Dr. Coates was born in Washington, DC and grew up in Prince George's County, MD. After High School, she matriculated to Duke University in Durham, NC. Wanting to become a Dentist since she was 14yo, Dr. Coates' dream came true when she graduated from the Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry in Nashville, TN and later completed a Pediatric Residency
Program and Masters Degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has been very involved in organized dental organizations such as The National Dental Association and The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD). Dr. Coates was a member of the AAPD Board of Trustees from 2016-2019. She also participated in the AAPD Leadership Institute Cohort II (2007-2009) at Northwestern University, and is also a participant in the AAPD Advanced Leadership Institute Cohort III at the University of Pennsylvania (2022-2023). She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated as well as The Links, Incorporated. She joined the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, VCU School of Dentistry in August of 2021. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, traveling, reading, dancing, learning how to play golf, arts and crafts, and the performing arts.
