Meet Dr. Kathleen Sauchelli
Dr. Sauchelli was born in Newark N.J. as the youngest of three children. She was raised in a family with a mother who worked full time as an operating room nurse and a father who thought his daughter should and could have every opportunity his sons had. Her eldest brother became an anesthesiologist and the other a dentist as well as a lawyer.
She attended East Orange Catholic High School where she was the winner of a citywide design contest for the bicentennial flag for the city of East Orange. She then attended Rutgers University in Newark where she earned a Biology degree and an Art History Minor finishing Phi Beta Kappa with honors. To support herself through college she worked as a short order cook, babysitter, apartment cleaner, Laundromat manager, liquor store cashier and a pharmacy clerk.
Following college she began her career as a research scientist at Hoffman La-Roche doing research on rheumatoid arthritis, publishing a number of articles. She also spent two years as a member of the Montclair Volunteer Ambulance Unit and a student in the local adult art school.
Dr. Sauchelli wanted to do something that would incorporate her love of science, art and people. In 1983 she decided to enter UMDNJ Dental School where she earned her Doctor of Medical Dentistry degree. While in dental school, Dr. Sauchelli served as the president of the student government association and received many awards upon graduation, including the Gillis Award and the induction into the Dental Honor Society, OKU.
She began her career in 1987 working for one of her professors, Larry Churgin, in Bloomfield N.J, while also attending NYU for a mini residency in prosthodontics. She opened her own practice in 1991 and in 2001 she purchased her current location.
Dr. Sauchelli currently resides in Boonton Township with her husband. She has three children, Catie, Cole, and stepson Kyle. Her current interests include reading and art, although Dentistry is still her first love.
“I consider myself very fortunate to love what I do. The craft of dentistry is endlessly satisfying to me. Everyday there is a new and challenging puzzle to solve while visiting with someone who I haven’t seen in a while to catch up on life and family and share stories.”