Leonie Von Zesch graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1902. Upon her graduation, Von Zesch worked as a dental assistant but was not treated equally by the male dentists before opening her own practice in San Francisco. Her office was destroyed in during the 1906 earthquake, she decided to provide dental care for earthquake refugee with the US Army. Von Zesch had to hide her gender many times throughout her career and often was replaced by male dentists, and eventually moved to Alaska where she became the first female dentist in the state. In Alaska, Von Zesch travelled by dogsled to provide care to isolated villages. She finished up her career by working as the prison dentist in the California Institution for Women, and even trained some of the prisoners to be dental assistants.
