Team
Our valued team members are not only talented and experienced – they’re also caring, compassionate and dedicated to improving access to oral health.
How we work together as a team, and as a company, ultimately affects how we treat, support and care for our patients. That’s why we are grounded on three core values that make the spirit of our Practice, which guide us as we strive to provide the a welcoming place every day.
Complete communication
We believe in being open and honest. As advocates for total transparency in the workplace, we encourage an environment where our friendly team has the confidence to communicate all things appropriate to everyone necessary all the time! We believe that trust, sincerity and collaboration foster strong relationships and inspire us to achieve at the highest level.
Choosen excellence
We actively choose excellence, whether we are answering the phone or performing a clinical procedure. How do we do that? We ask ourselves, ”what is the best way to do what needs to be done?”. We choose excellence because we have a shared vision, and a mutual commitment to achieve our goal of expanding access to oral health care at the individual level. It is also the fact that working at a dental office provides the opportunity to put vital skills to use where they are needed and make a difference to the community.
Initiate gratefulness
We promote and encourage an environment where you get to feel good about yourself and the people you work with. We value the relationships we have and those we come in contact with. We believe that being grateful, even for the small things, fosters a workplace where people want to be and stay.
Each of our team members reflects the spirit of our Practice and our unique values-based approach to oral health. We’re proud of our team and how they work to make us successful in our endeavor to expand access to dental care in our community.
We invest, support and encourage our team to enjoy what they do and who they are with. So whether you’re a prospective patient or searching for a new position at a place that shares your values, come and check our open positions.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Take some time to get to know our Doctors and the Management Team below.
Dr. Michael Vaughan
Dr. Vaughan’s favorite aunt was a dental assistant. She loved her job and the people she worked with. Seeing someone who loved where she worked and the profession she chose made an impression on him. In high school and college, he loved the sciences and loved learning new things. Dr. Vaughan grew up in Knoxville, TN and attended Vanderbilt University, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in economics. He studied German and History at the University of Regensburg in Germany. Dr. Vaughan graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry and completed a 2-year general practice residency at Vanderbilt University in 1993.
Dr. Vaughan has been involved in community missions with Generation Changers Church and has led medical mission trips to Mexico, Honduras, Brazil and inner-city Nashville. He met his wife Carla on a mission trip to Brazil in 1999. They stayed friends after the trip and married in 2011.
In his free time, Dr. Vaughan enjoys gardening, growing his orchard, running, hiking in parks and playing tennis with his daughters. Dr. Vaughan would love to skydive one day. He has gone bungee jumping in the past and says skydiving is the next step. His greatest accomplishment is taking care of his three grandchildren, between ages two and five, and getting them back to their parents. Dr. Vaughan loves working with talented people who are working in their area of giftedness. Changing smiles and changing lives brings him satisfaction.
Dr. Alaina Marinello
Dr. Marinello was drawn to MDVDDS by her deep commitment to improving dental care and promoting inclusion for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Her previous experiences working at Orange Grove Center, providing dental services to the I/DD community both in clinical settings and group homes, laid the foundation for her passion and dedication to this field.
Throughout her career, Dr. Marinello has achieved several significant accomplishments. She serves as the Clinical Director for the “Special Smiles” program in East TN, an initiative under Special Olympics that aims to provide oral health care to athletes with intellectual disabilities. Additionally, she holds the position of New Dentist Chair in the Chattanooga Area Dental Society (CADS), where she actively contributes to the professional development of her fellow dentists. Furthermore, she is an esteemed member of the American Academy of Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD), demonstrating her commitment to advancing dental practices and promoting overall health in her community. She draws inspiration from her older brother Christopher, who shares her passion for promoting inclusion for the I/DD population in Chattanooga.
Dr. Sung Jin Oh
Born and raised in the vibrant city of Seoul, South Korea, Dr. Oh embarked on a journey that would ultimately lead him to become an integral part of our dental team here in Nashville. His path to dentistry began when his family relocated to Los Angeles during his high school years. It was during this time that he had a fortuitous opportunity to shadow a family friend who happened to be a dentist. This experience ignited his passion for the field, as he discovered the perfect blend of interpersonal interactions and the artful application of dental science.
Determined to pursue his calling, Dr. Oh set his sights on the prestigious New York University College of Dentistry, where he honed his skills and knowledge. After several years of practicing dentistry, he encountered a pivotal moment when he had to refer a patient to an I/DD (Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) specialist. It was then that he became acutely aware of the limited access to dental care for individuals with I/DD. This revelation led him to seek out organizations dedicated to bridging this gap, ultimately bringing him to the MDVDDS team, led by the esteemed Dr. Michael Vaughan.
Dr. Oh is thrilled to be a part of our mission to establish a dental home for I/DD patients in the Nashville area. His dedication to providing inclusive and compassionate care is truly commendable.
Beyond his dental endeavors, Dr. Oh is a man of diverse interests and hobbies. He’s an avid traveler who finds joy in exploring new restaurants wherever his adventures take him. He’s also a devoted dog parent to Potato, a Shih Tzu who accompanies him on his hiking expeditions. Dr. Oh values family greatly and share life with his beloved wife and daughter.
One of the items on Dr. Oh’s bucket list is to experience the thrill of skiing in the majestic Alps mountains, a dream he hopes to fulfill someday. When he’s not pursuing his passions in dentistry and travel, you might find him trying his hand at golf, a hobby he’s eagerly developing.
Among all the places he’s visited, Banff, Canada holds a special place in his heart, reflecting the beauty and wonder of the natural world that he so deeply appreciates.
Dr. Oh’s journey from Seoul to Nashville, with stops in Los Angeles and New York along the way, has brought him to our community, where he is poised to make a lasting impact on the field of dentistry and the lives of our patients.
Jason Taylor
Before joining our Practice, Jason was the director of Community Connections of Middle Tennessee, a company that provides support coordination services for adults with IDD. It was there that he learned there were not many options for service when it came to dentistry. When he learned about the concept that we were attempting to provide, it resonated with him. Our Practice was aiming to meet a need to help others in an area that not many people understood how to help. Jason likes challenges and helping others. He has lived and worked all over the U.S and has always been vested in helping others. He sees his opportunity at our Practice as a culmination of previous experiences of serving and helping others.
Jason’s favorite aspect of working with us is the freedom to provide a life-changing service in a transparent and affordable way. He is on the Middle Tennessee Planning and Policy Council for DIDD. Some of his hobbies outside of work include being outdoors, going on adventures, running and experiencing community. Jason is always open to a good conversation, a good laugh and a good adventure. He has two children, Ali and Jet, with his wife, Tara. Being a father is one of his most important accomplishments, along with living for two years without electricity and biking across the U.S. One item on his bucket list is to hike the Appalachian Trail.
Moyses Barbalat
Moyses met Dr. Vaughan some years ago and was amazed at how we were delivering oral care. Moyses has been a strong member of our team since he joined. He is our go-to guy for every technological question, problem or concern. He has 12 years of experience working with startup companies. Moyses says his biggest accomplishments have been creating high productivity teams, hiring excellent people and creating a nice company culture. He has certainly used his experience to help our Practice grow into the company it is today.
In his free time, Moyses enjoys being outside biking, hiking or running. He was a professional athlete in his early years, so he tries to maintain a connection to a healthy life. He one day dreams to swim on the English Channel. Moyses says, “It’s been a pleasure to work here. I really want to create the most incredible place for our patients. I know that it will take a lot of work to get there, but I don’t see it any other way. We have to improve our world, our community and do good.”