathic surgery, facial trauma epidemiology, reconstruction of the temporomandibular joint and emerging technologies in oral and maxillofacial surgery. He is currently a reviewer for both the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery as well as the Journal of Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. In his role of Associate Director of Residency Training Dr. Henry has revised the resident lecture schedule and created a lab simulation curriculum to train the residents in medical and airway emergencies.

Dr. Henry grew up on a farm in Perrysburg, Ohio where his family still resides. In his free time he enjoys cycling, skiing, hiking, fishing, and playing the guitar.

Boston, MA
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Dr. Howarth is the third generation of his family to receive his dental education at Penn Dental Medicine where he graduated with his D.M.D. in 2016 and was awarded with the ICOI Predoctoral Student Achievement Award.

Dr. Howarth is a member of the American Dental Association, the Pennsylvania Dental Association, and the Delaware/Chester County Dental Association. He currently runs Wallingford Station Family Dental alongside is father, Dr. Stephen Howarth (D’81); a practice originally founded by his grandfather in 1948.

Wallingford, PA
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Dr. Kenneth Ingber has been serving the needs of the Washington, D.C. area general dentistry patients at Ingber Dental since 1971 and continues to offer leading-edge dental care. A proud member of the Penn Dental Class of 1971, Dr. Ingber also served as a member of the PDM faculty from 1971 – 1994. For his skill and expertise, Dr. Ingber was appointed as the director of University of Pennsylvania Extramural Department of Continuing Dental Education Program for the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. area and was the editor of the Journal of the District of Columbia Dental Society. Currently, he serves as the director of the International Team of Implantology (ITI) Study Club in the D.C. area. He is an active participant in research with the NIH suppported National Dental Practice-Based Research Network.

Washington, DC
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Dr. Kracke graduated dental school in ’17 and Orthodontic Residency in ’19 from Penn. He hopes to bring a young alumni perspective and plans to continue communications with young alumni and increase interactions between these new dentists as they enter the workforce. In recent years, he helped to organize the Match Day celebration and feels this is a critical time for the Alumni Board to get connected with new members and then continue to strengthen that relationship as they move on in their early careers. He is excited for the plans the Alumni board has for the future and is grateful to have this opportunity.

Sicklerville, NJ
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Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Roslyn, New York, Dr.Daniel Kubikian majored in Pharmacy at St. John’s University in New York. In 2001, he received the Doctor of Dental Medicine degree (DMD) from the School of Dental Medicine at The University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Dr. Kubikian continued his studies completing a 4-year post-graduate program in Periodontics and Periodontal Prosthesis while earning the Chairman’s Award, from The University of Pennsylvania.Dr. Kubikian is board certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontologyand is an Assistant Clinical Professor in Department of Periodontics at The University of Pennsylvania. He is a featured lecturer in implant dentistry at The University of Pennsylvania and Albert Einstein Medical Center. He has lectured at the Greater NewYork Dental Meeting and at various meetings throughout the east coast. Since 2007, Dr. Kubikian has taught a comprehensive implant course accredited by the New Jersey Dental Association which is geared to provide state of the art implant education to the dental community. In 2008, Dr. Kubikian founded the South Jersey Dental Study Club which meets monthly and provides continuing education lectures to the dental community from prominent national and international lecturers. Outside of dentistry, Dr. Kubikian spends time with his wife and three daughters. He is an avid sports fan and enjoys baseball, basketball and football.

Sewell, NJ
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Dr. Roopali Kulkarni (D’19, GR’19, GD’21) loves Penn Dental Medicine so much that she went from predoctoral student to oral medicine resident to full-time faculty! She is excited to engage with all alumni, continue to build relationships, and spread Penn pride!

Philadelphia, PA
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Medford, NJ
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As a proud Penn lifer, Dr. Kristen Leong is honored to join the Alumni Executive Board and looks forward to participating in the Penn experience as a recent graduate. Having served as Executive Student Council President in the dental school and Vice President of Finance and Operations in the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, she is proud to promote the tents of the institution and engage with the “Penntist” network in her new role as an alumna.

