From the Office of Dr.

Cheen Loo, Professor and Chair

Department of Pediatric Dentistry

The Department of Pediatric Dentistry cordially invites you to a

celebration of life memorial service for

Dr. Laura Camacho-Castro, DI09, DG83

Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatric Dentistry
1957 2015
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine

Saturday, June 13, 2015

4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine
Alumni Lounge, 15th Floor
One Kneeland Street
Boston, Massachusetts
Reception to Follow
Kindly RSVP by June 8, 2015
to Anita Yen in the Office of Alumni Relations and Development
Email: anita.yen@tufts.edu or Tel: 617-636-6721

For more than 25 years, Dr. Laura Camacho-Castro, DI09, DG83, Associate Clinical Professor,
filled the Department of Pediatric Dentistry with kindness, sparkling humor, and devotion to both students and
patients.
She was an accomplished and dedicated faculty member and a wonderful colleague, said Dr. Cheen Loo, Chair
of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her.
Dr. Camacho-Castro passed away on February 6, 2015 at Massachusetts General Hospital, surrounded by family
and friends.
Born in Puebla, Mexico, Dr. Camacho-Castro first came to Tufts in 1981 as a resident. She completed a
Certificate in Pediatric Dentistry from TUSDM in 1983, and the Dental International Student program in 2009.
She first became a faculty member at Tufts in 1983, and rose through the ranks to become an Associate Clinical
Professor, specializing in oral health care for children and adolescents with special needs. She also served as the
former Director of the Medically Compromised Pediatric Patient Clinic, and as former Director of the
Postdoctoral Program in Pediatric Dentistry. She also practiced privately in several dental offices in Dedham,
Needham, and Newton.
The patients loved her, she had such a wonderful way with them, said Dr. Meletia Laskou, Clinical Associate
Professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry. Especially the kids with special needs. And the parents
she would translate for those who spoke Spanish, and she was a favorite for many of them.
Committed to improving the dental health of all children, regardless of their circumstances, she consulted in over
a dozen childrens health care agencies that focused on preventing and treating dental disease. She also helped
with the pilot launch of the Tufts Baby Clinic. Dr. Laskou, who was supervised by Dr. Camacho-Castro as a
resident at Tufts, said that as a faculty member, she was strict but fair, and deeply encouraging to all of the
students she worked with.
She had a big impact on a lot of lives, Dr. Laskou said. Thats what I want people to know. How important
her work was, and how important she was to us.
Laura is survived by her beloved daughter, Juliana, of Newton, and her brothers Sergio, Alejandro and Jorge, all
of Mexico. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Carlos Castro-Barrera, DI91, DG83 who also taught
at TUSDM for more than two decades.
Every day I hear her words in my head, I remember the things she taught me, Dr. Laskou said. Thats a good
teacher and a good friend the one that stays with you your entire life.

Department of Pediatric Dentistry

Tufts University School of Dental Medicine