I am a Bay Area Native, born in San Francisco, raised in the North Bay who migrated south to UCLA and graduated in 1992 with a degree in Sociology. I decided on a change of scenery (and weather) and went to Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) in Cleveland, Ohio where I earned my DDS degree in 1996, and my Periodontal Certifiicate and Masters Degree in Dentistry in 2000. My masters thesis was noteworthy in that it was one of the first research papers to help identify the association between periodontal disease and heart disease. I then entered private practice in Cleveland for several years, including being on staff at the prestigous Cleveland Clinic Hospital dentistry program. After 10 years in Ohio, I returned to the Bay Area and began teaching at both UCSF and UOP dental schools, then began my Pinole practice in 2010. I come from a dental family, as my father and brother were both dentists, and they taught mehow to take good care of my patients and make sure their needs were heard and addressed straight away. When I am not spending time with my wife and two daughters, I try to stay active in sports but usually just end up safely watching the Warriors, 49ers, Giants and UCLA sports teams at home.