Silver Creek High School, Class of 1987
Castro & Hipona Dental Care

Carmen is the eldest of four siblings, born in Chicago, from a Filipino immigrant couple, Johnson and Precy. The family moved to California in 1978, where Carmen attended school in the Evergreen and East Side Union High School Districts, graduating from Silver Creek High School in 1987. Carmen enrolled in UC Berkeley, majoring in Molecular Cell Biology with an emphasis in Neurobiology and graduated in 1991.

Carmen attended UC San Francisco and graduated with a Doctorate in Dental Surgery in 1996 with honors. Upon obtaining her DDS licensure, she decided to give back to her alma mater and volunteered as floor instructor at the UCSF Dental Clinic as well as a volunteer dentist at the Berkeley Dental Free Clinic.

In 1999, Carmen married her dental school classmate, Eduardo Castro, with whom she shares two wonderful children: Priscilla (20) a junior at Columbia University; and Carlo (18) a freshman at Chapman University. Carmen and Eduardo also share a joint practice, which they opened in 2000 — in the same Evergreen area where she grew up.

Carmen is Past President of the UCSF Dental Alumni Association, serving on the Executive Council since 2001. She was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Dentists in 2016. In 2020, she was awarded the UCSF DAA Medal of Honor — the most prestigious award the DAA bestows upon its living alumni. She remains an active member of the Santa Clara County Dental Society, ADA, and CDA.

For over two decades, Carmen has provided dental services to children in underserved populations and devoted time to educate and mentor aspiring dental healthcare professionals. She also volunteers her time at local elementary, junior high, and high schools, encouraging students to pursue a higher education to fulfill their academic and career goals.