Meet the Team

Our founding dentist Brandon did not follow the typical path to become a dentist. In 2003, Brandon graduated from the University of Virginia with a B.Sc. in Commerce and worked for many years as a sales consultant for dental implant manufacturers in both the United States and Australia. Though Brandon immensely enjoyed the collaborative relationship with so many talented clinicians, he dreamed of treating patients himself. Already living in Melbourne, Brandon completed his dental training at the University of Melbourne. He worked for a time in both Melbourne and Tasmania before permanently relocating with his family to Launceston in 2016.

Brandon’s exposure to oral surgery and dental implants through his sales career evolved into a keen interest in surgical procedures and techniques, exodontia, and oral implantology. Brandon has heavily invested both time and financial resources to extend his training with continuing professional development courses ranging from theoretical to cadaver and live patient surgery. He has had the great fortune to observe some of the world’s most respected clinicians in live patient surgery. Brandon co-directs the local study club for the International Team for Implantology with our local periodontist. He is also the Tasmanian State representative for the Australasian Osseointegration Society. Beyond just surgery, Brandon is enthusiastic about all things dentistry, and is active in the Tasmanian Dental Association

Dentistry keeps Brandon very busy, but not as busy as his three adorable and spirited little girls, Bronte, Violet, and Harper. A myriad of sports and other activities dominate the nights and weekends for Brandon and his lovely wife Jasmin, but they still find time for lots of camping and discovery of the great outdoors. Tassie offers treasures untold for a family like Brandon’s.

Dr Malvina Filip completed her Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree in Adelaide before moving to Devonport to commence her career. What was meant to be a six-month stint turned into three years as she fell in love with the beautiful Tasmanian wilderness.

A keen hiker, Malvina has explored much of the Tasmanian landscape including multiple trips of the Overland Track, including some as a guide. Her love of adventure and travel took her back across the Bass Strait and all over the world with the most recent venture finding her snowboarding in Canada.

No matter how far she travelled, Tasmania kept calling and Malvina has recently found herself back on the apple isle. Having joined Trusted Smiles Hobart, she feels she is in the perfect place that combines her passions of dentistry and nature. Malvina has a strong belief in empowering patients to achieve their health goals. With a special interest in cosmetic and surgical dentistry she personally finds the most fulfilling part of being a dentist is being able to guide patients through their dental journey and making it an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

If you blink, you might miss Brooke, our Director of Nursing, because she is always on the move helping any and everywhere around the practice. She started her Certificate III in Dental Assisting in 2015 and has been Brandon’s primary clinical partner for the past 5 years. She shares Brandon’s passion for dentistry and for doing beautiful clinical work in an environment of genuine warmth and compassion. Her tagline is borrowed from the practice values, “better every day.” And she does…get better every day. Sharing Brandon’s mission, she found it tremendously rewarding to watch the dream of Trusted Smiles become a reality and already start to enrich patients’ lives. Whether in dental surgery or hospital operating theatre, Brooke excels in all things surgical. She shares Brandon’s addiction to dental courses and frequently attends with him to bring the nurse’s perspective to new tools and techniques implemented in the practice.

Brooke grew up in the Meander Valley community and lived locally, until 2 years ago when she moved to Latrobe. She and her partner Brayden are currently very excited to be building their own house in Latrobe. In her free time, she enjoys playing with her two Border Collies (Charlie & Clover), who you may have met at the dental practice. She enjoys her health and fitness, playing both netball and basketball. Although Brooke is clearly the better athlete, you can see her cheering on Brayden and Deloraine men’s senior footy team most Saturdays.

Ella is our trainee dental nurse and came to us from the most unlikely of places – McCulloch’s takeaway shop next to the dental practice. What she lacks in experience she makes up for in warmth, kindness, and a robust sense of humour. She has taken to dentistry like a fish to water, with a keen desire to learn and grow and the humility to seek advice and feedback. She is rapidly working through a Certificate III in Assisting and already spending a lot of time in surgery with Rachelle and Brandon.

In her free time, she enjoys health and fitness and plays netball for Meander Valley. She has a loveable one year-old golden retriever called Oaki, who you may have met at our grand opening party. When we hired Ella, we felt guilty about stealing her away from McCulloch’s, but we take solace in knowing that she is back there almost daily to get her favourite hot chippies!

With over a decade of experience in dentistry from Europe, Yona brings a wealth of expertise and enthusiasm to our practice. She is passionate about learning and growing in various fields of dentistry and is dedicated to delivering excellent patient care while continuously expanding her knowledge and skills.

Currently nearing the completion of a master’s degree in public health at UTAS, she has developed a deep understanding of creating preventive frameworks and interventions aimed at improving oral health outcomes in Tasmania. She is committed to reducing disparities between communities and adapting her knowledge to meet Australian guidelines and standards, driven by her goal of making a meaningful impact in the field.

Outside of work, she is a proud mum of two energetic boys. She loves traveling the world, embracing new cultures, landscapes, and cuisines. Exploring Australia has been a highlight of her journey, and she finds immense joy in the breathtaking beauty of Tasmania’s natural landscapes.