Dr. Dobre has a fundamental research interest in chronic kidney disease and its related metabolic and cardiovascular complications. She studied the role of acid-base abnormalities on cardiovascular disease in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC), a multicenter National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded study. Along with her team, she found the novel link between acid-base abnormalities and heart failure in CRIC. Dr. Dobre is currently funded by the NIH to study myocardial fibrosis in hypertensive patients with and without chronic kidney disease. Her long-term research goal is to determine the intricacies between chronic kidney disease and alterations in the heart structure and function leading to an increase in cardiovascular mortality.