Hellene Ellenikiotis, DDS

Hellene was born and raised in Los Gatos/Saratoga. She graduated summa cum laude from Santa Clara University with a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Sociology. Hellene earned her Doctorate of Dental Surgery Degree and completed her Hospital Dentistry and General Practice Residency at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She has performed extensive work at UCSF on Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) and its role in caries arrest and prevention including publishing articles, training faculty, and coordinating continuing education.

Hellene worked as a General Dentist in private practice for two years. During this time, she continued her work on SDF and joined the Healthier Kids Foundation, all of which provided inspiration for her to move into pediatric dentistry with the aim of improving both access to and quality of care. Hellene is committed to her patients, and her relationship with them is at the heart of her work. She has been grateful for the opportunity to further her education with the UCSF Pediatric Dental Residency Program whose commitment she shares in providing exceptional interpersonal and clinical care, as well as aiding in the discovery of new technologies and therapies.

Hellene currently resides in San Francisco with her husband. She enjoys spending time with her loved ones, whatever they may be doing. Hellene is in her third year of residency.

Ida Gorshteyn, DDS

Originally from the Bay Area, Ida is an incoming third year resident who graduated from UC Berkeley (Go Bears!) in 2013 with a degree in Integrative Biology and a minor in Music. She then moved to Los Angeles, where she pursued her dental degree at UCLA. There, she was able to combine her love of teaching, working with children, and public health with dentistry to find her passion for pediatric dentistry. During dental school, she devoted her time to teaching, public health, and the advancement of women in dentistry. She was awarded first place in the ADA Health Literacy Essay Contest for her work on sugar-sweetened beverages and their effects on oral health.

In her final year, Ida is excited to continue growing and learning from all of her mentors at UCSF and pursuing her research in the study of novel genes in the development of healthy and altered enamel. In her free time, Ida likes to play board games, travel, bake, and try all the delicious food San Francisco has to offer!

David Lee, DMD, MS

Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. David is an incoming third year resident that is looking forward to finishing his years of education. He received his B.S in Health Sciences from University of Miami in 2011, where he found his love for dentistry after a mission trip to Panama and Costa Rica. Outside of dedicating his life to becoming a dentist, he enjoyed playing club sports (lacrosse and golf), embracing the “U” swagger, and volunteering for the underprivileged community. Since undergrad, he has received his M.S. in Biomedical Sciences from Tufts University, worked for Americorps, and received his DMD from the University of Pennsylvania. At UPenn, he served as Class President for all 4 years of dental school, devoted time to clinical research with the Pediatric department, was a brother of his dental fraternity, Delta Sigma Delta, and continued to devote time to those in need in the Philadelphia community. Upon graduation of dental school, he completed his General Practice Residency with UCSF where he continued his development as a dental/health provider and where his passion for pediatric dentistry was cemented.

During his final year of residency, he plans to learn as much as he can from all of his wonderful mentors that have devoted their time to teach. David, also, plans to complete his research related to laser use in dentistry. He could not be more grateful to be associated with one of the most respected programs in the nation and will strive to represent his program/mentors to the best of his abilities. When he is not in clinic, you can find David playing sports, trying out all the amazing food in SF, going on outdoor adventures, and hanging out with family and friends. David could not be more grateful for the opportunity to complete his residency at UCSF.

Joanna Meekay, DDS

Joanna is excited to be entering her final year of formal education! A native of Sacramento, California she received her B.S. in Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior from U.C. Davis in 2013. She is also very proud of her Armenian roots, and is fluent in Armenian.

Joanna attended dental school at University of the Pacific, where she was social chair for her class and dental fraternity, Delta Sigma Delta, attended dental mission trips, and was a founding member of an advanced treatment planning study club. Her favorite memories include being the tooth fairy for the annual Give Kids A Smile Day event and being a recipient of the Henry Sutro award for Clinical Excellence in her senior year. After earning her DDS in 2017, she completed a general practice residency at NYU Langone - Brooklyn before beginning her residency here at UCSF.

In her final year, she will be focusing on soaking up as much knowledge from all of her wonderful faculty/mentors and training her mini poodle to learn some advanced tricks. She will also be finishing her research on the success of interproximal discing as a method for noninvasive caries treatment in conjunction with the offices of Alameda Pediatric Dentistry.

Carolynn Vuong, DMD

Born and raised in Redondo Beach, CA, Carolynn will be entering her third year of residency. She graduated from Stanford University (Go Card, Boo Bears) with a degree in Human Biology and a concentration in Health Policy & Child Development. After college, Carolynn took a gap year and worked in the dental clinic at Ravenswood Family Health Center in East Palo Alto, CA, where her interest in pediatric dentistry and working with underserved communities was piqued. She then gave up California sunshine for New England snow while getting her dental degree at Harvard School of Dental Medicine. In Boston, she served as Vice President of her class and organized the annual GKAS day. She also spent her time in dental school focusing on research in pediatric and preventive dentistry and graduated with Honors in Research.

Carolynn is currently working on research pertaining to bond strength to SDF-treated dentin. Outside of residency, you can find her gallivanting in Golden Gate Park or trying to taste all the ice cream flavors in SF.