WSSO 2024 Board of Directors

 

Dr. Nadia Farjo, President

Greetings! It's my privilege to serve as WSSO President for 2024-2025. I have been on the WSSO Board in various roles since 2018 and in that time, I've worked with many wonderful and dedicated orthodontists who have exemplified what it means to represent and serve orthodontists in Washington.

A bit about me: I'm a Seattle native, attended Harvard Dental School, then finished residency at UW Ortho. I've been in private practice in Walla Walla since 2018. Outside of practice, my husband Corey and I enjoy time with our two little girls, Kiana (3.5 years) and Harmony (6 months).

Goals for WSSO: My goals are to provide valuable and relevant CE at our Annual Meeting, keep members updated with legislative changes and requirements, and maintain timely and useful communication with members.

Dr. Xu Qian, President-Elect

Dr. Xu (Sue) Qian is a Diplomate of American Board of Orthodontics. Dr. Qian has been specialized in Orthodontics since 2005.  She earned her DDS and completed her orthodontic residency with a MS at West China School of Stomatology, Sichuan University. She completed her second three-year orthodontic residency at UCLA School of Dentistry and her PhD in Oral Health Sciences at University of Michigan School of Dentistry. She is the founder and practicing orthodontist at Sunny Smiles Orthodontics, located in downtown Bellevue, WA.  She also teaches part-time at the Department of Orthodontics, University of Washington School of Dentistry. Dr. Qian serves the orthodontic community by combining her extensive academic, clinical, and leadership experience to elevate patient care, mentor future professionals, and contribute to advancing the field.

Dr. Lauren Hagel, Secretary/Communications Chair

My name is Lauren Hagel and I currently serve on the WSSO board as secretary. I was born and raised in Kirkland, WA. I attended Willamette University for my undergraduate education followed by the University of Washington for both Dental School and Orthodontic Residency. I mainly practice in Mercer Island and Sammamish, however, twice a month I travel to Pasco, WA to provide orthodontic care for rural and underserved families. I have learned that connection with my orthodontic peers, my team, and my patients is of the upmost importance.  I hope that through WSSO, we can foster more connection within our orthodontic community, amongst other dental specialties, and amongst our practice communities to better serve our patients.

Dr. Ameen Shanham, Treasurer

I am honored to be your treasurer and have and will to continue to support the WSSO's

educational initiatives and events, goals, and enhance member engagement. Additionally, I will explore new fundraising opportunities to bring more opportunities for networking and collaboration. By closely monitoring expenses and working with the board, I aim to strengthen our financial foundation and support the orthodontic community in Washington.

Dr. Kha Nguyen, Legislative Chair

I'm excited to introduce myself as your new legislative chair! Born and raised in Vietnam, I completed my dentistry and orthodontic training here in Washington, where I now call home. As I navigate the clinical side of our field, I've come to appreciate the importance of understanding the legislation that impacts our profession. My goal is to keep you informed about legal advocacy and legislative issues, so we can effectively navigate changes and advocate for our field together. Thank you for being a vital part of our community!

Dr. Alex Rauchle, Member-at-Large

Hi everyone! My name is Alex Rauchle and I am very happy to be a part of the WSSO as a member at large. I originally grew up in the Bay Area in California, went to UC Santa Barbara for undergrad, and then Pacific Dugoni in San Francisco for dental school. One week after graduating dental school I moved to Portland, Oregon, where I received my masters at Oregon Health & Science and fell in love with the Pacific Northwest. After residency I moved to Washington and have been practicing orthodontics in Walla Walla, WA and La Grande, OR for about 3 years now. I super enjoy working with young kiddos and am known in our office for my funny glove balloons. Additionally I have a personal passion for cleft, surgical, and atypical cases, and I hope to complete a fellowship in Craniofacial Orthodontics at Seattle Children's Hospital in the near future. Outside of work I love spending time with friends and family, enjoying good food and drinks, lots of laughs, and the beautiful outdoors of the PNW!

Dr. Keyvan Sohrabi, PCSO Director

Keyvan Sohrabi is a diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists (PCSO), representing Washington. He is trained as a Dental Public Health specialist and contributes to the editorial board of Oral Health and Preventive Dentistry (OHPD), as well as serving as a reviewer for the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics (AJODO). Actively engaged in legislative advocacy at both local and national levels, Dr. Sohrabi champions regulations that protect patients and foster the growth of the orthodontic profession. Additionally, he serves as a liaison between the PCSO, and the Washington State Society of Orthodontists (WSSO). He practices in the Seattle area.

Ms. Sally Gee, Administrative Assistant

Sally Gee was born in Seattle and has lived in the area most of her life - she is not an orthodontist nor a dentist, but she has worked with dentists for the last 20+ years in the office of Continuing Dental Education at the University of Washington School of Dentistry.  Her educational background is in History and French Literature and her degree is from the University of Washington - she was going to be a French teacher, but after living in France for two years and working with high school students for one year, she decided that life wasn't for her, and she went into travel and event planning in the high tech sector in the late 90s, then headed the UW again in the early 2000s.  She's been working as an Administrative Assistant for the WSSO and for the UW Ortho Alumni Association for about ten years now and is happy to help out with annual meetings and fun events that come around each calendar year!