Meet the Team

Dr. Allison Pederson grew up in Tucson, Arizona. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona, graduating magna cum laude. After completing her undergraduate degree Dr. Pederson obtained a master’s degree in physiological sciences at the University of Arizona studying therapies for neurologic injuries. 

Dr. Pederson attended Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine in Glendale, Arizona where she discovered her passion for pediatric dentistry. She continued her dental education by completing her pediatric dental residency at the Indiana University School of Dentistry and Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, Indiana. During Dr. Pederson’s residency, she received advanced training in caring for medically complex patients and those with special healthcare needs. She also received a Master of Science in Dentistry degree for her research that studied outcomes of office-based anesthesia for pediatric dental procedures and obtained a minor in child psychology. Upon completion of Dr. Pederson’s pediatric training, she was honored to receive the prestigious Ralph. E. McDonald Scholar Award for outstanding performance in pediatric dentistry. 

Dr. Pederson is a diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and an active member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Dental Association. 

Despite all her degrees and prestigious awards, she just wants to be known as Dr. Alli and she loves joking around with kids during their appointments.  

It may not seem like attending this small midwestern school was foreshadowing that she would end up in Arizona, but it was. Just as ASU started out as the Territorial Normal College, Wayne State started out as the Nebraska Normal School. So there you go, destiny!

Dr. Coffin had a more obvious destiny though, dentistry. She knew she wanted to be in medicine and help people. 

She was drawn to dentistry because she liked the way it allowed her to work with her hands and blended science with art. She went on to earn her Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. 

Dr. Coffin went on to complete her residency in pediatric dentistry. She enjoys being a pediatric dentist because seeing her patients every 6 months allows her to really get to know them as they grow up. 

In addition to taking care of her patients at Arcadia Pediatric Dental, she has dedicated herself to helping kids from less fortunate circumstances have access to quality dental care. She has made three dental mission trips to Haiti and another one to Honduras to provide free dental care.  

Dr. Coffin is a member of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentists. 

Chances are the first smile you see when you come to Arcadia Pediatric Dental is Taby Barraza. She has been in the dental field for almost 15 years. She has worked throughout all the administrative roles of the office so if you have a question, Taby probably knows the answer.  

Taby is not only bilingual, but she also knows all the medical jargon as well. She received her Medical Interpreter Certification from Phoenix Children’s Hospital.