Dr. Chris Mayeda is a Culver City High School graduate and earned dual degrees from the University of California, San Diego majoring in Psychology and Biology.
Chris entered the United States Air Force in 1998 while attending the USC School of Dentistry and commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant. Upon graduation, he was assigned to the 88th Dental Squadron at Wright Patterson Air Force Base Medical Center where he completed an Advanced Education in General Dentistry Residency.
During his assignment to Misawa Air Base, Japan; Chris established the first goodwill basketball game and cultural day between U.S. military youth and the local Japanese club team from Aomori Prefecture. He was named Company Grade Officer of the Quarter. He continued on to an Air Force Institute of Technology post-graduate assignment to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital where he completed his residency in Pediatric Dentistry.
As a career dental officer, he has served in some of the most distinguished positions in the U.S. Air Force Dental Corps including Chief of Pediatric Dentistry at Travis Air Force Base and Medical Group Infection Control Officer for David Grant, USAF, Medical Center. In 2010, he was named Air Mobility Command’s Junior Clinical Dentist of the Year.
After serving 11 years as an active duty Air Force member, Colonel Mayeda transferred to the Air Force Reserves, where he served as the Chief of Dental Services for the Expeditionary Mobility Deployable Hospital for the 349th Medical Squadron. His most recent assignment was at the 452nd Aeromedical Squadron at March Air Reserve Base.
Lieutenant Colonel Mayeda retired with numerous medals, awards and achievements. Serving in the Air Force was a continuing tradition of military service for Mayeda, whose father served in the Army during the Korean Conflict and two Uncles Army veterans of World War II. Mayeda was honored to carry on the family tradition and will have two nephews join the ranks this fall into the Marine Corps.
Dr. Mayeda holds an appointment with the Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC as Assistant Professor and is currently the Pediatric Dentistry Residency Program Director at the Children’s Dental Health Clinic at Miller Children’s Hospital in Long Beach. He is married, has two children and resides in Southern California.