It all comes back to family.

An alum of the Incisal Edge’s 2015 40 Under 40, Dr. Janice Doan never rests on her laurels – she continues demonstrate her hard working and ambition every day.

In recent years, Dr. Doan has made several advancements in her professional life as well as in her family’s practice, A+ Family Dentistry. These depict how dedication to career can result in endless opportunities for connection and empowerment.

Yesterday, A+ Family Dentistry announced that in addition to their locations in Poway and El Cajon, they are opening a third office in Sorrento Valley in mid-August. Founded by Dr. Justene Doan and Dr. Roger Tran in 2002, this family owned dentistry has been providing affordable dental care service to the San Diego community for over 17 years.

“With the two offices that are already established in different areas, the Sorrento Valley location will be managed by my sister Dr. Janice Doan to provide comprehensive dental care at affordable costs for those residing between Poway and San Diego.”

Dr. Justene Doan
Dr. Janice Doan holds the key to the A+ Family Dental location in Sorrento Valley which she will manage.
Dr. Janice Doan holds the key to the A+ Family Dental location in Sorrento Valley which she will manage.

Community activist

Dr. Janice Doan faces the camera smiling wearing a white buttoned shirt.
Dr. Janice Doan

The further she advances in her dental career, the more Dr. Doan is recognized for her wisdom and abundance of knowledge.

A community activist, Dr. Janice Doan has also been volunteering and participating in various programs in the community including one called Give Back a Smile or GBAS. This program was established to connect eligible survivors of domestic and/or sexual violence who’ve received dental injuries from the abuse with volunteer cosmetic dentists throughout the United States and Canada.

“This year, the program I have volunteered for is to provide dental care to a domestic violence survivor who suffers from teeth injuries. The patient that I am working with suffered a life-altering situation that affects her smile and her well-being. As it is something that everyone sees and is such a major physical attribute, a smile can affect every aspect of life.”

“At A+ Family dentistry, we make it a point to let patients know that we’re here to help. Not only the dentists and the office want to help, but the businesses that support our dental office as well. One of our labs was also able to contribute the parts and ceramics imperative for this patient’s well-being, free of charge. Thanks to the GBAS program, she can now live her life as she was meant to, happily and with a gorgeous smile.”

Dr. Janice Doan

In need of support?

Those who needs help through GBAS can call the toll free number at (800)773-GBAS (4227), or email givebackasmile@aacd.com For more information visit their website.

Action to Win

Dr. Janice Doan has been sharing advice on topics such as freedom in the workplace and the empowerment of women in dentistry across several different platforms.

On August 9 and 10, Dr. Doan will be speaking at the “Action to Win” event at the Catamaran Resort in San Diego, California. The event unites dentists from all over the world to discuss how to create profitable, impactful and enjoyable businesses.

Dr. Janice Doan featured in the "Action to Win" flyer.
Dr. Janice Doan featured in the “Action to Win” flyer.

Dr. Doan will speak about her role as a Community Influencer at this year’s event.

“I want to create a massive impact that will have a positive ripple effect not just in my own community, but also worldwide. A community isn’t just where I live, it’s who I connect with and who I can help.”

Dr. Janice Doan

The Dentist Freedom Blueprint

Dr. Doan was also able to share her wisdom when she featured as a guest on Dr. David Phelps’ podcast, “The Dentist Freedom Blueprint”.

Image promoting Dr. David Phelps' "The Dentist Freedom Blueprint."
Dr. David Phelps’ “The Dentist Freedom Blueprint”.

“The ultimate goal is freedom physically, financially, and spiritually, and what that means for each person. For me, it is being able to prioritize and be willing to sacrifice some things for others so that I can reach my goals,” Dr. Doan said.

Dr. Doan reflects on what she was doing well in her professional career and figures out how to duplicate her areas of success. Ultimately, Dr. Doan aims to create systems that work well and are simple enough for everyone to adopt.

Family life: Leading by example

Dr. Doan also showcased how her professional life relates to her family life. In regard to her five-year-old son, Jake, Dr. Doan said she often teaches him the how to handle the basics of life through leading by example.

She enjoys watching her son pick up on these behaviors and eventually implement them.

Dr. Janice Doan smiles with her 5-year-old son, Jake (left).
Dr. Janice Doan smiles with her 5-year-old son, Jake (left).

“For example, I went to the gym for my workout. Jake came with me and wanted to do what I was doing. He and I had a great training session at the gym with my trainer,” Dr. Doan said.

Dr. Doan loves watching her son adapt and pick up on the positive habits she sets forth for him. Family has and continues to be a staple in Dr. Doan’s life.

Gaining strength through strife

Family holds such a special place in Dr. Doan’s heart mostly because of the hardships she and her family first encountered when they arrived in the United States from Vietnam.

As a child, Dr. Doan grew up with her brother and sister, all of who were raised by their grandparents. Absent from their early childhood lives were their parents, who were raising their youngest brother in a different city.

Childhood photo of Dr. Janice Doan and her family.
Childhood photo of Dr. Janice Doan and her family.

Dr. Doan said growing up without her parents around was difficult, but she knew what they were sacrificing to ensure that she and her siblings would have plentiful, successful lives. Dr. Doan explains what occurred when they reunited.

“When we finally reunited for good, it was awesome, but also very difficult. We had all grown so much that rekindling that relationship again was difficult,” Dr. Doan said.

What made everything fall back into place though was the solid foundation of love her parents put in place.

Dr. Janice Doan with her family at a younger age.
Dr. Janice Doan with her family at a younger age.

“Having such a strong foundation of love really helped us through everything. Being able to build on that foundation even more made it all worth it,” Dr. Doan said.

Getting started in dentistry

Her family was even the spark that lit Dr. Doan’s passion for dentistry, stemming from her sister’s education to her own summer volunteer work.

Dr. Doan first became interested in dentistry when she visited her sister while she was enrolled at the University of Southern California School of Dentistry.

Through these frequent visits, Dr. Doan watched her sister learn about dentistry through lab and clinical work. Dr. Doan was inspired meeting some of her sister’s professors and peers.

The Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC hosts the annual Dental Explorers two-week camp.

Additionally, Dr. Doan took part in a summer program called “The Dental Explorers”. The two-week summer camp hosted by the University of Southern California helped Dr. Doan fall in love with dentistry even more.

“I enjoyed the summer camp so much that right after I finished dental school, I became the director for the Dental Explorers Program and taught the summer class,” Dr. Doan said.

What’s happening now?

To no surprise, both themes of family and dentistry continue to be central in Dr. Doan’s life. Her family’s practice, A+ Family Dentistry, keeps improving and expanding.

Dr. Doan said the goal of the family practice is not success but rather accessibility.

“We want to help people, not just in Poway and San Diego, but everywhere. The way to do this was to open another office in Sorrento Valley to help the people there,” Dr. Janice Doan said.