To be a Dentist, to help people transform their smiles has always been my passion. As a child I had that strong desire to become a dentist. I remember cutting out smiles and dental related pictures from magazines and making “collage-type posters”.
Going through Dental School reinforced that passion, as I was helping people get back their lives by getting back their smiles.
Getting close to the conclusion of my four years of Dental School and having done rotations at hospitals as part of the Dental curriculum, I developed a strong interest in learning more about hospital dentistry.
On July 1, 2001, I entered a year commitment for a GPR at Faxton St Luke’s Healthcare. Working on hospital-based cases, consultations, working at the “private setting” like clinic and the diverse rotations the program offered prepared me to face both the challenges and the rewards the dental profession offers.
After completing the Residency Program, I practiced at Public Health Dental Clinic where I treated mostly pedo cases followed by private practice for 11 years. I then became a Member at Large and subsequently vice president of the Board of Directors for the PHDC.
In 2011 I became the Chief Dental Officer for an FQHC organization known as CommWell Health. In this position I served the underserved population. I was directly involved with the UNC Dental Students as a preceptor and as adjunct faculty for UNC School of Dentistry. As part of the leadership team (SLT), I took part in the decision making for the department and the organization. I was a member of the Leadership Management Team (LMT), Pharmacy and Therapeutic, etc. I became active in both administrative and clinical work.
Working with the UNC Dental students gave me the desire to be more involved at a preceptor/mentor level.
On June 27, 2016, I began work at Dr. James M. Rozanski’s General Practice Residency Program as an Assistant Director for Dental Services, where I fully trained, over the duration of a year, for the position of Dental Director upon Dr. J. Rozanski’s retirement.
My goal as a Dental Director is to challenge the dental profession by training dental Residents to be the best they can be, to become the dental professionals they aspire to be, and to provide the community with the very best dental care they deserve by being a part of organized dentistry, to become integrated with other healthcare professionals and by being apart of the community in order to better serve the dental needs of said community.
I’m very excited to work with the Residents become the dental experts of the future by a collaborative sharing of not just my dental experience and knowledge but also the experience and knowledge of attending dentists that supports the program with their voluntary service.
Sincerely,
Evelyn Salgado Parrilla, DMD
