Alexandra Pietraszkiewicz, MD

Biography

Dr. Alexandra “Ola” Pietraszkiewicz is an ophthalmologist who specializes in adult neuro-ophthalmology and comprehensive ophthalmology in Belmont, NC and Pineville, NC. In addition to treating eye conditions stemming from the nervous system such as double vision, idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), optic neuropathies, and blepharospasm, Dr. Pietraszkiewicz provides comprehensive adult eye care including cataract surgery, glaucoma, and diabetic eye care.

She received her undergraduate degree in human science from Georgetown University and her medical degree from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. After completing her internship and ophthalmology residency at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Dr. Pietraszkiewicz completed her fellowship in neuro-ophthalmology at the University of Utah.

Outside of the office, Dr. Pietraszkiewicz enjoys spending time with her husband and dog, art, live music, and travel.

Dr. Pietraszkiewicz practices in our Belmont (400 Park Street, Belmont, NC) and Pineville (10405 Centrum Parkway, Pineville, NC) offices. To make an appointment with her, call 704-295-3000. You can also request an appointment online or through myCEENTAchart.

Education & Fellowship

Undergraduate
Georgetown University, cum laude, 2014

Medical
University of Connecticut School of Medicine, 2019

Internship
Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, 2020

Residency
Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, 2023
Chief Resident

Fellowship
Neuro-Ophthalmology, University of Utah, 2024

Associations & Memberships

Board Certified by:

• American Board of Ophthalmology

Member of:

• American Academy of Ophthalmology
• North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society

Awards

• Inpatient Resident of the Month, Sinai Hospital, 2019
• Professional Honors in Scholarship, UConn School of Medicine, 2018
• Outstanding Research Award, UConn School of Medicine, 2017

Research

Dr. Pietraszkiewicz worked in laboratories throughout undergraduate and medical school. During medical school, she spent an additional year at the National Institutes of Health through the Medical Research Scholars Program where she studied the genetics of age-related macular degeneration and biomarkers of ocular graft- versus- host disease. She has presented at national society meetings including The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), and the North American Neuro-Ophthalmology Society Annual Meeting (NANOS).  

She wrote an editorial for Glaucoma Today on a Holistic Approach to Glaucoma Care. Listen here: https://music.youtube.com/watc...;

Dr. Pietraszkiewicz also co-authored a book chapter on Diplopia and Strabismus for the Elsevier Reference Collection in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology. 

She has contributed to the following publications: 

A. Pietraszkiewicz, A. Ayesha, K. Digre, J. Warner, M. Seay, A. Crum, B. Katz, “Diagnostic dilemma: Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy in a 70-year-Old woman.” American Journal of Ophthalmology Case Reports. 2024 Aug 30. 

A. Pietraszkiewicz, D. Payne, M. Abraham, A. Garced, K. Devarasetty, M. Wall, S. Menezes, S. Ugarte, F. Pirsl, S. Goklemez, F. Ferris, J. Barrett, M. Battiwalla, R. Childs, S. Pavletic, R. Bishop. “Ocular Surface Indicators and Biomarkers in Chronic Ocular Graft-versus-Host Disease: A Prospective Cohort Study in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients.” Bone Marrow Transplantation. 2021 Mar 8. DOI: 10.1038/s41409-021-01254-5.  

A. Pietraszkiewicz, C. Hampton, S. Caplash, L. Lei, Y. Capetanaki, G. Tadvalkar, S. Pal-Ghosh, MA Stepp, P. Bargagna-Mohan, R. Mohan. “Desmin deficiency is not sufficient to prevent corneal fibrosis.” Experimental Eye Research. 2019 Mar; 180: 155-163.  

R. Ratnapriya, K. Sosina, M. Starostik, M. Kwicklis, R. Kapphahn, L. Fritsche, A. Walton, M. Arvanitis, L. Geiser, A. Pietraszkiewicz, S. Montezuma, E. Chew, A. Battle, G. Abecasis, D. Ferrington, N. Chatterjee, A. Swaroop. “Retinal transcriptome and eQTL analyses identify genes associated with age-related macular degeneration.” Nature Genetics. 2019 Feb 11.  

B. Rohrer, A. Frazer-Abel, A. Leonard, R. Ratnapriya, T. Ward, A. Pietraszkiewicz, E. O’Quinn, K. Adams, A. Swaroop, B. Wolf. “Association of age-related macular degeneration with complement activation products, smoking, and single nucleotide polymorphisms in South Carolinians of European and African descent.” Molecular Vision. 2019 Feb 8; 25:79-92.  

A. Pietraszkiewicz, F. van Asten, A. Kwong, R. Ratnapriya, G. Abecasis, A. Swaroop, E. Y. Chew. “Association of Rare Predicted Loss-of-Function Variants in Cellular Pathways with Sub-Phenotypes in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.” Ophthalmology. 2018 Mar; 125(3):398-406.  

S. Shabbeer, D. Omer, D. Berneman, O. Weitzman, A. Alpaugh, A. Pietraszkiewicz, S. Metsuyanim, A. Shainskaya, M. Z. Papa, R. I. Yarden. “BRCA1 targets G2/M cell cycle proteins for ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation.” Oncogene. 2013 Oct 17; 32(42):5005-16. Epub 2012 Dec 17.  

R. Bajaj, F. Xu, B. Xiang, K. Wilcox, A. J DiAdamo, R. Kumar, A. Pietraszkiewicz, S. Halene, P. Li. “Evidence-based genomic diagnosis characterized chromosomal and cryptic imbalances in 30 elderly patients with myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia.” Molecular Cytogenetics. 2011 Jan 20; 4(3).