Our Staff

About Dr. Sam

I grew up in Michigan and spent most of my youth in the suburbs of Detroit. I attended Kalamazoo College for my undergraduate studies and eventually found my way to Chicago for dental school ...

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Dr. Menka

About Dr. Menka

I was born in Chicago and grew up in Oak Brook, IL. After graduating high school, I was accepted into an accelerated 7-year dual-degree Pre-Dental Science program. I attended Lehigh University ...

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About Dr. Kimberly

My aspiration of becoming a dentist started in high school. I decided that I was going to become a dentist and have never looked back. The decision to specialize in pediatric dentistry, however, came later, after graduating from dental school...

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Dr Allison

About Dr. Allison

I grew up in Maryland, near Washington, DC. After taking a year off to study abroad after high school, I attended the University of Michigan (Go Blue!) where I obtained my Bachelor of Arts degree and majored in Psychology. I graduated with...

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About Dr. Rami

I was born and raised in northeast Ohio to Lebanese immigrants. I received my D.D.S. degree from The Ohio State University College of Dentistry. My desire to offer...

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About Dr. Elissa

I grew up in a small town in New Hampshire’s vibrant Merrimack Valley. During dental school, I volunteered with Project Bridge Over Troubled Waters, providing...

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Office Management

Dalila

Dalila joined CDW in July of 2011 and loves being a part of the team. Born and raised in Chicago, she is fluent in both English and Spanish. In her spare time, she loves to shop and spend time with her husband, Robert, and her adorable kids, Isaiah and Isabella.

Damira

Damira joined the Children's Dental World team in November 2011 with several years of previous dental reception experience. She was born in Bosnia but lived in Poland and Germany before moving to Chicago in 1998. As a mother of two, she loves being around kids and takes great pride in her work. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, shopping, and traveling.

Kavin

Kavin has been working at Children's Dental World since August 2012. He grew up outside of Detroit and graduated from the University of Michigan (GO BLUE!). He is fluent in both English and Korean. In his spare time, Kavin likes to play and watch sports, write and play music, and take improv classes.

Linda

Linda works as the office manager in the Chicago office. She frequently bakes wonderful treats for the staff- most notable is her CDW Cheesecake that disappears within minutes of its unveiling. Linda also enjoys traveling and tasting new foods.

Liz

Lizbeth joined the Children’s Dental World family in 2011. Lizbeth works at our Morton Grove location as a manager, front desk receptionist, and dental assistant. Lizbeth is also fluent in both English and Spanish. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, watching all Chicago sports, and spending time with her husband and son.

Maricela

With many years of office management under her belt, Maricela effortlessly joined our team. During her free time, Mari is an avid Ebay salesperson and hair stylist. She is also fluent in Spanish.

Nicol

Nicol joined the CDW team in January 2017. She was born in Mexico City and moved to Chicago when she was eight years old. She's lived in Chicago ever since, and in her spare time, she likes to spend time with her family, travel to her native homeland, and teach Sunday school at her church.

Dental Assistants

Claudia

Claudia was born and raised in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago. She loves her Windy City. She enjoys working with children. She also loves spending time with her older sister, Erika, and two younger brothers, Emilio and Francisco. She enjoys going shopping with her mother, Lucia, or her friends. She likes trying new foods and watching thriller movies in her spare time.

Conni

Conni has been a part of Children's Dental World since September 2016. She has many years of experience in this field. Conni feels blessed to be a part of our fun and energetic team. Conni is also a certified personal fitness trainer and nutrition specialist. During her spare time, she focuses on her three kids and attends the gym as often as she can.

GHINO

A gentleman from Peru, Ghino is an experienced pediatric dental assistant. In his time off he enjoys practicing martial arts, watching martial arts movies, dancing, and spending time with his son, Julen.

JENN

Jenn is one of our most experienced dental assistants here at Children’s Dental World. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, she is fluent in both English and Spanish. In her spare time, she loves going to the park with her three children and two malti-poos and, on the weekends, she adores cooking huge meals with her whole family.

JOLITA

Jolita has been a part of Children’s Dental World since 2003. She was born in Lithuania and speaks fluent English and Lithuanian. Jolita is one of our most experienced dental assistants, and when she is not at work taking care of your child, she is busy at home with her daughter, Milana.

Karen

Karen was born and raised in the Northside of Chicago. She has many years of experience in the field. She feels very blessed to be part of such a fun and energetic team! In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her three kids and she's also a balloon decorator!

Karla

Karla was born and raised in Paris, France before moving to Chicago to study classical art and music. She loves working as a pediatric dental assistant while continuing to pursue her passions in the art world. In her spare time, she enjoys playing the cello, making pasta from scratch, painting with oil on canvas, and skydiving.

Kathy

Kathy has been a pediatric dental assistant since 2014. She enjoys every moment interacting with the children and their families. She's fluently bilingual in both English and Spanish. She's aspiring to finish her degree to become a special education teacher. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her family, biking and traveling.

LALIS

Lalis truly enjoys working as a dental assistant in Chicago and attributes her love for children to raising four beautiful daughters - Lucero, Anahi, Aime, and Hazel. She enjoys spending time with her family.

Linda

Linda joined CDW in November 2018. She loves working with children and is proud to be a part of our team. Born in Iraq, she moved to the U.S. at the age of 14 and is fluent in both Arabic and English. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and working out. As someone who is very passionate about fitness, she is hoping to open up her own gym one day!

Mayra

Mayra

Mayra joined our Chicago office in June 2015. She grew up in Little Village and when she's not working as a dental assistant, she likes trying to solve mysteries and compete in a local semi-professional bowling league! Her favorite book is "Holes" and her favorite movies are the "Taken" series.

