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Shadi Araghi

Academic Interests

  • Special needs children
  • Behavior management
  • Early Interceptive Orthodontics
  • Early caries prevention

Anna Forsyth

Forsyth

Dr. Anna Forsyth is from Tucson, Arizona, and has lived in the Pacific Northwest for over a decade. Dr. Forsyth is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and a member of American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Washington State Pediatric Dental Association, and American Dental Education Association.

  • DDS, University of Washington School of Dentistry
  • Dental General Practice Residency, Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, Washington DC.
  • Pediatric Dentistry Residency, Masters of Science in Dentistry, University of Washington School of Dentistry
  • Dental Care for Patients with Special Healthcare Needs
  • Pediatric Dental Resident and Dental Student Learning and Education
  • Microbiological Factors of Early Childhood Caries

Amy Kim

Dr. Kim is a general dentist, with expertise in dental education and research. Prior to joining the University of Washington, she managed the Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency program (pacific northwest and central west regions) of NYU Langone Hospitals. She has an extensive clinical research background, having managed programs at the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research and the University of Michigan’s Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Dr Kim has served as the Co-Director of the University of Washington’s Center for Health Sciences Interprofessional education (CHSIE), and Associate Director of Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE). Her commitment to service is evidenced by her grant work, as former Principal Investigator of Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD) and Early Childhood Oral Health Training (EchoTrain).

Chris Chen

Chen
Dr. Chen is part-time Affiliated Faculty at The Center for Pediatric Dentistry. He is a clinical instructor for UW pediatric dental residents and pre-doctoral dental students and Lead Pediatric Dental Resident. Dr. Chen is also in private practice in Redmond.
  • BA, Biology, University of Rochester, 1995
  • Master of Public Health, New York Medical College, 1999
  • DMD, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, 2003
  • Advance Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry, New York University College of Dentistry, 2007
  • Public health
  • Cleft lip and palate
  • Children and adolescents with special needs

Mariella Garcia

Garcia

Originally from Peru, Dr. Garcia is acting assistant professor of pediatric dentistry. Her goal is to consistently provide excellent service to patients and families. Her focus is in training pediatric dental residents in academic and clinical settings.

  • DDS, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia School of Dentistry
  • Advanced Education in General Dentistry training and pediatric dentistry residency training, University of Connecticut
  • Hospital dentistry
  • Special needs patient care
  • Comprehensive oral care of children and adolescents
  • Early childhood oral health
  • Current courses: Behavior Management, Dental Trauma

Daniel H. Cook

Background

Dr. Daniel H. Cook received his dental degree from Marquette University School of Dentistry in 1966 and a Master of Science degree with a certificate in Pediatric Dentistry from Marquette in 1972.

He practiced in Tacoma, Washington, specializing in pediatric dentistry, from 1972 – 2017.  He is a past president of the American Academy of Dental Practice Administration and the Evergreen Pediatric Dentistry Study and Research Club. He was a member of the Northwest Network for Dental Excellence, a group of dental specialists committed to the practice of interdisciplinary dentistry. He was twice past president of the Washington State Academy of Pediatric Dentists.

Dr. Cook is a diplomat of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.  He was an active staff member at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital from 1972 – 2017 and the founding chairperson of the MBCH dental surgery committee.  He was the facilitator for the Southwestern Washington Cranio-facial Review Board for over 35 years.

Dr Cook’s passion for dentistry and his commitment to learning and teaching have led him to lecture extensively throughout the United States and Canada on the topics of pediatric dentistry and dental practice administration for over 35 years.  He has published articles on pediatric dentistry in numerous national publications.  The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry selected him to be a member of the first editorial board of the clinical section of the AAPD Journal of Pediatric Dentistry.

In the Tacoma community, Dr. Cook has been active as a leader of many civic, educational, religious, and business organizations.  He was a founding director of the Sound Banking Company in 1991.  In 1983 Time Magazine named him a “Leader for Tacoma’s Future”.  The Washington State Dental Association named Dr. Cook as “Dentist Citizen of the Year” in 1983.

Dr. Cook has been a half-time clinical professor and attending clinical pediatric dentist in the UW Department of Pediatric Dentistry since 2010.  He brings 50+ years of private practice pediatric clinical experience and knowledge to help bridge the information and cultural gap between the academic and private practice dental worlds.

Simon Lin

Lin

Dr. Lin is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Washington School of Dentistry. He has been the Predoctoral Program Director since 2007. He practices at The Center for Pediatric Dentistry and the Dental Surgery Center, Seattle Children’s hospital. Dr. Lin is board certified and a clinical mentor for pre-dental students.

