Dobrawa Napierala, PhD

Dr. Dobrawa Napierala is an Associate Professor, School of Dental Medicine, Center for Craniofacial Regeneration, University of Pittsburgh.  Prior to her appointment to Pitt in 2016, Dr. Napierala held positions at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL (2011-2016), and Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX (2008-2011). Dr. Napierala received an MSc, Biotechnology in 1995 from the A. Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland.  In 1999 she received a PhD in Chemical Sciences/Biochemistry from the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan, Poland.  She completed her post-doctoral training in molecular biology and genetics from Baylor College of Medicine (1999-2008).  Most recently, Dr. Napierala received the following honors:

• Bone Disease Program of Texas, Research Award (2010)
• American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, John Haddad Young Investigator Award (2010)
• National Dental Honor Society, Honorary Membership, Phi Phi Chapter of Omicron Kappa Upsilon (2015)
• President, Mineralized Tissue Group, International Association for Dental Research (2017-18)

Dr. Napierala serves as a manuscript reviewer for many professional journals, including but not limited to:  Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, Journal of Dental Research, Gene, and Calcified Tissue International. A list of her current research interests includes:

• Molecular and cellular biology of the mineralization process.
• Genetic diseases and animal models of skeletal and dental development and homeostasis.
• Phosphate signaling in mineralizing tissues.
• Regeneration and repair of mineralizing tissues.
• Biogenesis of mineralization-competent extracellular vesicles.

View a list of Dr. Napierala’s publications here.