Derek was born and raised in Northern California and is the oldest of four brothers. He earned his Bachelor’s of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. At UC Berkeley, he volunteered at the Berkeley Dental Free Clinic, mentored youths in the surrounding school district, and also instructed a class. Most importantly, he also met his wife, Jaime. Derek enjoyed the education he received at UC Berkeley and really appreciated the unique qualities of the town.

After college, Derek moved down to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California, School of Dentistry where he earned his Doctorate of Dental Surgery. While at USC, he was a staff volunteer for the USC mobile clinic, which provided free dental care for children in Los Angeles. He also co-authored a publication in a scientific journal about Pindborg tumors. During his third year in dental school, Derek was fortunate enough to be one of the few students chosen to join the USC Undergraduate Orthodontic Selective. That program allowed him to treat orthodontic cases and solidified his desire to become an orthodontist.

Shortly after graduating dental school, Derek began his orthodontic residency at USC. There he learned the latest techniques in orthodontic treatment and was also exposed to new technologies such as cone-beam computed tomography and digital cephalometric tracing. After completing his thesis at USC, he was awarded a Masters in Craniofacial Biology. His three years in the program gave him the opportunity to work with many patients and allowed him to see the positive impact he had on his patient’s lives. Derek is very excited to begin the next part of his life. He currently lives in the Pasadena area with his wife and three dogs. They plan on starting a family in the near future, which will surely be very new and exciting. When he is not practicing orthodontics, his favorite past-times include going to the gym, spending time with his wife and dogs, watching movies, USC football, and keeping reptiles. Derek is very east going and believes in laughing every day. He looks forward to meeting all of Dr. Skip’s patients and cannot imagine a better place to build new friendships! Fight on!