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As a recent graduate of the Penn Dental Medicine class of 2019, Dr. Bret Lesavoy is honored to be a member of the Alumni Executive Board and looks forward to contributing to the betterment of Penn Dental Medicine’s already amazing institution. Most of all, he is eager to stay connected with the Penn Dental Medicine student body experience to help ensure students and alumni realize the full potential of PDM, both throughout dental school and beyond.

Upon graduating in 2019, Bret moved onto Columbia University where he completed his residency program in Pediatric Dentistry. Bret is back in Philadelphia working as a pediatric dentist with Cobblestone Kids Pediatric Dentistry and looks forward to continuing his efforts as an active member of the PDM alumni community.

Philadelphia, PA
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Dr. Rachel Levarek graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in 2011, and then completed her Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery residency at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. At Montefiore, she underwent advanced training in dentoalveolar surgery, corrective jaw surgery, dental implants, facial trauma, reconstruction, TMJ surgery, sleep apnea, and oral pathology. Dr. Levarek is a board certified Oral & Maxillofacial surgeon and a diplomate of the American Board of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. She is in private practice in Westchester, New York, and is also an associate professor and attending surgeon involved in training oral surgery residents at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center.

White Plains, NY
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Philadelphia, PA
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Limerick, PA
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Dr. Lindsay Pfeffer MBE, MS is the owner of I-Ortho San Diego and serves as volunteer Faculty at the University of California San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine Free Clinic. She has been awarded honors including Invisalign Top 1%, Incisal Edge 40 Under 40 for Dentistry, San Diego Business Journal Next Top Business Leaders Under 40, San Diego Union Tribune Spotlight for Community Outreach, San Diego Magazine’s Top Doctors, San Diego Union Tribunes Best Orthodontic Practice, San Diego Metro’s 40 under 40, and California Dental Association: Delegate & Leadership Pilot Program. She is also a member of the San Diego County Dental Society BOD, Junior League of San Diego VP of Community Impact, North San Diego Business Chamber Emerging Leaders, and the Boys and Girls Club of San Diego Junior Board.

San Diego, CA
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Philadelphia, PA
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Dr. Trevan Samp received his undergraduate degree in Biology from Brown University, where he was also a wide receiver for the Brown Bears. He then attended the University of Pennsylvania for dental school and completed his Masters in Orthodontics at the University of Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco. Currently he is a board certified orthodontist practicing in Charleston, SC.

Charleston, SC
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Dr. Schildhorn has many reasons to be involvedat the University of Penn Dental Alumni. She graduated in 1975 from the Penn Dental Hygiene Program. She benefited from an extraordinary program that taught dental hygienists to work with educators, dentists and periodontists. Her trajectory led her to owning a dental employment business,( DENTAL POWER) , a Master’s in Organizational Change, Chairman of Kids Smiles, Inc ( a local not for profit dental service provider), and ultimately the Executive Director to the PA Coalition for Oral Health. In retirement, she is actively involved in helping others learn about the oral health workforce and alternate oral health delivery models. She is excited to be a mentor !

Wynnewood, PA
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Philadelphia, PA
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Dr. Simpson attended Penn Dental Medicine as a National Health Service Corps Scholar, graduating in 2016 with honors in clinical dentistry. Prior to beginning his NHSC service commitment, he completed a general practice residency at St. Luke’s University Health Network. Returning to Philadelphia, he completed his service commitment at Philadelphia FIGHT, remaining active with Penn through the PDM Alumni Executive Board and serving as a part time faculty in the Division of Community Oral Health. Now living in Wisconsin, Dr. Simpson continues to work in public health as a member of the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program.

Green Bay, WI
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After graduating in 2012, Dr. Sones knew he wanted to find a way to give back to UPenn. Joining the Alumni Board was a great opportunity for him to stay connected and volunteer his services to the University that gave him an education second to none. He also wanted to find a way to help students develop a positive outlook throughout their education at Penn. As a student, he often wondered what things would be like after graduating. As a member of the alumni board, his goal was to help students navigate the transition from dental school, to residency, and ultimately in to private. Being a member of the Alumni Board has given him the opportunity to be connected to Penn and thus far has been very rewarding for him.

