Board Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon and Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, Dr. Christopher Galea of Northern Nevada Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, joined the Northern Nevada Dental Health Programs (NNDHP) Advisory Board of Directors in May 2019.

The region’s only fellowship trained Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon in Pediatric Cleft and Craniofacial Surgery, Dr. Galea traveled the world on cleft lip and palate mission trips during his oral surgery residency, performing cleft lip and palate repairs in Mexico, Guatemala and the Philippines. He attributes his experiences on these cleft mission trips for inspiring him to pursue the fellowship in Pediatric Cleft and Craniofacial Surgery at Louisiana State University – Shreveport.

“My passion for philanthropy has grown throughout my training,” said Dr. Galea, who has been volunteering his services through NNDHP to help underserved children and veterans in his community over the last year.

“From the first moment I heard about becoming a volunteer dental provider through NNDHP, I knew I wanted to be part of the program. I know that you don’t have to travel to remote parts of the world to find patients in need and now that I own a practice, I feel like it’s a great opportunity to help others and provide necessary services to those in need right in my backyard. It has been both personally and professionally fulfilling to provide services to patients through NNDHP.”

Inspired by what he says have been great cases and very appreciative patients during his volunteerism through NNDHP, Dr. Galea says he sees a tremendous opportunity for NNDHP to continue to grow and provide access of care to patients in northern Nevada.

“I hope to build on the established foundation of NNDHP through my passion of providing services to patients with congenital deformities,” said Galea. “For many of these patients there are multiple phases of care throughout their lives and it can be difficult for families to have the resources for every aspect of their care. I’ve had the pleasure to meet many of these patients in northern Nevada and hope to continue to help provide services to them moving forward.”

Dr. Galea moved to Reno last year after finishing his fellowship training. He loves spending time with his wife who is a federal prosecutor/criminal assistant US Attorney in Reno, and his two French Bulldogs. On their free time, he and his wife, who are both avid sports fans, love to travel as much as they can, try new restaurants and escape to Lake Tahoe. They have enjoyed starting a new chapter of their lives this past year and exploring all that Reno/Tahoe has to offer.