Meet Dr. Inna Gellerman of Gellerman Orthodontics. Get to know her below!
Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in town?
My family and I emigrated from the former Soviet Union in 1991. I lived with my family and newborn daughter in Brooklyn while attending NYU undergraduate. After opening up my orthodontic practice in Huntington, I fell in love with the charm of this community and wanted to raise my daughter here. We moved and she began at Cold Spring Harbor High School in the fall of 2005.
Child(ren) and Age(s)?
I’m a proud parent and grandparent of two beautiful girls. And I am enjoying both roles.
One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
Over the years I developed a green thumb. I would not call myself a professional gardener, but I like to learn about plants and different ways to nourish them and bring them back to life. When someone mentions they are ready to give up on a houseplant (usually my daughter), I’m always ready to give it a home and help it flourish.
Anyone special you would like to thank for helping you through parenthood?
I was a fairly young mother, a recent immigrant in a new country, educating myself in not only a new language but a new way of life. I relied on my parents, my grandparents and my husband’s family so I could study and work.
My daughter and I also planned our vacations around my continuing education conferences, she went to many lectures with me — I can’t imagine how bored she must have been, in a life prior to smart phones. I was lucky, my daughter was an extremely easy-going child and made my life easy.
Favorite things to do with your kids?
I love to travel with my family and expose them to new things, which we’re looking forward to doing again.
When my daughter was little, she was constantly reading in bed way past her bedtime. Instead of turning off her lights, I would lay next to her and study. Today, without bedtimes and with different homes, she will come over and read with me on my couch, until we are interrupted by my granddaughter, who tries to read to us instead.
Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor, or in the corporate world? Please share!
I started my practice at a time when most orthodontists were men, and most women did not own their own businesses. I support women-owned business when I can, provide pro bono services to community members who need help and I do a lot of volunteer work. The focus of my community work is on supporting education and future leaders of our community. We have an internship program in the practice for high school students considering a career in dentistry and orthodontics.
For six years, I organized and sponsored a one-day fundraising event called Kiss Cancer Good-Bye, to raise money for Kids Need MORE, which supports children and siblings with cancer and other serious illnesses.
I support STEM education, especially for girls, and women and children’s health and well-being. Here are the main organizations where I serve on the board:
- Dentists for a Better Huntington – Treasurer
- Junior Welfare League of Huntington – Secretary, Vice President Membership and in charge of the Diane C. Cook Memorial Healthcare Scholarship
- Pink Aid Long Island – Advisory Council, Co-Chair Pink Aid Luncheon 2021 and now on the grants committee
- The Heckscher Museum of Art – Former member of the Board of Trustees and a long-time sponsor of LI’s Best, a juried high school art exhibition.
I’m proud to sponsor the Robotics Team at Huntington High School, the Robotics Team at Cold Spring Harbor High School, the Cold Spring Harbor Educational Foundation, the Huntington Foundation for Excellence in Education (HFEE), and the Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum. I also support a number of programs at the YMCA of Huntington, a number of events for the Townwide Fund of Huntington, and the office routinely donates raffle baskets to many schools and area nonprofits.
How has this community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
I’m well known in Huntington as a person who cares about the community and the people who live here. It’s a lot of time and a lot of effort, but I feel like we all have a responsibility to make our community a better place, and everyone has some way in which they can contribute.
I have been honored by a number of organizations in the community…. the Huntington Foundation for Excellence in Education (HFEE) and the Townwide Fund of Huntington. There are a number of proclamations on my office wall from various officials in Town of Huntington and New York State recognizing my community work. I was also named to Long Island Business News’ Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business and received the Best Practice Award for Customer Service from The New York Enterprise Report.
You can follow Dr. Gellerman on Instagram or visit Gellerman Orthodontics website to learn more about their services!