2012 HDA Board of Trustees and Staff

PRESIDENT
National City, California

Dr. Larin resides in San Diego, California where she owns a private dental practice. She obtained her dental degree in Mexico and her California license in 1989 in the first wave of Hispanic female professionals to practice in the U.S.   Dr. Lilia Larin is a Past President of the American Association of Women Dentists and the fist Hispanic President ever in the AAWD history.    Read More

PRESIDENT ELECT
Boston, Massachusetts

Dr. Maritza Morell is a Board Certified Pediatric Dentist and a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry. Dr Morell serves on the Board of Trustees of the Hispanic Dental Association and has contributed to the Annual Meeting Planning Committee, the Translation Committee, the Bylaws Committee and is the chairman for the Silent Auction Committee.  Read More

VICE-PRESIDENT
Yakima, Washington

Dr. Rodriguez is a graduate from Brown University with an Sc. B. degree in Neuroscience. He was involved in research for two years in Baylor College of Medicine's, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics Department.　 As his desire to share knowledge with others grew, he decided to make the transition into education and became a high school Science teacher for five years, in inner city Houston, TX, participating in the Master of Arts Teaching program at Rice University and was awarded a "Teacher of the Year" recognition from HISD.  Read More

TREASURER
Los Angeles, California

Dr. Irubiel Barbosa received his DDS degree from the National University of Mexico (UNAM) and did a fellowship of prosthodontics in Japan for two years. In 1982, the Japanese government granted him a scholarship to study prosthodontics for two years. He worked for five years in the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles in the Cranial/Facial Department, in the dental section working with a team of plastic surgeons, orthopedic, maxillofacial, orthodontics, pedodontics, speech therapy, etc., doing treatment on very compromised patients. Read More 

Margo Melchor is a Registered Dental Hygienist in Houston, Texas.  Ms. Melchor has been a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center-Dental Branch since 1997,  and also practices part-time in a general dentistry practice.　She also became the Director of Community Outreach for the Dental Branch in September 2010.  Read More

San Antonio, Texas

Dr. Balderas was born and raised in San Antonio and along the U.S. / Mexico border in Eagle Pass, Texas and Piedras Negras Coahuila, Mexico home to his grandparents. He is the son of Daniel Segovia Balderas and Evangelina Garza Balderas, a migrant family who worked South Texas and the Mid Western states especially Michigan.   Read More

Brooklyn, New York

Lauro Medrano-Saldaña was raised in Puerto Rico where he completed his primary education, and earned a B.A. in Biology from the Interamerican University in San Juan. He received his DDS from the "Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana" in Mexico City, Mexico. In 1994, Dr. Medrano graduated from New York University where he was in the honors clinic and obtained a PGY1 in Advanced General Dentistry from Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.   Read More

Bronx, New York

Dr. Esperanza A. Rodriguez was born and raised in The Dominican Republic, received her first Dental Degree from Universidad Central Del Este. After an Endodontic Post-Graduate program went on to teaching until her immigration to USA specifically New York, where she obtained her DDS degree from NYU.  Read More

San Antonio, Texas

Dr. Segura graduated from dental school in 1990 from the University of Texas Dental Branch in Houston. She then completed a general practice residency program in 1991 from Miami Veterans Hospital in Florida. She received her certificate and masters degree in Pediatric Dentistry in 1993 from the University of Iowa. She was the director of the General Practice Residency and Hospital Dentistry at the University of Iowa from 1993 through 1999. Read More

Houston, Texas

Ms. Myriam Zambrano, RDH, BSDH, is the Dental Health Promotion Coordinator for the Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services' Disease Control & Clinical Prevention Division.　 In her capacity as Dental Health Promotion coordinator she is responsible for overseeing ten school district school based programs implemented throughout Harris County. Read More

Edinburg, Texas

Melissa Uriegas is a third year dental student at The University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston and an active member of their Hispanic Student Dental Association chapter. Uriegas has been a member of the Hispanic Dental Association since 2009. Melissa grew up in the Rio Grande Valley and attended The University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg, Texas. Melissa's goals as Student Trustee are: continue to promote the HDA mission of: Leadership, Service, Advocacy, & Education; as well as formulate a plan that would assist with retention of HSDA members in HDA following graduation. Uriegas Is very honored to represent the students of HDA in pursuing their ideas for making an impact on oral health in their Hispanic community while serving as Student Trustee for the Hispanic Dental Association in 2012.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Dr. Bonta, a founding member of our Association, has been selected by the HDA Board of Trustees to serve as the Executive Director. Dr. Bonta's background and experience represent the right combination for what we have been eagerly seeking in an Executive Director. Read More