Dorothy Riggs Pitelka (born Dorothy Getchell Riggs, 13 September 1920 – 6 February 1994) was an American zoologist, protistologist, cancer researcher, and pioneer in applications of electron microscopy to zoology and protistology, known for her 1963 book Electron-Microscopic Structure of Protozoa.
The birth of their first child delayed Dorothy Patella's progress toward a Ph.D., which she received in 1948 under the supervision of Harold Kirby.
Her research for the dissertation involved the study of protozoan flagella by means of an electron microscope.
Together with her student Joanne Emmerman, Pitelka developed a procedure for growing fully active breast cells in culture.
Kazi is retired after a career as a concert violinist and principal violist for the Los Angeles Opera.