Our Advisors and Dental Fellows

Dr. Silverstein received his dental degree from Northwestern University in 1978. After completing a residency in general practice and hospital dentistry at UCLA, he helped start the USC County Hospital Dental Program was a forensic dental expert in the LA coroner’s office. After completing a periodontic specialty program at USC School of Dentistry and a Masters of Education, Dr. Silverstein began private practice as a periodontist in La Mesa in 1982. He is a member of many dental societies, President of the San Diego County Periodontal Association since 1997, a founding member and board member of the San Diego Advanced Study Club, Division of the Seattle Study Club, and on the faculty and steering committee for Southwestern College’s dental hygiene program.

Dr. Silverstein has received numerous awards for outstanding leadership and humanitarian efforts including the ADA Access to Dental Care Award, the 2009 ADA Golden Apple Award for Outstanding Leadership in Mentoring, several Certificates of Special Congressional Recognition for Volunteer Service and the 2008 American Academy of Periodontology Humanitarian Award. He also received the 2009 Alpha Omega Trudi Berger International Community Service Award, the 2010 California Dental Association Humanitarian of the Year Award, and the 2011 San Diego Public Health Champion Award. A Fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy American College of Dentists and the Academy of Dentistry International, Dr. Silverstein is also a charter and board member of the Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders, an organization trying to achieve peace through oral health care and education.

Educational Background

Ellen Beck, MD, a family physician, is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and the Director of Medical Student Education for the Division of Family Medicine of UCSD School of Medicine. She is the Co-Founder and Director of the UCSD Student-Run Free Clinic Project, as well as Director of the national faculty development program, Addressing the Health Needs of the Underserved, and a year-long UCSD based Fellowship in Underserved Health Care. Each of these programs is based on a core philosophy that is empowering, humanistic, and transdisciplinary and sees the community as teacher. She is also Education Director for the new UCSD Center for Integrative Medicine. Dr. Beck completed her medical training at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. After working in remote areas in northern Canada and in community geriatrics and mental health in Montreal, she joined McGill University as faculty where she was based at a local CHC and directed a clerkship in primary care and geriatrics. Dr. Beck and her programs have won national and state awards including the 2011 WebMD Magazine Health Hero award, 2010 James Irvine Foundation California Leadership Award, KPBS 2010 Local Hero Diversity Award, the 2008 LEAD San Diego Visionary Award for Diversity, 2006 American Red Cross Real Heroes Award for medical hero recognition, the 2006 Blue Cross of California Community Service Award, the Norman Cousins Award for a medical education program that fosters relationship-centered care, the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine Innovation and the California Academy of Family Practice 2002 Barbara Harris Award for Educational Excellence.

Educational Background

Donna Kritz-Silverstein, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine. She writes or co-writes many of the grants that provide funding for supplies and equipment for the Free Dental Clinics and is responsible for the evaluation components of the HRSA grants that support the Free Dental Clinic site in Lemon Grove and the Faculty Development Course in Underserved Dentistry. She also mentors Pre-Dental Society students in various academic aspects including writing, verbal and interviewing skills, presentations and research projects as well as advising about the application process for professional school. Dr. Kritz-Silverstein teaches classes in research design to UCSD medical students and courses in data analysis and scientific writing to doctoral students in the UCSD-SDSU Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health and Epidemiology. Since 2005 Dr. Kritz-Silverstein taught statistics and mentored research for pediatric dental residents, first for a hospital-based program and since 2008 for UCLA. In 2012, she also began working with the Lutheran pediatric dental residents.

Dr. Kritz-Silverstein has a doctorate in psychology with a minor in statistics from New York University and has conducted epidemiologic research for over 30 years. She has been a Co-Investigator on the Rancho Bernardo Study since 1986 and was Principal or Co-investigator on several NIH and industry sponsored studies. Dr. Kritz-Silverstein has published extensively on chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease and diabetes as well as on bone density, cognitive function, quality of life and multiple aspects of women’s health including the long-term effects of hysterectomy and pregnancy. Other research interests include dental student stress and factors affecting oral health. Dr. Kritz-Silverstein has won awards for her research and community service, and was awarded Advisor of the Year in 2013 by students in the Pre-Dental Society.

Educational Background

Dr. Sussi Yamaguchi received her Bachelor of Sciences degree from UCSD in 2003 and was an avid volunteer for the UCSD Student-Run Free Dental Clinics as a pre-dental student. Ever since those pre-dental years her desire was to return back to the clinics as a dentist and provide free care to the underserved, working poor, and homeless. Shortly after completing her dental education at the UOP School of Dentistry, she was appointed as an Associate Dentist and as the first Dental Fellow for the UCSD FDC. As a mentor to the pre-dental students, her hope is to inspire and instill in them the importance of giving back to the community and making an impact on the underserved population. Aside from working with the clinics, every year Dr. Sussi takes her skills abroad and participates in a humanitarian mission with the US Navy. Not only helping the people, but communicating and making friendships with them are what she enjoys most. She is always high off of life and looking for adventure.

Educational Background