About Us

The mission of KinderSmile Foundation is to provide underserved children and their families with access to comprehensive dental care and educate children and their families on the importance of dental hygiene. We envision a future where every child has access to a dentist and preventable dental diseases are eradicated.

Today, KinderSmile Foundation has three Dental Homes in Bloomfield, Newark, and Trenton, New Jersey where we serve all patients, regardless of insurance status or lack thereof. Our staff and volunteers guarantee that everyone who walks through the door is provided with the highest level of care and respect. Since inception in 2007, KSF has provided over $12 million of dental services and impacted over 47,000 low-income patients in NJ and nine developing nations, in order to eliminate dental disease, the #1 epidemic of economically disadvantaged children.

Check out our programs to learn how we work directly in the community to provide oral health education and dental care, as well as our work to engage both current and future healthcare professionals to further our mission!

Nicole McGrath-Barnes, DDS, FACD, Founder & CEO

Dr. Nicole McGrath-Barnes is the Founder and CEO of KinderSmile Foundation, which she established in 2007 following a personal story of a patient in her own community of Montclair NJ, and reaffirmed after the heartbreaking death of Deamonte Driver, a 12 year-old boy from Prince George’s County, MD, who died from a tooth infection that traveled to his brain. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, KinderSmile Foundation’s mission is to provide underserved children and families with access to comprehensive dental care and educate underserved children and their families about the importance of dental hygiene, envisioning a future where every child has access to a dentist and dental diseases are eradicated.

Dr. Nicole vowed to not only make a difference in ensuring that all children have access to oral health care, but that a change in policy will be made for future generations. She is a tireless advocate of raising awareness of oral health inequities for racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically disadvantaged children, and is a leading NJ voice for reducing these disparities.

Dr. Nicole earned her dental degree from the University of Maryland and completed her residency program at UMDNJ in Newark, NJ. She successfully completed the Leadership Program in 2010 offered by the American Dental Association, Institute for Diversity in Leadership, in partnership with Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management.

In 2017, Dr. Nicole was recognized for her exceptional leadership and service, and was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Dentists - the oldest national honorary organization for dentists, an elite honor achieved by only 3.5% of US dentists. In 2022, she was named Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Champion in the state of New Jersey by the American Dental Association. In 2024 Dr. Nicole was selected by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Foundation to receive the Dr. Beverly A. Largent Access to Care Innovator Award. Among a long list of distinctions, in 2024 Dr. Nicole became an award winning producer of KinderSmile Foundation’s film, Toothache: The Painful Truth About Oral Health Care Inequity, which was named the Best Home Grown Documentary Feature at the Garden State Film Festival and the Best Medical Documentary Feature at the Global Nonviolent Film Festival.

With her continued drive and infectious passion Dr. Nicole continues to be an oral health champion and leader, going to great lengths for each and every child, perinatal mother, student, or staff member.

Michal Herman, DDS, FACD, COO

Dr. Michal Herman is the Chief Operating Officer of KinderSmile Foundation, a leading nonprofit organization promoting public health dentistry in New Jersey. Dr. Herman has dedicated her career to bridging the gap in access to oral health care for vulnerable populations, advocacy efforts for policy change through KinderSmile Foundation initiatives, and mentorship of pre-dental students and early career dentists.

Dr. Herman initially joined KinderSmile Foundation in 2009 as a dedicated volunteer with KinderSmile Oral Health Program. Aligned with the mission and vision of KinderSmile Foundation, she returned as a Dental Provider at the newly established Dental Home, where her commitment to serving the community was unmatched, earning her earlier roles of Grant Writer and Dental Home Director of Kindersmile Community Oral Health Center Bloomfield.

Dr. Herman earned her dental degree from New York University College of Dentistry, and completed her postgraduate General Practice Residency at Coler Goldwater Memorial Hospital, concentrating on long-term care of medically compromised patients.

Dr. Herman serves on several advisory councils, and in 2024 became an award winning co-producer of KinderSmile Foundation’s film, Toothache: The Painful Truth About Oral Health Care Inequity, which was awarded Best Home Grown Documentary Feature at the Garden State Film Festival and Best Medical Documentary Feature at the Global Nonviolent Film Festival. In the same year she was recognized for her exceptional leadership and service, and was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Dentists, the oldest national honorary organization for dentists, an honor achieved by only 3.5% of US dentists.

With continued dedication and passion for serving the community, providing comprehensive quality dental services to thousands of children, procuring millions of dollars in grants over the years, supporting the KinderSmile Foundation team and village, writing and implementing policies and protocols, advocating for policy change on a state level, and mentoring young professionals, Dr. Herman has never lost sight of why she selected public health dentistry as her profession, regularly emphasizing to students the honor, privilege, and importance of joining the field.

KinderSmile Community Oral Health Center Bloomfield

Hanna Choi, DDS, Dental Home Director

Ghazala Seedat, DDS, Dental Provider

Jessie Lee, DDS, Dental Provider

Jasmine Luke, DDS, Dental Provider

Sara Cherian, DMD, Dental Provider

Shefali Mangtani, DMD, Dental Provider

Monique Whyte, RDH, Dental Hygienist

Patricia Fernandez, RDH, Dental Hygienist

Miriam Santiago, Front Desk Patient Coordinator

Shaila De Jesus, Front Desk Patient Coordinator

Arlenys Del Carmen, Dental Assistant

Briana McBride, Dental Assistant

Germaryn Marta, Dental Assistant

Nafisa Ali, Dental Assistant

Naidilis Nazario-Velez, Dental Assistant

Priya Vaid, KSOHP Coordinator Assistant

Katie O’Leary, Community Health Dental Assistant

KinderSmile Community Oral Health Center Trenton

Steven Green, DDS, Dental Home Director

Courtney Santiago, Director of Operations

Arthur Barocas, DMD, Dental Provider

Yeonjae Braun, DDS, Dental Provider

Aimee Hu, DDS, Dental Provider

Stephanie Lee-Soto, DMD, Dental Provider

Bonnie Shafqat, DDS, Dental Provider

Angelica Perez Gomez, Front Desk Patient Coordinator

Mitali Roy, Front Desk Patient Coordinator

Josue Sanchez-Quiroz, Dental Assistant/ Front Desk Patient Coordinator

Derek Chan, Dental Assistant

Edna Kyere, Lead Dental Assistant

Joseylin Fallas, Dental Assistant

Kayla Levene, Dental Assistant

Silvia Vela, Dental Assistant

Nicole McGrath-Barnes, DDS, FACD, Founder & CEO

Michal Herman, DDS, FACD, COO

Board of Trustees

Staff