Our goal is to be committed, to treat all valued guests and our own team members with compassion, excellence and with quality of care. Our professionalism drives us to provide restoration, rejuvenating and a rewarding experience.
Administrative
Anne: Marketing Director
Anne has been in the dental field since 1990 as a Certified Dental Assistant. She returned to school in 2001 to become a Registered Nurse. Although her career has changed, dentistry has remained a major part of her life. Anne also participates alongside the team in many dental continuing education courses including The Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Esthetics.
Anne is excited to be part of a team that has exciting technological advances and training, enabling them to provide an optimal level of care to their patients.
Anne loves spending time with her four kids and husband. She also enjoys traveling and watching hockey “GO HABS GO”.
Jillian: Office Manager
Jillian joined the Villanova team in June of 2016 and is excited to be part of such an amazing group! Born and raised in the country, near the small town of Arnprior, she never strayed far from home. After completing her Dental Assisting and Medical Office Administration programs, she settled down just outside of her hometown and is enjoying raising her family.
Courtney: Patient Coordinator
Courtney joined the Villanova team in June of 2016. She provides reception and administrative support while using her extensive experience of putting the needs of others first. This has allowed Courtney to become a well-rounded individual who is both passionate and dedicated to our patients. Courtney enjoys the rewarding feeling of welcoming new and existing patients into the Villanova Dental Studio and sets high standards for herself as well as the entire reception team.
Outside of the studio, Courtney is a mom to two little boys and keeps very busy chasing after them. When she’s not running after her children or pets, Courtney loves playing competitive sports and staying active.
Natalie: Patient Coordinator
Natalie joined Dr. Barakat’s team as a patient coordinator in May 2010. She graduated from Algonquin careers academy as a medical/dental office assistant with honors. Natalie grew up in Ashton, Ontario for most of her life. She enjoys being outdoors most of her spare time as well as spending time with her family and friends.
Her goal at the Villanova Dental Studio as a patient coordinator is to ensure patients receive quality care and have all their needs met. Natalie enjoys working for Dr. Barakat and his incredible team here at the Villanova Dental Studio, while learning all the latest in Dentistry.
Shelley: Patient Coordinator
After being a patient for the last 5 years having undergone neuromuscular treatment with Dr. Barakat and his team, Shelley decided she wanted to be a part of this amazing team which she joined in October of 2013. Shelley graduated from the Kingston Learning Centre in 1996 as a Dental Assistant and has worked in both the clinical and administrative aspects of dentistry. She is excited to be able to utilize the skills that
she has learned along the way and continue to learn through continuing education with Dr. Barakat and the team. Shelley grew up in Dalhousie, NB and moved to Ontario in 1995. She enjoys camping, boating and spending time with her husband Don and their beautiful boys Thomas and Colton.
Shelley’s goal at the Villanova Dental Studio is to ensure that every patient receives the utmost level of care that all our patients deserve and that all their needs are met.
Kelsey: Human Resources
Kelsey joined Villanova Dental Studio in February 2015, she graduated Dental Assisting with honours at Algonquin College in 2013. Since having orthodontic treatment done in high school she always knew that she wanted to work in the dental field as her experience helped her appreciate the impact of a healthy & happy smile.
Patient care is Kelsey’s number one priority & giving the highest quality of care. Over the years, Kelsey transitioned out of chairside assisting into an administrative position where she is able to utilize her Human Resource college background. In her spare time, she loves to travel to Canamore, Alberta to hike in the mountains, and travelling anywhere there is a good beach. Kelsey also loves spending time in her hometown of Kinburn, Ontario with her Pitbull mix named Hank.
Melissa: Patient Coordinator
Melissa is originally from Carleton Place, Ontario. She joined the Villanova team in 2008 as an eager Certified Level II Dental Assistant. Melissa later found her calling as an Administrative professional. Melissa knew she wanted to be in the dental field after having orthodontic treatment as a young teenager.
Having seen firsthand how a healthy smile gave her the confidence and had impacted her life, she knew she wanted to be a part of sharing this with others. Melissa takes great pride in her job, is very organized and likes to have things run in a smooth manner. Melissa prides herself on providing the best patient care possible.
In Melissa free time, she likes to be outdoors hiking, or 4 wheeling as well as spending time with her family, friends and her 4 pugs!
Julia: Patient Coordinator
Julia joined the Villanova team in August of 2018. Her nearly ten year long career in customer service has given her the skills she needs in order to make sure every patient gets the utmost care and attention possible. She has a real passion for helping others, and loves to do so in any way, shape or form. Although new to the dental field, she is eager to learn from Doctor Barakat and his amazing team, and takes pride in doing so.
