Faculty Profiles Scott B. McClanahan Professor Director, Division of Endodontics Director, Graduate Endodontics Diplomate, American Board of Endodontics Dr. McClanahan received a B.A. in 1974 and D.D.S. in 1981 both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1981, he entered the U.S. Navy as a dental officer. Dr. McClanahan was selected by the Navy for civilian specialty training and completed his certificate of residency in endodontics at Northwestern University Dental School as well as a M.S. from Northwestern University in 1989. After three assignments as a clinical endodontist, Dr. McClanahan joined the faculty of the Endodontics Department at the Naval Postgraduate Dental School, Bethesda, MD in 1998 and in 2001, assumed the responsibilities of Chairman of the Endodontics Department and Director of the Advanced Specialty Education Program in Endodontics. Dr. McClanahan retired from active duty in September 2005 and joined the faculty at the University of Minnesota, School of Dentistry in November of 2005. He is a Fellow of the International College of Dentists. Dr. McClanahan is a standing Director of the American Board of Endodontics 2013-9 and the 2018-9 President of the board. 1/10
Carolina Rodriguez-Figueroa Clinical Assistant Professor Director, Undergraduate Endodontics Director, Pre-Clinical Endodontics Course Dr. Carolina Rodriguez-Figueroa was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. In 2002, she received her dental degree from the Universidad Central de Venezuela School of Dentistry. In 2003, she was accepted into the Gerondontology Program at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain and upon completion of the program in 2004, worked in private practice in Venezuela. In 2005, Dr. Rodriguez- Figueroa enrolled in the Full Time Endodontic Program at the Universidad del Salvador & AOA in Buenos Aires, Argentina. After completing this program in 2006, she returned to Venezuela to get married and soon moved to the US with her husband, Dr. Luis Delima. In June 2009, she joined the Oral Health Services for Older Adults Program at the University of Minnesota that she completed in May 2011. She received her certificate of residency in endodontics and M.S. degree from the University of Minnesota in 2013. Dr. Rodriguez-Figueroa joined the faculty in September 2013. Daughter Nicole was born in April 2015. Her interests include travel, dancing, cooking and spending time with friends and family. 2/10
Part-time Faculty Adjunct Clinical Professors Jim Spitzmueller DDS 1968 University of Minnesota Residency 1972 University of Minnesota MS 1972 University of Minnesota Adjunct Clinical Associate Professors Kirk Baumgardner DDS 1979 University of Iowa Residency 1993 University of Iowa PhD 1993 University of Iowa Scott Doyle DDS 1999 University of Minnesota Residency 2004 University of Minnesota MS 2004 University of Minnesota Ken Zucker DDS 1974 Georgetown University Residency 1983 University of Minnesota MS 1983 University of Minnesota Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professors Ramon Aguirre DDS 1986 University of Missouri Kansas City Residency 1983 University of Minnesota MS 1983 University of Minnesota Ivet Castro DDS 2008 University of Southern California Residency 2011 University of Southern California Andy Doroschack DDS 1989 University of Minnesota Residency 1997 University of Minnesota MS 1997 University of Minnesota Rob Kaufman DDS 1990 University of Minnesota Residency 1998 Naval Postgraduate Dental School MS 1998 George Washington University 3/10
Tom Karn DMD 2000 University of Connecticut Residency 2003 University of Connecticut MS 2003 University of Connecticut Phil McKenzie DDS 2012 Dalhousie University Residency 2016 University of Minnesota MS 2016 University of Minnesota Tom Neafus DDS 1997 University of Minnesota Residency 1999 University of Minnesota MS 1999 University of Minnesota Matt Royal DDS 1999 University of Minnesota Residency 2006 University of Iowa Jeff Ryan DDS 2003 University of Minnesota Residency 2007 University of Minnesota MS 2007 University of Minnesota Volunteer Faculty Alan Law DDS 1991 University of Iowa Residency 1995 University of Iowa PhD 1995 University of Iowa Thomas Mork DDS 1976 Marquette University Residency 1984 Naval Dental School Mike Tulkki DDS 2001 University of Minnesota Residency 2006 University of Minnesota MS 2006 University of Minnesota 4/10
Residents Russell Bienias Class of 2018 Dr. Bienias was born and raised all over the United States and Germany as an Air Force dependent. He attended the University of North Carolina-Wilmington as a NCAA Division I soccer student-athlete where he earned a B.A. in Chemistry with a Minor in Mathematics in 2007. He went on to obtain his D.M.D. from the University of Florida College of Dentistry in 2011. After graduation, he continued the family tradition and was commissioned as a Captain in the United States Air Force. He completed an AEGD-1 residency program at Eglin AFB, FL and has been at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, AZ for the past four years practicing as a general dentist. Just before entering dental school, he was blessed to have met his Midwest wife from Rochester, MN and now have two beautiful girls and a dog. In his free time, he loves traveling, playing soccer, watching college athletics, and spending quality time with his young, fun, and energetic family. He and his family are excited to spend the next chapter in their life near family and friends in Minnesota. Katie Divine Class of 2018 Dr. Katie Divine lived in several states while growing up including California, Minnesota, South Dakota, New Mexico and for the most part, Oregon. She earned her B.S. in Biology from Arizona State University in 2009. She then received her D.D.S. in 2013 from the University of Minnesota. Dr. Divine completed one year of additional training through an Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency in Boise, Idaho. In 2014, she moved back to the Twin Cities and worked in private practice as a general dentist for two years prior to starting her residency in Endodontics. Dr. Divine plans to enter private practice as an endodontist and stay involved in organized dentistry through local dental community and teaching. During her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband (a general dentist), traveling, reading and baking. 5/10
