Our Team

As our dedicated dentist, Dr. Salibian loves being able to help patients smile with confidence by providing the treatments they need to maintain truly healthy teeth and gums. The satisfaction of knowing that they’ll have a better self-image moving forward is a wonderful feeling! Keep reading below if you’re interested in learning more about him.
 

Why Did You Want to Become a Dentist?

As a child, Dr. Salibian wanted to be the lead guitarist of a rock band. This dream did not sit well with his mother, so the next best choice was to become a doctor instead. It turned out to be the safer decision! During his final years in college, he was leaning towards medical school, but a friend recommended dental school as an alternative, and the seed was planted. The more he investigated oral healthcare, the more he felt compelled to pursue a career in dentistry. The ability to help people on a daily basis was an incredible draw. The rest, as they say, is history.

 

Where Did You Study Dentistry?

After graduating from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Dr. Salibian pursued his dental doctorate at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. He is currently a Fellow of the International Congress of Oral Implantology and used to teach at Tufts and the Forsyth Dental Hygiene School as well. He prioritizes continuing education in order to bring each patient the best of modern dentistry!

Education & Training

• Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine

• Completed a one-year fellowship in Implantology following dental school

• Undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts

Outside of the office, What Do You Like to Do?

Dr. Salibian’s father was a Korean War veteran, and his family moved from New York to Puerto Rico to eventually Massachusetts, where they settled in when he was a young child. He met his wife, Dr. Nayiri Ajoian, at a pharmacy school gala fundraiser while both were seated at the singles table, and they’ve been married for over a decade now. They have two children named Christian and Catalina.

As for personal hobbies, Dr. Salibian enjoys being on the go with activities like running, rowing, and cycle. He’s an avid skier and takes multiple ski trips each year. He also really enjoys playing basketball and has even passed down the passion to his son. After a long day, he unwinds with various shows on Netflix, Amazon, and cable. Among his friends, he’s known as a “walking fact book” and “that guy who knows a lot of lines from movies.” He’s got a great memory and especially enjoys learning about history and current events!

For Dr. Ajoian, the best part of being an optometrist is having the ability to help improve her patients’ quality of life. The gratification that comes when someone looks through their glasses or contact lenses for the first time and their face lights up in amazement as they finally see all the details they were missing is an incredible, joyful moment. Happy tears are even shed sometimes! These experiences are the driving force and fuel for her passion regarding eye care. Interested in learning more about her? Just keep reading below.
 

Why Did You Want to Become an Optometrist?

As long as she can remember, Dr. Ajoian has been fascinated by medicine! She would sit and watch medical documentaries on TV from the age of five, as well as chase ambulances down the street to see if she could help at the scenes of accidents. At the age of 12, she started squinting at the board at school, so she took a family trip to the local optometrist. When she put her new glasses on for the first time, it felt like magic, and she thought to herself that she wanted to learn how to help other people see more clearly too. All these years later, she’s never regretted that decision!

Where Did You Study Optometry?

Dr. Ajoian studied at Northeastern University and the University of Massachusetts before moving onto the New England College of Optometry in Boston, where she graduated with clinical honors. During her training, she learned from the best around the country, starting at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Portland, OR. There, she focused on ocular disease, low vision, and specialty contact lenses. Her next rotation was at The Braverman Eye Center in North Miami, FL, which involved pre/post-operative care for ocular surgeries such as cataracts, PRK, and LASIK. She trained in pediatrics and furthered her skills in cosmetic contact lenses at the South End Community Health Center. Finally, she finished up her clinical rotations at the University of Maryland Department of Ophthalmology in Baltimore, which involved a lot of specialty care such as glaucoma, cornea, and neuro-ophthalmology.

Today, in order to further advance her clinical acumen, Dr. Ajoian regularly attends symposiums, workshops, seminars, and the annual optometric conference. She is certified in orthokeratology and scleral lenses.

 

Outside of the Optometry Office, What Do You Like to Do?

Dr. Ajoian’s parents came to the United States when she was two years old, and she grew up in an Armenian/Greek household with an older sister and a younger brother. She met her husband Dr. David Salibian at the Oakley Country Club, and they’ve celebrated over a decade of marriage. Together, they have two children named Christian and Catalina, who are passionate YouTubers. Dr. Ajoian enjoys serving as their director, producer, videographer, editor, marketer, and manager. She also regularly does crafts with her daughter and watches basketball games with her son, who is a die-hard Celtics fan. During some “me time,” she and David watch various TV shows.

As for personal hobbies, Dr. Ajoian likes to run daily, play golf, go on family ski trips in the winter, visit Newport in the summer, and spend time by the ocean. She has a big passion for reading and doing puzzles of all kinds!

Dr. Talish Aghababayan is a graduate of University of California, Irvine where she received her Bachelor of Sciences Degree in Biological Sciences. She then received her doctorate in Optometry degree from the New England College of Optometry in 2017, graduating with clinical honors.

Dr. Aghababayan has history of training in primary eye care, geriatric, contact lens, and low vision clinics. Her internships include the VA Hospital in Newington, CT, South End Community Health Center, Dorchester Community Health Center and New England Eye Care. Besides primary eye care, Dr. Aghababayan has special interests and training in low vision and with the visually impaired. She is a member of the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (MABVI) and was the recipient of the distinguished Jane Falk Volunteer Award in 2018. In addition, she has helped bring low vision rehabilitation services to Armenia through the Armenian EyeCare Project (AECP).

Dr. Aghababayan is licensed in Massachusetts and is a member of the American Optometric Association as well as the Massachusetts Society of Optometrists.

Dr. Aghababayan is accepting new patients and is fully committed to provide quality eye care to every patient here at EyeSmile.