Julia was born and raised in Ottawa, but studied at Concordia University in Montreal for four years. She loves to travel and spend as much time as possible with her family, friends and pets. Julia couldn’t be happier to have the privilege of being a part of such a dynamic and hardworking team!
Brooke: Treatment Coordinator
Brooke graduated in Business from Algonquin College in 2015 and joined the Villanova dental team in 2021. Brooke started out as a patient coordinator and is now a few of our Doctor’s treatment coordinator. Brooke works closely with the Doctors by managing their schedules while also providing patients with personalized reviews of their treatment plans. She strives to communicate their thoughts and concerns to the Doctors as clearly and as efficiently as possible. She also helps maintain a fun, creative social media page for Villanova Dental Studio in the spare time. Brooke is eager to assist all our patients with excellent patient-centered service. In Brooke’s spare time, you will often find her spending time with her daughter and trying out new local restaurants with friends!
Noah: Lab Technician
Some of Villanova’s core values include excellent patient care, quality work and utmost ethics. Noah’s aim is to reflect these core values in all aspects of his work. On a daily basis, Noah brings his experience in business to provide excellent service. Whether he is face to face with patients or assisting colleagues, Noah is always putting his best foot forward. Noah is also very grateful to be part of such a hardworking, collaborative team here at Villanova. When Noah is not at work, he is most likely either teaching guitar, playing music, or teaching skateboarding.
Registered Dental Hygienists
Tamara: Hygiene Team Lead
Tamara graduated Dental Hygiene in 2004 and has been part of Dr. Barakat’s team since 2005. She is very happy to be part of such a progressive team. As all of Dr. Barakat’s hygienists, Tamara is highly trained in Laser Therapy and discussion of Neuromuscular dentistry. Her passion for the profession is evident in continuing
education and her ability to put patients at ease. She is dedicated to providing patients with the utmost of quality care, in a gentle and relaxed manner. Staying current in dental technology is very important to Tamara and through continuing education she is able to provide patients with the latest in dental hygiene advancements. Her goal is to tailor your dental hygiene care to best meet and maintain optimal oral and overall health.
Tamara loves spending her free time with her husband and two year old daughter Avery. She enjoys traveling, cooking and decorating her new home.
Kristy: Hygiene Team Lead
Kristy began her dental education in 2001 where she received her level 2 dental assisting certification. She continued to pursue her passion in dentistry by completing the dental hygiene program with honours in 2003. Kristy joined the team at Villanova in 2010. Villanova has always given her the opportunity to expand her skill set through continuing education courses and technological advancements. Kristy enjoys being able to provide the best quality patient care with the most current technology.
Emily: Registered Dental Hygienist
Emily is a Registered Dental Hygienist who has just joined Dr. Barakat’s wonderful team in April 2012. Emily started her career in dental in 2003 after graduating with honours from Algonquin Colleges Level Two Dental Assisting Program. Having the opportunity to go back to school to become a dental hygienist was something that Emily worked hard for and graduated from Algonquin College again with honours in 2007, and has been loving her career choice ever since.
Emily is committed to providing quality care and excellence for patients by keeping her skills and knowledge current through continuing education. Emily’s passion for the profession is evident in her eagerness to learn about all the latest dental technologies and techniques. Emily strives to make the dental experience of all patients a pleasant one through her calm and caring nature.
Emily moved to Ottawa for school in 2002 and has since fallen in love with the area and stayed. Growing up in small towns, Emily knew she wanted to live outside Ottawa but still in this area, and Emily and her fiancé now live in Renfrew, ON.
Outside of her career, Emily and her fiancé recently moved into their first home and had their first child Jack in December 2011. Emily loves spending time with family and friends, being a mother, and planning for renovations. Emily enjoys camping and being outdoors, reading, her pets, and also has a knack for crafting.
Jessica: Registered Dental Hygienist
Jessica is a Registered Dental Hygienist who has just joined Villanova dental in 2022. Jessica started her career in dental in 2011 in Montreal after graduating as a dental assistant. Jessica worked for about ten years as a dental assistant in oral surgery. Jessica decided to Pursue more of her career in the dental field by going back to school and obtaining a Dental Hygienist diploma from CNIH. Villanovadental studio has giving her the opportunity to apply her knowledge and tailor it in every single case. Her motivation is making a difference with her patients by educating them in oral prevention and assisting them to keep a smile In their face. Fun fact about Jessica, she speaks three languages (Spanish, English and French), and she is very passionate to practice them. Jessica loves food and in her spare time enjoys being with her family.
Erin: Registered Dental Hygienist
Erin joined Villanova in January 2018 and values her opportunity to work with wonderful patients and coworkers. She graduated from the Canadian National Institute of Health in Dental Hygiene with honours. During school, she was nominated to be the class representative by her peers. Erin has been working in customer service for over 15 years and has found her passion in dentistry. She prides herself in building good rapport with her patients while working together to obtain their optimal oral health.
