Brent Lin DMD, Oral Health Alliance Director
Brent Lin, DMD, is currently a Clinical Professor in the Division of Pediatric Dentistry and the Director of the Pre-Doctoral Pediatric Dentistry Program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Prior to joining the faculty at UCSF, Dr. Lin was a full-time faculty in the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio and the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. He received his dental degree from Temple University School of Dentistry in 1992, Certificate in Geriatric Dentistry from the University of Michigan Medical Center in 1997, Certificate in General Practice Residency from Yale – New Haven Hospital in 1999, and Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry from the St. Barnabas Hospital in 2001.
Dr. Lin is an active member in the American Dental Education Association. He was a member of the Editorial Board for the journal Pediatric Dentistry and reviewer for several other peer review journals. He was awarded “Excellence in Dental Education” by the Pierre Fauchard Academy in 2006, UCSF Mentor of the Year award in 2009 and again in 2013, Albert Schweitzer Academic Mentor of the Year award in 2010, and Certificate of Honor by the City and the County of San Francisco in 2013. He has been involved with numerous public health & community service activities and clinical researches. Some of his grant supports are industry supported FDA approved phase IV clinical trials, National Children's Oral Health Foundation, and Human Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). He has given lectures throughout U.S. and Asia and has authored over 45 abstracts, book chapters, and articles in pediatric dentistry and geriatric dentistry.
Nursing
Abbey Alkon, RN, PNP, MPH, PhD
Abbey Alkon, RN, PNP, PhD is a Professor at the University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing. She is an epidemiologist and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and she works on multi-disciplinary, research teams. Her research focuses on understanding how children’s exposure to adversity early in life and their physiologic responsiveness to their environment effects their health. Her studies include children from ethnically-diverse, low income families. Dr. Alkon is an investigator at the University of California, Berkeley Center on Environmental Research and Children’s Health (CERCH) and Director of the California Childcare Health Program (CCHP). Dr. Alkon’s teams also provide service, education, and research to improve the health and safety for children attending child care programs in the U.S. At UCSF School of Nursing, Dr. Alkon teaches the Masters and Doctoral courses on Research Methods.
Karen Duderstadt, RN, PhD, FAAN
Dr. Karen Duderstadt is a Clinical Professor at the UCSF School of Nursing, and teaches in the Advanced Practice Pediatric Nursing program. She completed her PhD at UCSF in Nursing & Health Policy in 2006, and her research focused on access to care for low-income children. Her work over two decades has focused on access to care for patients and families through expansion of public health insurance programs. Since 2005, her clinical practice is with the urban, low-income Spanish speaking population of children and families at San Francisco General Hospital Children’s Health Center. Dr. Duderstadt served as the Health Policy/Legislative Chair for the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners from 2002 to 2006. She worked on healthcare reform and reauthorization of Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). She has been a member of the prevention of Childhood Obesity Initiative was a contributing author to the Childhood Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines published in 2006. She also published the 2nd Edition of her popular Elsevier Pediatric Physical Assessment in 2014.
Medicine
Gail Feinberg DO, FACOFP, M.Ed
Native Californian, attended UCLA with Psychobiology Major, Western University-College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific for medical school, and Residency in Family Medicine at University of Medicine and Dentistry, New Jersey – Stratford Division. Upon completion of residency, served her National Health Service Corps obligation in Ironton, Ohio where she quickly became Medical Director of the Community Health Centers there, and a member of the board of USPHS Region 5. She then moved her practice across the Ohio river to a community hospital in Ashland, Kentucky and became the practice site for the then new Family Medicine Residency at the hospital. After 3 years, she became the Director of Medical Education and Program Director for the hospital/program, and served in that capacity until moving back to California in June, 2016. She is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Primary Care at Touro University California in Vallejo, CA. She is married and has two adult children and one grandchild.
Susan A. Fisher-Owens, MD is a practicing Pediatrician in San Francisco, CA. Dr. Fisher-Owens graduated from George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in 2001 and has been in practice for 16 years. Dr. Fisher-Owens accepts multiple insurance plans including Aetna, Medicare and PacifiCare (UnitedHealthcare). Dr. Fisher-Owens also practices at UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco, CA. In addition to English, Dr. Fisher-Owens's practice supportedActions these languages: Arabic, Tagalog, French, Polish, Spanish, Italian, Vietnamese and Russian
Dental Hygiene
Nancy Cheung, RDA, RDH, MPA, HSA, is the Program Director of the Dental Hygiene Program at Chabot College in Hayward, California. She received her Bachelor degree of Science in Dental Hygiene from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in 1992, followed by a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Health Services Administration from the University of San Francisco (USF), College of Professional Studies in 1998.
Nancy’s vision for the Dental Hygiene Program at Chabot is to be the leader of the community, to educate lifelong learners, to train highly skilled professionals, and to foster incomparable ethical leaders in dental hygiene.
