Dentistry was not my original choice of career. After graduating with a diploma from BCIT, Nortel had gone bust and I unhappily worked as a temporary in factories. It was in no uncertain terms described as “dead end.”

Youthful arrogance, a bruised ego, and anger might be the pinnacle of motivation. I took courses at an adult education center as my achievement in high school was limited to not failing a class. As luck would have it, the University of Western Ontario accepted me as a transfer student. I have my older sister to thank for the encouragement.

I did well at Western and after two years, and was accepted to the College of Dentistry at the University of Saskatchewan. Following completion of dental school, I was accepted and finished a 3 year Masters degree residency program in Dental Anaesthesia at the University of Toronto.

Residency allowed for incredible training and experience at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto East General, Sunnybrook, Womens college, and the anesthesia suites at the University of Toronto faculty of Dentistry.

I continue to be involved in academics at U of T through research projects, clinical instructing, and writing papers. Life is not without irony it seems.

Education and Certification

  • Diploma of Technology – British Columbia Institute of Technology, 2004
  • Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) – University of Saskatchewan, 2011
  • Masters of Science (MSc) Dental Anaesthesia – University of Toronto, 2014
  • Diplomate of American Dental Board of Anesthesiology (Dip A.D.B.A.)
  • Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS)
  • Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS)
  • Basic Life Support (BLS)

Current work commitments and memberships

  • Private Practice – Ottawa, ON
  • Clinical Instructor – Discipline of Dental Anaesthesia, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto
  • Canadian Academy of Dental Anesthesia
  • American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists
  • Ontario Dental Association
  • Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario

Life outside dentistry

  • I enjoy adventure traveling. I hope to visit the lesser known parts of Canada followed by Yunnan, Bhutan, and Meghalaya.
  • One of my favourite places in Canada is the National Gallery of Canada.
  • During my childhood in California, there was a traumatic experience involving a fast food sandwich endorsed by a clown. To this day I have great reservations and apprehensions about consuming cheese.