​

Dr. Martha Hardaway enjoys spending time with family and friends.  She has two adult stepchildren who live in Brooklyn and Philadelphia.  She has lots of fur-babies, two dogs and two cats.  Hiking with the dogs is one of her favorite pastimes and she has set a goal to visit all 41 North Carolina State Parks. Dr. Hardaway enjoys reading, but even more than that she enjoys audiobooks where someone reads the book to her!  Seeing live music also brings her lots of joy.  In the past few years, Dr. Hardaway has started playing tennis and loves it.  Her team this year is undefeated and qualified to play in the USTA State Championships this June.  She keeps trying to be a successful beekeeper, but so far is failing at that.  If you didn't already guess, she really loves birds.

In addition to practicing dentistry here in the US,

Dr. Hardaway finds time to volunteer her skill set to help children in underserved communities.  She has traveled to the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Mexico on dental mission trips for many years.  Her next trip will be to Mexico in February 2022.

Dr. Hardaway got involved with organized dentistry early in her career and remains committed to this volunteer service to this day in hopes of being part of the betterment of the profession.  She served on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Southeastern Society of Pediatric Dentistry (SSPD) from 2007-2020.  She served in many roles for the Society and was honored to be the President in 2016.  Currently, Dr. Hardaway serves as the District III Director on the Board of Directors of the College of Diplomates of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.  She is an active member of the Tarheel Dental Society, North Carolina Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, Southeastern and Southwestern Societies of Pediatric Dentistry, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, American Board of Pediatric Dentistry, and the College of Diplomates.

Before all that, she went to school for a long long time.  She received her undergraduate degrees in biology and chemistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  After a few years working in biology research including pediatric endocrinology, one biology, and evolutionary biology, she earned her Doctorate in Dental Medicine from the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.  She then returned to UNC where she completed a three-year advanced education certification in pediatric dentistry.  She jumped through all the additional hoops to complete her board certification, becoming a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry.  She is also honored as a Fellow by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry for service and leadership in her field.

Dr. Hardaway’s desire to pursue pediatrics stemmed from her love of helping children that began as a lifeguard and swim instructor and continued through pediatric bone disease research and culminated in her final career choice as a pediatric dentist.  She has extensive experience treating the preventive and restorative needs of children, adolescents, and patients with special healthcare needs.  She strives to create an environment that is nurturing for both children and their parents.

​

Dr. Parisa Tashakkori grew up in Boone, North Carolina, and is thrilled to return to her hometown!  We locals call this the “Boone-erang”.  She is excited to have an opportunity to practice pediatric dentistry and serve the community where she grew up.  Dr. Parisa loves hiking, climbing, gardening, and spending time with family and friends.  She shares Dr. Hardaway’s love of honey bees and birds.

Dr. Parisa also went to school for a long long time.  Right here in the High Country, she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and Biology from Appalachian State University. She then moved to Greenville, North Carolina, where she attended East Carolina School of Dental Medicine and upon graduation was inducted into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon National Dental Honor Society as well as presented with the Academy of Dentistry International Student Servant Leadership Award. While in dental school, Dr. Tashakkori was involved in many leadership and service groups such as dental student government, academy of pediatric dentistry, and interprofessional health science leadership council, to name a few. After graduating from dental school Dr. Tashakkori moved to Durham, North Carolina, where she was a member of the Academy of General Dentistry and worked in private practice for a few years where her passion for pediatric dentistry grew. She decided to pursue a specialty in pediatric dentistry at Bon Secours St. Mary’s Hospital Pediatric Dentistry Residency in Richmond, Virginia, where she trained in hospital and community dentistry treating a diverse patient group with a wide range of dental and medical healthcare needs.