Our Doctors

Dr. Kotula, a native of Scotland, earned her Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree from the prestigious University of Glasgow and her Doctorate of Dental Surgery (DDS) from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Dentistry.

Dr. Kotula was awarded membership in Omicron Kappa Upsilon (the National Dental Honor Society) for her leadership role as President of the International Dentistry Program at UCSF. She also received recognition for her work in Singapore studying children in dangerous domestic situations.

With over 23 very successful years practicing private dentistry in both Scotland and California, Dr. Kotula has built a wonderful relationship with her patients. She provides the highest quality dental care with the most gentle and caring approach. Dr. Kotula previously lived in Cusco, Peru for seven years while founding and running the non-profit organization, Dental Project Peru, which provides dental care and education to the most impoverished and rural, indigenous populations of the high Andes.

Dr Joshi began his dental journey in India where he first received his Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS). While practicing in India, he provided care to a wide variety of patients – from rural, impoverished populations to affluent urban populations. This experience was the basis of his interest in healthcare disparities on a global level which in turn brought him to the USA. Here, he studied the impact of socioeconomic status on Oral Health. He gained his Master of Public Health (MPH) from the Western Kentucky University.

With his primary passion being patient care, Dr Joshi joined the International Dental Program at
University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and received his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS). The excellence of UCSF training honed Dr Joshi’s clinical skills. It has allowed him to build his practice providing the best in quality dental care to his patients with the integration of modern research and technologies.

Dr Joshi is an active member of the American Dental Association (ADA), California Dental Association (CDA) and Academy of General Dentistry (AGD). After living and working in San Francisco and the Sacramento Valley, Dr Joshi settled in Marin with his wonderful wife. He enjoys the extensive hiking trails the North Bay has to offer and his passion for food has him exploring restaurants throughout the Bay Area as well as cooking his favorite Indian food at home. A personal goal and hobby of Dr Joshi’s is learning new languages. So far, he speaks 5 and is getting close to being fluent in Spanish!

Dr. Nisha Patel is a California native whose passion for dentistry began while volunteering through the UC San Diego Student-Run Free Clinic Project during her undergraduate studies. There, she managed one of the clinic sites—an experience that sparked a deep interest in healthcare access and community-based care. During dental school at the University of Detroit Mercy, she continued this work by volunteering at the St. Vincent de Paul free clinic, helping expand services to underserved populations in the Detroit community.

After earning her DDS—and enduring four snowy winters in Detroit—Dr. Patel returned to sunny Southern California, where she began her career working alongside her father in his private practice. She then transitioned to a community clinic before moving into cosmetic-focused private practices in Los Angeles. With over a decade of experience, she brings a calm, attentive approach to restorative and cosmetic dentistry, focusing on helping patients feel heard, cared for, and confident in their treatment.

She is fluent in Spanish and values being able to communicate comfortably with a wide range of patients. Dr. Patel is also trained in Invisalign and regularly pursues hands-on continuing education courses to stay current with the latest advancements in dentistry.

Now a proud Bay Area transplant, Dr. Patel enjoys hiking, cooking, and discovering new restaurants. She also loves traveling—especially with friends and her siblings. Feel free to share your favorite spots or recommendations!

Dr. Ricky Zhu, DMD, a native of Washington DC and Virginia, completed his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Biology and Chemistry at The George Washington University and Doctorate of Dental Medicine (DMD) at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine.

At Penn, Dr. Zhu earned the Dean’s Scholarship and an Honors in Clinical Dentistry for excellence in clinical dentistry in the Advanced Dental Care Clinic. Dedicated to lifelong service, he volunteered with evening community dental clinics serving underprivileged children and senior citizens in Philadelphia. After completing a Hospital Externship at the Albert Einstein Medical Center, Dr. Zhu moved to San Francisco to complete a General Practice Residency with the United States Dental Service Department of Veterans Affairs, where he provided comprehensive dental care to our nation’s military veterans.

He has extensive experience with thousands of completed procedures in same-day crowns, Invisalign (invisible braces) orthodontics, fillings, bridges, cosmetic veneers, root canal treatment, tooth extractions, implants, dentures, and night guards. Dr. Zhu provides nitrous oxide sedation to reduce the anxiety that fearful patients may have with any of these dental procedures.

Dr. Zhu is dedicated to your health and takes great pride in performing high-quality dental work with a team that shares a common philosophy – ensuring the care you receive is comfortable, informative, conservative, beautiful, and long-lasting.

In his free time, Dr. Zhu enjoys traveling, spending time with family from Hong Kong, volunteering, beekeeping, running and practicing archery in Golden Gate Park.