Barbara Salazar, Administrative Officer

Born and raised in the central valley of California, Barbara has been a member of DMORT-IX since 2000.

Barbara has been a clinical dental hygienist for 33 years (she began as a very young child!), and she also holds a BS in Health Education. She is an instructor in the dental hygiene program at Chabot College, in Hayward, CA.  Since becoming the AO for DMORT-IX however, Barbara is now teaching as a substitute only.

Along with her professional background as an RDH and her love of forensic dentistry, Barbara has always had a heart for those families whose loved ones were lost in wars or disasters.  The strong desire to be of service to these families was the path that lead her to become a member of the DMORT team.

Some of the forensic training Barbara has had includes the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, the American Dental Association Forensic Conferences, being a active member of a 10-month study group in forensic odontology at UCSF, workshops and scientific sessions of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (ASFO), some hands-on case work with a local dentist as well as numerous other courses.

Professional memberships include

§         American Society of Forensic Odontology

§         Christian Dental Society

§         American Dental Hygienists’ Association

§         California Dental Hygienists’ Association

At home, Barbara loves being a homemaker.  She likes gardening and experimenting with new recipes, and loves to go bicycling out in the country.  She and her husband, Roberto, enjoy traveling, and often take day trips to San Francisco and Yosemite, as well as the gold rush towns along Highway 49.  Most beautiful and romantic place she has been?  Without a doubt, Paris!!  Mexico City is a close runner-up, though!

Barbara and her husband serve and worship in a bi-lingual Baptist Church in San Francisco.  Closer to home, she is involved with community groups, such as Friends of the Public Library.

Barbara truly enjoys serving as the Administrative Officer for the DMORT-IX team.  Her favorite saying is “A job worth doing at all is a job worth doing well,” and in her work as AO she sincerely desires this to be evident.

Her desires for the team as a whole are to see continued personal growth, team unity and professionalism.  She is always available to answer questions or help the team members in any way.  Barbara is especially thankful for all the help and support and good attitudes she finds as she interacts with the various people of DMORT-IX.  She says she is very privileged to be a part of this team, and looks forward to a positive future.