She has a passion for people and it shines through her excellent patient care and treatment. She is dedicated to providing quality care in a gentle and comfortable manner.
Erin grew up in Richmond with four brothers and sisters. She now lives in Stittsville with her husband and their two cats. During her spare time you can find her enjoying the outdoors and spending time with family and friends. Erin always has a smiling face to greet you and looks forward to welcoming new and previous patients.
Katie: Registered Dental Hygienist
Katie is a Registered Dental Hygienist who joined the Villanova team in August 2020. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Carleton University in 2012.
Katie return to her studies at the Canadian National Institute of Health (CNIH) and graduated in 2016 with an award for Excellence in Public Health. She is dedicated to using her two degrees to help her patients by providing them with quality care, while maintaining a friendly and professional demeanor. She specializes in gently educating her clients to maximize their personal health.
In her spare time, Katie enjoys traveling and has been to over 40 countries during her years as a Youth Program Coordinator. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, volunteering, and participating in community events.
Joceline: Registered Dental Hygienist
Joceline is originally from Quito, Ecuador. She is new to the dental field and has been practicing hygiene since August of 2021. After she studied and graduated from Police Foundations at Seneca College in King City, ON in 2016, Joceline found vocation in working with people in a healthcare aspect instead and graduated from the Toronto College of Dental Hygiene and Auxiliaries in 2020. She is passionate about providing quality care to her patients by helping them feel comfortable and educating them about their oral health as part of their overall wellbeing, and thus making them feel engaged and empowered to participate in their own personal care. In her own time, she enjoys cooking, nature, fishing, music, dancing and spending time with family and friends.
Carine: Registered Dental Hygienist
Carine has been a registered dental hygienist since 2009. She moved from her hometown in New Brunswick to pursue her studies in Ottawa at “La Cite Collegiale.” She later met her husband and the two share two adorable little girls. Carine and her family are very active and enjoy being outdoors. She has a passion for long distance running and loves participating in local races. Meeting new people is something she truly enjoys, come see her at Villanova.
Dental Assistants
As dental assistants it is our desire to provide the most advanced and proven technologies available today to our patients. We are a place for patients and professionals to work together to help you achieve a common goal in your dental health. We also strive to make every patient that walks into our practice leave feeling comfortable and confident with the care that has been provided.
Kayla: Assistant Team Lead
Kayla joined the dynamic team at the Villanova Dental Studio in January 2011. She graduated as a level two dental assistant with honours and has been working in the dental field since 2008. She enjoys learning and sharing her knowledge of dentistry through her continuing education as well as providing patients with the highest quality and gentle care. Helping to create healthy and bright smiles for her patients shows she’s passionate about her career.
In her free time she enjoys being with family and friends. She loves traveling, rollerblading, camping, shopping, going to the gym and spending a lot of time outdoors. With her energetic and outgoing personality she loves being around people and making them laugh.
Kayla brings a lot of determination and enthusiasm to the Villanova Dental Studio. Her goal is to continue to excel in the latest advances in dentistry with Dr. Barakat’s team.
Cathy: Dental Assistant
Hi my name is Cathy. I am one of Dr. Barakat’ s Dental Assistants here at the Villanova Dental Studio. I joined this wonderful team here in 2007. I am a Level 2 Dental Assistant who graduated from CDI College with honours.
One of the many things that I enjoy here at the Villanova Dental Studio is that Dr. Barakat is always learning the latest in Dental. I enjoy going on continuing education courses, which allow me to keep my skills up to date as well as learning about the latest and the newest technologies this office has to offer to our wonderful patients.
I am very dedicated to making every one of our patients feel as comfortable and relaxed as they can be during their visit here at the Villanova Dental Studio.
If there is anything that I can do to help make your visit here more enjoyable and relaxing please let me know…
Erica: Dental Assistant
Erica was born and raised in Ottawa and began her career as a certified dental assistant July 2014 in Oral Surgery. From there she began to explore all other aspects of dentistry and developed her skills in the field of general dentistry. She continues to explore new learning opportunities and develops her skills as a dental assistant through continuing education courses.
Her top priority is patient comfort through all procedures, and she tries to do everything she can to keep her patients comfortable and happy.
In her free time, Erica enjoys volunteer work to help give back to the community and keeping active through many different sports.
Merrick: Dental Assistant
Merrick joined the Villanova team November 2021, she has nearly six years of experience in the dental field. After working at a dental office in high-school; she knew she wanted to work in the dental field to impact patient experience and spread knowledge of oral health. In her free time she does a lot of jogging, in the spring and summer months she likes to participate in marathons and triathlons , in the winter months she likes to travel to tropical destinations with friends and family.