Drs. David Milder & Theresa Tsai 

    For 25-plus years Dave Milder, DDS, MD and Theresa Tsai, DDS, have been well known and knowledgeable San Diego Dental Health Foundation supporters. Since joining the San Diego County Dental Society back in 1993, Doctors Milder and Tsai have strengthened the organization in significant ways by being active members – on boards and committees – and through their on-going support and continual involvement in the San Diego Dental Health Foundation which will be felt for generations. Doctors Milder and Tsai are valued by the SDDHF staff and board and, they humbly acknowledge, “We look not only to our success as a profession but also to the dental health of our community locally, nationally, and globally.” Doctor Milder has been a member of the San Diego Dental Health Foundation board, Leadership Development Committee, and is a past Dental Society president.
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    With their distinguished backgrounds, they bring their sensitivity, integrity and compassion to all things related to patient care – particularly the John Geis DDS Dental Clinic. “You don’t have to go beyond our local community to identify plenty of unmet and underfunded dental need. We feel comforted and, more importantly, rewarded by actively donating to a reputable foundation that will utilize our gifts in an efficient and effective manner.

Dr Douglas & Michelle Christiansen 

     One of our most active members, Dr Douglas Christiansen, and his wife, Michelle, recall becoming involved with the San Diego Dental Health Foundation “as a way to give back to our community. The Foundation helps to strengthen the ties between our dental society and the general population comprised of the patients we treat.” The conscientious dentist wants to make sure support for a cause and community he is passionate about will carry on. That cause is helping educate children about the tremendous lifelong benefits of maintaining healthy dentition and providing increased dental treatment and education opportunities to the greater San Diego and Imperial Counties.
    
​     Not only an engaged board member and past-president, Dr Christiansen and Michelle are generous donors known for their commitment to service. His involvement with the Foundation board has been crucial to the Foundation’s growth over the years. Having seen the great work the Foundation does, Dr Christiansen feels tremendously confident about the future of oral health in our community. “When I retire, I would love to see dentistry as high or even higher a trusted profession than when I began practicing. The Foundation has become a trusted source for dental health and education and is always looking to increase and build upon that esteem.”       

Dr Yuri Kaneda

   Dr Yuri Kaneda’s collaboration with the San Diego Dental Health Foundation started more than twenty years ago. It was due to her mentor, Dr Thomas Abts, who saw the potential in both her and in organized dentistry that inspired Dr Kaneda to heed the call to service. Dr Kaneda recalls “I feel it is worthwhile to contribute to a cause. We are blessed by our profession and it’s important to pass those blessings forward.”
      
​   There was a lot happening during that time and, just like today, The San Diego Dental Health Foundation has been able to act quickly and address the needs of the dental profession by providing educational and outreach opportunities. Seeing how successful the organization has become has inspired Dr Kaneda to serve the community and to give philanthropically from her distinguished professional background. “Moving forward, I’d like to see more scholarships for local dental students” says Dr Kaneda and with continued support through our annual appeals, the foundation was able to award six pre-dental scholarships this year to students from California State University San Marcos, University of California San Diego & University of San Diego.