Dr. Patricia Miguez Named New Periodontics Chair at Penn Dental Medicine

Following a national search, University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine (Penn Dental Medicine) has named Patricia Miguez, D.D.S., Ph.D., M.S., to lead the Department of Periodontics. Her appointment as Chair was effective May 1.

Dr. Miguez comes to Penn Dental Medicine from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry where she has been part of the faculty since 2014, most recently as Associate Professor with tenure. This is her second appointment at Penn Dental Medicine, having served as Assistant Professor in the Department of Periodontics from 2011 to 2014.

A nationally and internationally recognized clinician-scientist, educator and leader in periodontology, her research has been funded by many organizations, including the National Institutes of Health, Osteology Foundation and Academy of Osseointegration. Dr. Miguez focuses on understanding the microenvironment around cells, specifically the extracellular matrix (ECM) and its biomodifications by enzymes, environment and diet and the implications to health and disease. Her research targets the discovery of novel ECM-derived or inspired synthetic therapeutics to treat inflammatory diseases and connective tissue disorders and aid in regenerative dentistry.

Dr. Miguez has been active on academic committees and in leadership roles within organized dentistry throughout her career. This includes serving as President of the International Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (IADR) Women in Science Network from 2024-25, as Fellow of the American Association for Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR) and Chair and member of multiple IADR, AADOCR, American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) and AAP Foundation committees.

She currently has editorial roles in several peer-reviewed journals—among them serving as Associate Editor in periodontics and regenerative dentistry for Frontiers in Dental Medicine and on the editorial Boards of the Journal of Dental Research, Scientific Reports and Journal of Periodontology.

A devoted mentor, Dr. Miguez has also been recognized for her own research with a range of awards, including the prestigious 2024 AAP E. Earl Robinson Regeneration Award, presented annually for the best research article in periodontal regeneration and since 2013, she has been a diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology. Dr. Miguez earned her Ph.D. in oral biology combined with a certificate in periodontology, an M.S. in operative dentistry from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Adams School of Dentistry and holds a certificate in periodontology and a D.D.S. from Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Courtesy of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine