Dr. Ilaya Ramanan Rajagopal

Dr Rajagopal, a native of Madras, India received his Bachelor of Dental Surgery from Saveetha University, Chennai, India in 1999. At the University of Alabama at Birmingham, he first completed a 2 year Graduate Research Program in Dental Biomaterials in the Department of Prosthodontics and Dental Materials in 2002. Following that he completed a two-year Pediatric Dentistry Residency Program in 2004. Along with this he also completed a one year Fellowship in The Civitan-Sparks center for the Developmental and Learning Disorder. He was awarded a Masters in Clinical Dentistry by The University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2005.

Dr. Rajagopal (known to all as Dr Raj) has a keen interest in treating underprivileged and underserved children. His goal of every child deserves quality dental care became the driving force in his life.

His notable achievement is the establishment of the mobile Dental unit program called Healthy Smiles in Motion in 2011. The first unit was started in 2011 and a second mobile unit was added in 2016. This cost-effective public health model has brought quality care to thousands of children from low-income families in Washington County, MD, and some from neighboring West Virginia and Pennsylvania. The mobile program was designed to provide comprehensive dental care in an environment similar to that of a stationary practice. 

His contributions towards extending oral healthcare to Washington county’s most needy residents have been widely recognized by national media such as Washington Post and Herald Mail. His work is regularly cited in the news media and have been interviewed on national TV and radio networks and by the Child Guide magazine, which is circulated in several counties in the Tri-state area.