Dr. Lin spent a year conducting molecular genetic research on oligodontia (missing teeth) at Harvard Medical School. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.

  • DDS, National Yang-Ming University School of Dentistry, Taipei, 1995
  • MS, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Boston, 2003
  • Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, 2002
  • Certificate in Acupuncture, Center of Chinese Traditional Medicine, Veteran General Hospital, Taipei, 1997

Dr. Lin has implemented podcasting and an audience response system to facilitate students’ learning. He is developing an app for mobile devices to improve students’ learning experiences in pediatric dentistry.

Current courses: Pediatric Dentistry and Behavior Management; Pedocast Project

Travis Nelson

Background

Dr. Nelson is a Associate Professor with the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Washington. He maintains hospital privileges at Seattle Children’s and is actively involved in dental treatment for all children. He supervises dental students and residents and cares for patients in the dental surgery center.

Education

  • DDS, Loma Linda University, 2007
  • Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry, University of Washington, 2010
  • Master of Public Health (MPH), University of Washington, 2010
  • Diplomate, American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, 2012

Academic Interests

  • Procedural sedation
  • Restorative dentistry
  • Dental care for children with special health care needs

Publications

  1. Nelson, T.M., Berg, J.H., Bell J.F., Leggott P.J., Seminario A.L. (2010) Assessing the Effectiveness of Text Messages as Appointment Reminders in a Pediatric Dental Setting. J Am Dent Assoc. 2011 Apr; 142(4):397-405.
  2. Nelson, T.M. The Key to Caries Prevention. Dimensions of Dental Hygiene. July 2011; 9(7): 48-50, 52-53.
  3. Nelson, T.M. The Consequences of Convenience. Dimensions of Dental Hygiene. February 2012; 10(2): 30-32, 34
  4. Nelson, T.M. An Improved Interim Therapeutic Restoration (ITR) Technique for Management of Anterior Early Childhood Caries. Pediatric Dentistry, July-August 35(4): E124-128.
  5. Nelson T., Nelson G. The Role of Sedation in Contemporary Pediatric Dentistry, Dental Clinics of North America, Volume 57, Issue 1, January 2013, Pages 145-161
  6. Nelson T. The Continuum of Behavior Guidance, Dental Clinics of North America, Volume 57, Issue 1, January 2013, Pages 129-143
  7. Velan E, Nelson T. Evaluating Caries Risk. Dimensions of Dental Hygiene, February 2014; 12(2): 53-56
  8. Quinonez R, Nelson T Pediatric Behavior Guidance in the 21st Century, Workshop Report: Advocacy and Policy, Pediatric Dentistry, March-April 2014 36(2): 158-160
  9. McKinney C, Nelson T, Scott, et. al. Predictors of Unmet Dental Need in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Results from a National Sample. Academic Pediatrics. November-December 2014; 14(6): 624-31
  10. Stieber, J, Nelson, T, Huebner, C. Considerations for the Use of Dental Photography and Electronic Media in Education and Clinical Practice. Journal of Dental Education. April 2014; 79(4): 432-438
  11. Nelson, T, Sheller, B, Friedman, C, Bernier, R. Educational and Therapeutic Approaches to Providing Dental Care to Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Special Care in Dentistry May 2015; 35(3):105-13.
  12. Nelson, T, Huebner, C, Kim, A, Scott, J, Pickrell, J. Parent-Reported Distress In Children Under 3-years Old During Preventive Medical and Dental Care. European Archives of Pediatric Dentistry. 2015; 16(3),: 283-290
  13. Nelson T, Xu Z. Pediatric Dental Sedation: Challenges and Opportunities. Clinical Cosmetic and Investigational Dentistry. 2015: 7 : 97-106
  14. Lane, Nelson T, Thikkurissy S, Scott J. Assessing Temperament as a Predictor of Oral Sedation Success Using the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire Short Form. Pediatric Dentistry, 2015; 37(5): 429-35
  15. Nelson T, De Bord J. Strategies for Treating Children with Autism. Dimensions of Dental Hygiene. Dimensions of Dental Hygiene October 2015; 13(10): 61-64
  16. Nelson T, Scott J, Crystal Y, Berg J, Milgrom P. Silver Diamine Fluoride in Pediatric Dentistry Training Programs: Survey of Graduate Program Directors. Pediatric Dentistry, 2016; 38(3): 212-217.