Saxa

Saxa was born and raised in Chicago. She loves working with children and going home to her daughter, Annabelle, after a busy and long day. If Saxa isn’t at work, doing school work, or spending time with her family, then you’ll most likely find her at the gym or trying a new baking recipe!

Stefanie

Stefanie was born and raised in Chicago. She is fluent in both English and Spanish. She loves spending time with her two kids and taking them out to explore new places. She has several years of dental assisting experience. She is very happy to be part of CDW.

Yadira

Yadira joined Children's Dental World in August 2016. She has several years of dental experience and adjusts to new situations quickly.  She was born and raised in Des Plaines and grew up watching fireworks in Morton Grove. She keeps herself occupied by swimming, enjoying outdoor activities, and spending time with her two kids.

Rita

Rita has experience in general and pediatric dental assisting. She speaks four languages (Chaldean, Arabic, Turkish, and English)! She likes to learn something new everyday. Her hobbies are reading, cooking, and baking. Family time is an essential part of her daily routine. She is very grateful to be a part of the CDW family!

Angelica

Angelica arrived at CDW in September of 2022 right after graduating from her dental assisting program and is eager to see what the working world has to offer! She grew up in Chicago's Cicero neighborhood before moving to Bridgeport to be closer to the White Sox stadium, where she spends most of her free time between April and October. One of her earliest memories was watching the Sox hoist the 2005 World Series trophy, and she longs for the day when they bring the title back to the Southside.

Surabhi

Surabhi moved to Chicago from Mumbai, India in May of 2022 and began working at CDW shortly after. She actually worked as a dentist in India, so she's ready to answer any questions your kiddos might have about their teeth! Her favorite things about Chicago are the amazing skyline, beautiful parks, and variety of restaurants. Her least favorite thing is the absurd sales tax.

Front Desk

Angelica

Angelica has been working in the dental field since 2014. After working for a general office, she wanted to try something new and started working at CDW. She’s happy she is working for such a great office with an amazing staff and enjoys seeing all the cute children! She was born and raised in the suburbs and, in her free time, she enjoys spending time with her son and puppy. She also enjoys being in the kitchen, cooking her favorite authentic Mexican food and baking as well.

Ashley

Ashley joined Children’s Dental World in February 2017. She was raised in Ohio and moved to Chicago in 2016. She is a proud aunt of four nephews and one niece. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her cats, trying new restaurants, and listening to live music.

Deyci

Deyci joined Children’s Dental World in December 2016. She grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. She is pursuing a career in dental hygiene. In her spare time, she likes to enjoy outdoor activities, spend time with her family, and check out new restaurants.

Lina

Lina grew up in Chicago and enjoys the city views. In her spare time, she enjoys Marvel movie marathons with her family and trips to the zoo!

Miae

Miae joined CDW in August 2016 as a marketing coordinator. She grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta and has a degree in elementary education. In her spare time, she enjoys checking out concerts and new restaurants with her husband.

Pauline

Originally from the Philippines, Pauline is fluent in three languages; English, Ilonggo, and Filipino! She has a masters degree in business administration and worked for the Congress of the Philippines for 15 years as a security guard, tour guide officer, bill drafter, journal officer, and protocol officer for local and foreign delegates! Presently, she works part time as a dental lab manager and technician, a nanny for three lively and dance-crazy kids, and for CDW in our Morton Grove office. She has a nine-month-old dog and four fantastic sons who she loves very much. Her special talent is multitasking. For example: dancing while cooking!

Rosa

Rosa joined the Children’s Dental World team in September 2018, where she works as the marketing coordinator for the Chicago office. She is a wife and mother of two amazing children. She enjoys traveling, trying new recipes, and a good book. Her family is known to spontaneously pack up their vehicle and go exploring new and familiar places!

Stephanie

Stephanie was born and raised in Chicago. She's been in the dental field since 2014. She's currently in school and hoping to apply to dental school to become a pediatric dentist. She enjoys traveling, reading new books, and spending time with her family. She's so excited to have joined the CDW family and she can’t wait to meet all of you!

Walter

Walter joined the CDW team in September 2018. Before moving to Chicago, Walter toured the semi-pro beach volleyball scene in Miami for several years but gave it up because he wanted to see snow in real life. In his spare time, he likes to ride his bike, create innovative Fortnite key-chains on his 3D printer, and steal leftover Chinese food from his coworkers.

Angelina

Angelina joined our CDW team in July of 2021. She was born and raised in Chicago's Gage Park neighborhood. Her three biggest passions in life are traveling the world, going to concerts, and seafood. Thus, her dream is to one day become a deejay on a cruise ship, as this would combine all three of those passions.

Zully

Zully began working at CDW in August of 2022. She was born and raised in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, which she boldly claims has the best food scene in the entire city. She guarantees the quesabirria tacos at La Luna will change your life. She also loves her son, Leo, very much. He drives her crazy, but he's cute enough to get away with it.

Perla

Perla joined the CDW family in June of 2022. She grew up in the Cicero neighborhood of Chicago and is excited to assist your family with any dental needs! In her spare time, Perla is steadily building her "Perls Of Wisdom" influencer brand, which covers a variety of topics including fashion & beauty tips, reviews of today's most popular ATVs, and the daily adventures of her dog, Osito.

Lizbeth

Lizbeth grew up in the Northwest of Chicago and has been working in the dental field since 2018. She would like to further her career and become a hygienist one day. She’s a Baseball Mom to her amazing son, Ethan! They love to spend time together going on trail walks and having family cookouts.