Daniela Rodrigues Silva, DDS, MS is the Dr. Thomas K. Barber Endowed Chair, the Director of the Pediatric Residency Program, an Associate Clinical Professor in Pediatric Dentistry and the Chair of the Section of Pediatric Dentistry.
Dr. Silva is originally from Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil. After completing dental school, she owned a pediatric dentistry private practice in Goiânia, Brazil, from 1987 to 2000 and had a part-time faculty position in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the School of Dentistry of Anápolis, Goiás, Brazil from 1990-2000, where she was awarded the “Teacher of the Year” for three consecutive years. Dr. Silva joined the University of Florida College of Dentistry in August 2004 and was the Residency Program Director of the Gainesville and the Naples programs until July 2011, when she joined the UCLA School of Dentistry. Dr. Silva is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.
Dr. Silva is originally from Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil. After completing dental school, she owned a pediatric dentistry private practice in Goiânia, Brazil, from 1987 to 2000 and had a part-time faculty position in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the School of Dentistry of Anápolis, Goiás, Brazil from 1990-2000, where she was awarded the “Teacher of the Year” for three consecutive years. Dr. Silva joined the University of Florida College of Dentistry in August 2004 and was the Residency Program Director of the Gainesville and the Naples programs until July 2011, when she joined the UCLA School of Dentistry. Dr. Silva is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.
Francisco Ramos-Gomez, DDS, MS, MPH (Principal Investigator) - Dr. Ramos-Gomez is Professor of Pediatric Dentistry, board-certified and former Regional Head Start Oral Health Consultant. He conducts research through the NIDCR-UCSF CAN-DO Center to Reduce Oral Health Disparities and has conducted epidemiological surveys and research on early childhood caries (ECC) in San Diego and San Francisco. He has been involved in the Healthy Teeth, Healthy Kids CMS demonstration project in Alameda County and a consultant for the HRSA Bureau of Primary Care Early Childhood Caries Prevention Project and Oral Health Disparities Collaborative focusing on Perinatal and Infant Oral Care. He was the 2009 President of the Hispanic Dental Association and founder of the Multicultural Oral Health Action Committee. A pioneer in designing new strategies, protocols and successful innovative models on the prevention of ECC, Dr. Ramos-Gomez is chair of the Bi-National University of California Oral Health task force, member of the AAPD Scientific Affairs Council and AAPD Perinatal and Infant Oral Health Council, member of the California Oral Health Action Coalition and member of the Executive Committee of the Section on Pediatric Dentistry and Oral Health for the American Academy of Pediatrics. He also is a consultant for the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
James J. Crall, DDS, ScD (Principal Co-Investigator) - Dr. Jim Crall directs the HRSA/MCHB Leadership Training in Pediatric Dentistry Program. He served as Director of the HRSA/MCHB National Oral Health Policy Center from 2000-2008, was Project Director for the AAPD Head Start Dental Home Initiative from 2007-2010, and has been Child Advocate for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry since 1995. He has authored or co-authored over 60 peer-reviewed manuscripts and nearly 40 chapters, technical briefs, and commissioned works (including the CMS Guide to Children’s Dental Care in Medicaid).
Clarice Law, DMD, MS - Dr. Law is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Sections of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics at the UCLA School of Dentistry. She is Board Certified in both Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics and serves as the Director of the Venice CHAT Pediatric Dentistry Program at UCLA. In 2008, she completed a Fellowship in Medical Education through the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and has since focused her creative activities toward leadership development, curriculum innovation, and use of electronic educational media. She is a co-investigator on an NIH R25 grant, the Oral Health Research Education Grant, which has specific aims targeting the recruitment and retention of academic dentists.
Hamida Askaryar, MPH, RDH, MCHES - Hamida was the Health Services Manager for the UCLA Early Head Start program for 7 ½ years at the David Geffen School of Medicine. As the Health Services Manager she was responsible for maintaining that the Federally regulated children's program is current and in compliance with all Federal and State child regulations in the areas of health, nutrition and safety. Her other duties included staff education, parent training, grant writing, budget analysis, emergency preparedness, and health screenings. Hamida also participated in creating and conducting an UCLA campus wide health survey through UCLA's healthy campus initiative. As the Program Manager for the Strategic Partnership for Interprofessional Collaborative Education in Pediatric Dentistry (SPICE-PD) she contributes to the development, implementation, and evaluation of the inter-professional pediatric residency project. Her public health interests span into chronic disease prevention, policy, and health equity, among others. She is the past President of the Southern California Chapter of Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE). She is an experienced Registered Dental Hygienist and worked for several dentists in the San Fernando Valley for many years. She is also a former clinical dental hygiene instructor and a knowledgeable corporate health and wellness screener. She has a passion for health and wellness and is currently training for her next 5 K run at UCLA! Her proudest accomplishment so far is that she was selected the 2017 Outstanding Employee of the Year of the UCLA School of Dentistry. Hamida is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) and holds an MPH from California State University Northridge.
Ignacio Andrade - Ignacio is an Administrative Specialist for the UCLA School of Dentistry, Section of Pediatric Dentistry Residency Program (SPICE-PD). Prior to joining the UCLA team, Mr. Andrade was a Financial Aid, Academic and Admissions Counselor at both St. Mary’s University (TX) & Grand Canyon University. His main duties included ensuring all matters and issues related to academic compliance and financial aid federal/state regulations were resolved while working with other University departments. Ignacio’s ultimate focus has been studying innovative oral health care strategies in medical and health care settings. His research interests include oral health access, risk factors of dental caries in vulnerable populations, and quality improvement.. Mr. Andrade is an alumnus of Grand Canyon University, having received his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis in Finance, in 2016.