  17. Nelson T, Huebner, C, Kim, A, Scott, J. A Pilot Study of Parent, Dentist, and Independent Rater Assessment of Child Distress During Preventive Dental Visits. The Journal of Dentistry for Children, 2016 83(2) May-August 2016
  18. Marion I, Nelson T, Sheller B, McKinney C, Scott J. Dental Stories for Children with Autism. Special Care in Dentistry. Special Care in Dentistry. 2016; 36(4): 181-186
  19. Nelson T, Griffith T, Lane K, Thikkurissy S, Scott J. Assessing temperament as a predictor of nitrous oxide inhalation success using the children’s behavior questionnaire short form. Anesthesia Progress. 2017 Spring; 64 (1):17-21.
  20. Nelson T, Chim A, Sheller B, McKinney C, Scott J. Predicting Successful Dental Examination for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Am Dent Assoc. 2017 July; 148(7): 485-492.
    *Republished with permission from Elsevier in the Journal of the Danish Dental Association: Danish Dental Journal
    *Selected for Article Analysis & Evaluation, The Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice 2017: 414-415
  21. Nelson T, da Fonseca M, Scott J, Hannanvash N, Weinstein P. Patient Care Agreements to Improve Pediatric Dental Compliance and Self-Efficacy. Pediatric Dentistry. 2017; 39(4): 299-303.
  22. Nelson T. SDF: Will Silver Really Become the New Gold Standard? Shift magazine, Sprig Oral Health Technologies. Spring 2018.
  23. Tamasas B, Godfrey G, Nelson T, Chen M. Oral Health Status of Children with Sleep Disordered Breathing. Journal of Dental Sleep Medicine. 2018 5(2)
  24. Aps J, Gazdeck L, Nelson T, Slayton R, Scott J. Assessment of the Location of the Mandibular Lingula in Pediatric Patients Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography Images. Journal of Dentistry for Children. 2018 May-August 85(2): 58-65
  25. Tamasas B, Nelson T, Chen M. Oral Health and Oral Health Related Quality of Life in Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2019 Mar 15; 15(3):445-452
  26. Olacke B, Nelson T, Sarvas E, Scott J. The Effect of Biophysical Characteristics and Dosing on Pediatric Oral Sedation Outcome. Pediatric Dentistry. 2018; 40(5): 346-351.
  27. Rothen M, Choi G, Nelson T, Kim A. Innovations in Restorative Hygiene. Dimensions of Dental Hygiene, Perspectives on The Midlevel Practitioner. 2018; 16: 32-35.
  28. Nelson T, Van Duker M, (2019) Anterior Zirconia Crowns for Primary Incisors: A Novel Cementation Technique. Techniques in Dentistry and Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22802-6
  29. Yost Q, Nelson T, Sheller B, McKinney C, Chim A, Tressel W. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder are able to Maintain Dental Skills: A 2-year follow-up of Desensitization Treatment. Accepted Pediatric Dentistry.
  30. Crystal Y, Janal M, Yim S, Nelson T. Teaching and utilization of SDF and Hall-style crowns in US Pediatric Dentistry residency programs. JADA. 2020 151(10) 755-763
  31. Nelson T, Nelson G, Rothen M, Kim A Comparison of In-Person and Remote Pediatric Dentistry Lectures Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic. J Dent Educ. 2021;00:00-00 https://doi.org/10.1002/jdd.12532
  32. Fazeli A, Nelson T, Fazeli M, Lin Y, Scott J. The Effect of Topical Epinephrine on Cardiovascular Outcomes in Children Receiving Prefabricated Zirconia Crowns: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Anesthesia Progress 2021; 68 (3): 133-140
  33. Nelson T, Wilson S, Tanbonliong T. Opioid and Multi-Drug Pediatric Dental Sedation: A Narrative Review. Journal of Dentistry for Children. 2022;89(1):57-65
  34. Ibrahim H, Nelson T, Xu Z, Thikkurissy S, Scott J. Comparison of Procedures, Time, and Fees Associated with Procedural Sedation and General Anesthesia in a Pediatric Dentistry Residency Program. J Dent Child. 2022 May 15:89(2):104-109
  35. Douglas P, Sheller B, Nelson T, Velan E. Comparing a Surgery Center with a Hospital for Pediatric Dental Surgery. Anesthesia Progress. 2022; 69(4): 3-8.
  36. Lee R, Wang K, Forsyth A, Garcia M, Scott J, Nelson T. The Effect of Temperament on Outcomes of Opioid and Non-Opioid Pediatric Dental Sedation. J Dent Child. 2024; 91(1): 149-155.
  37. Nelson T, Khosravi R, Ramos V, Hong S, Cook D. Interdisciplinary Dentistry for Complex Pediatric Dental Cases. International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry. 2024; 00: 1–9.

Book Chapters and Educational Materials

  1. Nelson T. A Physician’s Guide to Identifying Pediatric Dental Decay and Common Oral Pathology. MedEdPORTAL; 2012. Available from: www.mededportal.org/publication/9223.
  2. da Fonseca, M, Nelson, T.M. Chapter 14: The Use of General Anesthesia in Behavior Management. In: Wright G, Kupietzky A, eds.  Behavior management in dentistry for children. 3rd Edition, Wiley-Blackwell; 2020.
  3. Nelson T., Hein C, Empowering Physicians, Nurses and other Non-Dental Healthcare Providers in Caring for the Oral Health of Children and Adolescents. Oral-Systemic Health Education for Non-Dental Healthcare Providers. Colleges of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Manitoba. October 2014.
  4. Waggoner W, Nelson T. Restorative Dentistry for the Primary Dentition In: Fields, Casamassimo, McTigue, Nowak. Pediatric Dentistry, Infancy through Adolescence. 6th Edition. Elsevier; 2019.
  5. Nelson T. Killian C., Followell T., Tesini D., Patients with Special Health Care Needs In: Nowak and Casamassimo, The Handbook of Pediatric Dentistry. 5th Edition. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry; 2018.
  6. Kotsanos N., Nelson T., Behavior Guidance and Communicative Management In: Pediatric Dentistry. Evidence Based Total Care. 1st English Edition. Springer-Nature Publishing. In Preparation.
  7. Nelson T., de Bord J. Eds., Dental Care for Children with Special Health Care Needs: A Clinical Guide. Springer. 2019

Ana Lucia Seminario

Seminario
Dr. Seminario has dual training as a pediatric dentist and epidemiologist. She is a member of the Council on Clinical Affairs at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the Graduate Research Director of the UW Pediatric Dentistry Residency Program.
  • DDS, Peruvian University Cayetano Heredia, 1996
  • Certificate of Pediatric Dentistry, Peruvian University Cayetano Heredia, 2000
  • PhD, Stomatology, University of Charles, Czech Republic, 2006
  • Diplomate, American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, 2011
  • MPH, Epidemiology, 2012
  • Research methodology
  • Global oral health
  • Access to oral health
  • Oral health among immigrant populations
  • Early childhood oral health
  • Current courses: Introduction to Research Methods and Clinical Pediatric Dentistry

Joel Berg

Background

Dr. Berg is a professor emeritus of Pediatric Dentistry. He previously held executive positions at Philips Oral Healthcare and ESPE Dental. He is the author of numerous published manuscripts and abstracts and a co-editor of a textbook on early childhood oral health.

Education

  • DDS, University of Iowa, 1983
  • Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry, University of Iowa, 1985
  • MS, Oral Biology, University of Iowa 1985

Academic Interests

  • Early caries detection
  • Siblings of patients with special needs
  • Caries detection technologies
  • Innovative restorative materials
  • Development of dental caries prevention programs using risk assessment models
  • Early childhood dental health

Karen Yee-Lo

Background

Dr. Yee-Lo is an affiliate professor at the University of Washington School of Dental Medicine.  She also owns a private practice in Lakewood, Washington.  She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, and she is a consultant to the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.

Education

  • Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry, St. Christopher’s Hospital, Philadelphia, PA. 1994
  • Residency working with handicapped and developmentally delayed, Tufts University, 1992
  • DMD, University of Pennsylvania, 1991
  • Biology, University of Victoria, Canada, 1987

Society memberships, Academic honors, and practice history

  • Memberships in:
    • American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
    • American Dental Association
    • Washington State Dental Association
    • Washington State Academy of Pediatric Dentistry
    • Pierce County Dental Society
  • Past President, NW Pediatric Dental Study Club
  • Diplomate, American Board of Pediatric Dentistry
    • Recertified, Diplomate, ABPD 2010
  • Private Practice since 1994
  • Hospital Privileges: Tacoma General Hospital/Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital, Tacoma, WA
  • Board member, Agape Adoptions

Academic interests

  • Early Childhood Caries
  • Prevention
  • Behavior management