Administrative Assistant II

The Almarza Laboratory is housed in the Department of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine and is a member of the Center for Craniofacial Regeneration, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Bioengineering. The laboratory focuses on temporomandibular joint (TMJ) bioengineering, with active programs in tissue engineering, biomechanics, and the characterization of sensory neurons that innervate the joint. The overarching goal is to understand the biological and mechanical basis of TMJ disorders and to translate that knowledge into better diagnostics and treatments.

Dr. Almarza directs the CREATE Center (U54 DE035413), a five-site, NIH HEAL Initiative-funded research consortium on temporomandibular disorders (TMD) that includes the University of Pittsburgh, University of Florida, University at Buffalo, Texas A&M, and UT Health Houston. He also chairs the TMD IMPACT Steering Committee, which unites CREATE with the 360° CHAT-TMD and BETTER-TMD centers, and serves as Multiple PI on the RE-JOIN Consortium award (UC2 AR082196), which studies innervation of the knee and TMJ.