Toms River, NJ
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Ann Eshenaur Spolarich graduated from Penn Dental Hygiene in 1982 and received her baccalaureate degree in dental hygiene from Thomas Jefferson University, and both a master of science degree in dental hygiene and a doctoral degree in physiology from the University of Maryland at Baltimore. She is an internationally recognized author and speaker on pharmacology and the care of medically complex patients. She haspresentedover 1,000 invited lectures and has over 125 professional publications. She is Professor, Course Director of Clinical Medicine and Pharmacology, and Director of Research at the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health, A.T. Still University(ATSU), where she teaches part-time in the Special Care Clinic. Ann is also a faculty member in the NYU Langone AEGD residency program at ATSU. Ann was awarded fellowship status in special care dental hygiene from the Special Care Dentistry Association in 2016.

Mesa, AZ
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Benjamin Truong graduated from Penn Dental Medicine in 2019. He served as Executive Student Council Vice President and also served as Chair of Professional Students in GAPSA, the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, working with Penn graduate and professional students across the entire campus. He is currently serving in the US Air Force as a general dentist. He hopes to be able to motivate young alumni to stay connected to Penn Dental and stay engaged with the school to help shape the future “Penntists” of tomorrow and preserve the school’s legacy.

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Dr. Wegman has enjoyed his dental career thus far with the Wegman Dental Group, PC, which was formed by Dr. Wegman, Harold C. Wegman, DDS (SDM ‘53) and Gary S. Wegman, DMD (SDM ‘83), since graduating Penn Dental in 1983. Through this business, he has throroughly enjoyed his practice of General Dentistry in Reading, Pa., and his relationship with his team, his patients, and his community. He has served as a representative to the PDA and the ADA in a variety of leadership roles, and presently is running for the US Congress in the 9th District in Pennsylvania. The degree of excellence that his mentors at Penn Dental instilled in his work ethic has carried on throughout his entire career. Staying involved with education and by being connected through the Alumni Society Board with Penn SDM has allowed him to continue this experience with his Penn colleagues.

Reading, PA
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Dr. Michael Yasner has a lifetime commitment to Penn. As a four time graduate of Penn, faculty member, alumni leader, and Penn Parent, he is dedicated to the success of past, present and future Penn Dental students and alumni. Mike practices Periodontics (with two Penn Perio grads) and lives in Old City Philadelphia (with his wife, Valerie, a three time Penn grad and former Endodontist), and welcomes contact from our Penn family.

Cherry Hill, NJ
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A native of Philadelphia, Dr. Brigitte White received her dental degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine after completing her undergraduate education at Princeton University, where she majored in public policy and international affairs. She enjoys mentoring dental students as a Penn Dental clinical instructor in the Department of Restorative Dentistry.

Dr. Brigitte White is a passionate healthcare provider committed to helping patients achieve their smile goals. As a cosmetic and restorative dentist, she offers solutions for family members of all ages from newborn oral care regimens to treatments for aging patients looking for comprehensive smile rehabilitation. Her years of experience in entertainment and intellectual property add to her high regard for dental esthetic value as well as product safety and efficacy in the oral care market. In addition to her role in the clinic, Dr. White is a published author and blogger. Through her writing, she shares inspirational smile tips for all parts of life as an entrepreneur, mother, and doctor of dental medicine. Furthermore, she is the creator of SmileSpruce, a personalized oral beauty guide to up your smile game.

In practice for fifteen years, Dr. White has experience in private practice, public health, and also worked as a provider for the U.S. Army in Germany. She currently provides care at her solo practice BrightWhites Dental in Northern, Virginia. Always a student of science discovery, Dr. White published research on Olfaction and Gustatory Function in the Annals of Neurology. In her free time, she enjoys traveling with her family and writing. She is the author of the young adult fiction novel All-American as well as a collection of Oral Care Children’s Books, which are available on Amazon. Follow her across social media @drbrigittewhite.

Alexandria, VA
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