Dr. Alexandra Porfir, Co-Founder of Correct Sleep, earned her DDS degree from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy College of Dentistry in Timisora, Romania in 2001, marking the beginning of a long illustrious orthodontics/craniofacial medical education. In 2002, Alex relocated to Chicago where she earned a Master's of Science degree in Oral Sciences (2003) and a PhD in BioEngineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago (2006). She earned her Orthodontic Certificate from the Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas Texas (2008), with clinical and surgical training in the correction of craniofacial deformities and malocclusions (misaligned teeth).
Alex served as a graduate research assistant under the guidance and tutelage of Drs. Carla Evans DDS, DMSc, Liu Hong MD, PhD, and Jeremy Mao, DDS, PhD at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the Departments of Orthodontics and Bioengineering, as well as with Dr. Carmen Colojoara DDS, PhD in the Department of Oral Rehabilitation in Romania.
In 2014, she completed a year-long residency at the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain, where she became interested in the rehabilitation rights of all humans facing the debilitating effects of sleep deprivation caused by respiratory, skeletal, and dental disorders. She is currently a member of the American Association of Orthodontics and its Foundation association, and a fellow in the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine (AIMH), "an interprofessional association of integrative clinicians who embrace a person-centered, team-based approach to health care."
Alex is a prolific researcher and writer, authoring a nearly three dozen abstracts, presentations, and articles on skeletal and craniofacial topics; from cellular and anabolic responses to sutures and high-frequency tensile and compressive forces, to magnetic resonance microscopy, and adipose tissue engineering by human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In addition, she has authored the books, Oral Rehabilitation and Dental Emergencies: Patients with medical risk in dental practice (2001), and The Patient's Oral Rehabilitation: The basic principles in investigation, diagnosis and treatment methods (2000), both published by C.Colojoara, M. Miron (LITO-UMFT), in Romania.
Since 2010, Alex has been a full-time practitioner focusing on traditional orthodontics and craniofacial deformities, as well as the assessment and management of sleep breathing disorders in children and adults. Her specialty is the focus on the growth and development of the craniofacial skeleton, upper airway passages, and the neuro-emotional behavior arising from the maladies to these systems.
She has earned numerous grants, scholarships, and awards for her work in orthodontics, research, and for her scientific and academic excellence. Her volunteer activities while based in Romania include dental screening, prevention and promotion of oral health for orphans and underprivileged districts, as well as the promotion of dental-care education for expectant mothers.