Elizabeth Couch, RDH, MS is an assistant professor at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), School of Dentistry. She received her bachelor’s degree in biology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo in 2007, associate’s degree in dental hygiene from Cabrillo College in 2011, and master’s degree in dental hygiene from UCSF in 2012. She currently teaches in the Master of Science in Dental Hygiene program at UCSF and is the project director of a longitudinal cohort study of conventional and alterative smokeless tobacco use among adolescents in rural areas of California. Her research goals are focused on understanding the behavioral, environmental, biological, and social factors that influence oral and systemic health among vulnerable populations
Elena Ortega, RDH, MS is the Interim Director of the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Master of Science in Dental Hygiene Program. She received her Bachelor of Art degree from Occidental College, and Bachelor of Science and Master degrees in dental hygiene from UCSF. Her area of focus is in teaching, specifically, in dental hygiene basic preparation programs. Her research focus is in developing the dental hygiene scholarly identity within undergraduate and graduate education.
Dentistry
Linda Centore, PhD, ANP
Dr. Linda Centore is a health sciences clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Dentistry. She is the Division Chair of Behavioral Sciences and Community Dental Education which houses the Advanced Education General Dentistry Residency Program and the Community Service Learning Externship Program. As a licensed psychologist and board-certified adult nurse practitioner, she teaches medical risk assessment, behavioral sciences, and cultural competency to dental students and works with challenging patients in the student clinic.
Ha (Jacklynn) Thai, DDS: Associate Clinical Professor 2007-Present.
Dr. Thai is part of our pre-doctoral pediatric faculty team. She is involved in the instruction of pediatric dentistry in our didactic and clinical courses. She is board certified with the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Thai is married with two children. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, exploring new restaurants and practicing yoga. She is in private practice in the East Bay:
www.kiddodentist.com.
Janelle Urata is involved in projects conducted by the Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science and Orofacial Sciences, both at the University of California, San Francisco. She is currently the clinical research coordinator of a study of adolescent males in rural California and a project director of a study evaluating the effect of a dental product on reducing plaque accumulation and oral health in children. She received her bachelor’s degree in Human Development from the University of California, San Diego, completed an associates in dental hygiene at Chabot College and a master’s degree at UCSF. She also serves on the Board of a non-profit organization based in Stockton, California focused on providing dental screenings, oral education and finding dental homes for pre-K children.
JungSoo Kim, DDS Dr. Kim is a Pediatric Dental Resident at UCSF. She received her DDS from UCSF in 2019 and BS with High Honors from University of Michigan in 2011. She has been involved with the UCSF Oral Health Alliance since its inception in 2015.
Punam Patel- B.S, is a first-year dental student and graduate from UCLA in 2012 with a B.S. degree in Psychobiology. Prior to dental school she worked as a research assistant in a neuroscience lab that focused on studying visual system development, and in a lab that worked on craniofacial development and bone regeneration. Punam is looking forward to working with The Oral Health Alliance on its initiatives to reduce the disparities that exist in oral healthcare among under-privileged children, while raising awareness about the importance of inter-professionalism.
Christina Shih is a dental student at the UCSF School of Dentistry, expected to receive her D.D.S. degree in 2021. She joined the Oral Health Alliance to conduct outcome assessments in various projects. Christina received her B.A. with honors in Molecular and Cell Biology and B.A. in Public Health from UC Berkeley in 2015.
Sara Soofian: Sara is a dental student in the Class of 2022 at UCSF School of Dentistry. She graduated from the University of Washington with a B.S. in Public Health in 2018. Sara has been involved with Oral Health Alliance throughout dental school and is passionate about pediatric oral health.
Gainly To: Gainly To is a dental student at the UCSF School of Dentistry, expected to receive her D.D.S. degree in 2022. Gainly received her B.S. degree in Neurobiology, physiology, and behavior from UC Davis in 2017. Gainly is very excited to work with Oral Health Alliance to promote oral health for pediatric populations.
Joanne Hong: Joanne Hong is a dental student expected to graduate in 2022. She graduated cum laude from Rice University and attended University of Granada in Spain. Joanne has a long history of working with the pediatric population and looks forward to promoting pediatric health with the Oral Health Alliance.
Donna Baldetti: Donna Baldetti is a first year student at UCSF dental school (Class of 2024). Prior to dental school, Donna worked with a variety of underserved youth populations, including children in the foster care system and international refugees, in both academic and dental healthcare settings. Donna graduated UC Davis magna cum laude in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior in 2017. She is excited to continue working with pediatric populations, particularly in at-risk demographic groups, in the future.
Esther Gao: Esther is a first year student at UCSF School of Dentistry, class of 2024. Prior to dental school, she studied Psychology and Clinical Nutrition at UC Davis and graduated in 2017. She then received her Masters of Public Health from UCLA in 2019, where she developed community-focused programs for underserved populations. Esther became a registered dietitian in 2020 and hopes to combine her passions for nutrition and pediatric oral health throughout her career and work with the Oral Health Alliance.
Marvin Chen: Marvin is a dental student at the UCSF School of Dentistry, expected to receive her D.D.S. degree in 2022. Marvin received his B.S. in Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics from UCLA in 2016 and his M.S. in Human Nutrition from Columbia University Institute of Human Nutrition in 2018.