Katie Kickertz Class of 2018 Dr. Katie Kickertz was born in Indianapolis, IN, grew up in Rockford, IL and calls Chicago home. She obtained her B.S. from Purdue University. Dr. Kickertz went on to Indiana University for her D.D.S. and graduated in 2012. After graduating from dental school, she worked in private practice focusing on general dentistry in the Chicago area. Outside of dentistry, Dr. Kickertz volunteers as a judge for U.S. Figure Skating. She was a competitive figure skater in her youth and is a double gold medalist. She also enjoys travelling and lists climbing Machu Picchu in Peru, wine tasting in Italy and going on safari in South Africa as some of her favorite travel experiences. Dr. Kickertz is thrilled to be continuing her endodontics education at the University of Minnesota. Brandon Penaz Class of 2018 Dr. Penaz was born and raised in Waconia, MN. He received a B.A. in natural sciences from Saint John s University and went on to obtain his D.D.S. from the University of Minnesota in 2012. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a lieutenant in the United States Navy and completed an AEGD program at Naval Station Great Lakes in Chicago, IL. He spent the next three years practicing general dentistry at MCAS Cherry Point in Havelock, NC and completed a shipboard deployment as the 24 th Marine Expeditionary Unit Dental Officer aboard the USS Iwo Jima. In his spare time, he enjoys flying, motorcycling, and automotive restoration. Dr. Penaz and his wife Rachel are looking forward to settling down in their home in St. Paul and continuing their dental careers in the Twin Cities area. 6/10
JT Crepps Class of 2019 Dr. Crepps was born in Rochester, Minnesota and grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He attended Colgate University, graduating with a B.A. in Molecular Biology. Dr. Crepps then returned to the Rocky Mountains and obtained his D.D.S. from the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine. After dental school, he completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency at the Audie L. Murphy VA hospital in San Antonio where he had the honor of helping many of our nation s veterans. Dr. Crepps practiced general dentistry at South Hills Dental in Helena, Montana before starting the graduate endodontic program at the University of Minnesota. In his free time, he enjoys backpacking, skiing, Crossfit, and spending time with his wife and family. Colby Dimond Class of 2019 Dr. Dimond was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. He spent two years living in Argentina on a service mission where he developed a passion for dentistry. In 2011, he completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Utah with a B.A. in International Studies. Dr. Dimond obtained his dental degree from the University of Michigan in 2015. After graduation, Dr. Dimond and family moved to Central Texas to practice general dentistry. In his spare time, he enjoys spending time with his wife and three children, traveling, photography, and learning about technology. Dr. Dimond is excited to return to the Midwest to continue his education in endodontics. 7/10
Daryl Grigsby Class of 2019 Dr. Grigsby was born and raised in St. Louis, MO and the Metro Atlanta, GA area. He attended Prairie View A&M University where he earned a B.S. in Biology with a Minor in Chemistry in 2005. He then attended Ross University School of Medicine before deciding to switch paths upon learning that dentistry combined his passion for art and being able to work with his hands. Dr. Grigsby obtained his D.M.D degree and Certificate of Public Health-Dental Emphasis from A.T. Still University Missouri School of Dentistry and Oral Health in 2017 as a member of their inaugural class. In his spare time, Dr. Grigsby enjoys spending time with his wife, playing tennis, and watching basketball and soccer. After residency, he plans on a career integrated with private practice, public health, and education. Alexandra Zabala Class of 2019 Dr. Alexandra Zabala was born and raised in Cali, Colombia. She attended Universidad Santo Tomas Dental School in Bucaramanga, Colombia where she obtained her D.M.D. in 2000. After graduation, she practiced for two years as a General Dentist. Dr. Zabala moved to the United States in 2002 and Fort Myers, Florida became her home where she worked as a dental assistant for two years and as a dental hygienist for nine years. In 2013, she matriculated to the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry for the Program for Advanced Standing Students and received her D.D.S with Distinction in 2015. During her time at University of Minnesota, she was selected for the International Student Exchange Program and studied at University of Greifswald Dental School in Germany for three months. In June 2015, she moved back to Florida, worked as a General Dentist for two years and was an adjunct faculty for the NYU Lutheran AEGD Program in Immokalee, Florida. In her spare time, Dr. Zabala enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, swimming, and taking part in sprint triathlons and 5K races. She looks forward to establishing her own Endodontic practice and as well as teaching part time. 8/10
Jane Schwensohn (left), Executive Administrative Assistant, Division of Endodontics 9/10
Ling-Hui Anderson & Kara Hayes Certified Dental Assistants Graduate Endodontics Marlene Thell Certified Dental Assistant Undergraduate Endodontics 10/10