Dr. Moana

Dr. Moana was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona and is the oldest of five children in her household. As a young child, Dr. Moana had always loved academics and sports, particularly basketball and track & field. Her exceptional grades and athletic abilities landed her an athletic scholarship to Arizona Christian University in Phoenix, Arizona; which was where her academic journey began in 2015. She pursued a bachelor’s degree in Biology while competing on the Women’s Basketball team, but after only one year, she decided to move back to Tucson to be with her family.

Instead of losing a year of academic learning from the sudden move, Dr. Moana quickly pivoted to land another athletic scholarship, this time at Pima Community College in Tucson. Her plans were to continue her education by completing general education classes towards her bachelor’s degree while still participating in a sport she loved. Then, in 2017, Dr. Moana was admitted to the University of Arizona where she pursued a bachelor’s degree in Physiology. While completing her degree, Dr. Moana worked as a Writing Tutor at the University of Arizona as well as an Organic Chemistry Lab Preceptor. During this time, Dr. Moana had plans to continue on in medical school to eventually become an MD, as this had been her dream since childhood. However, in 2018 Dr. Moana participated in an undergraduate research opportunity and her dreams were changed forever. She realized that she loved research and was now set on pursuing a PhD. In her last year of undergrad, she applied to multiple PhD positions and was accepted to a graduate program at the University of Iowa. In May of 2019, Dr. Moana completed her bachelor’s degree in Physiology from the University of Arizona and by July of the same year, she was living in an apartment in Iowa City, ready to begin her doctoral studies.

Dr. Moana’s doctoral research began under the guidance of her mentor, Dr. David Roman, at the University of Iowa. Her research focused on triple negative breast cancer; a cancer that is hard to treat and currently is only treatable through chemotherapy or surgery. Dr. Moana was able to discover new molecules that acted on a specific pathway critical for triple negative breast cancer proliferation and migration. During her doctoral career, she presented her work at multiple local, regional, and national conferences across the US and published her work in peer-reviewed journals. While completing her studies, Dr. Moana was involved in the Graduate Education and Research Committee where she advocated for best practices in graduate training and participated in programs where she mentored high school and undergraduate students in wet lab research. She served as an Executive Organizer for the Midwest Medicinal Chemistry Conference where she worked with two other graduate students to compose and run a multiday scientific conference. She also received the prestigious NIH Pharmacological Training Grant (T32) as well as other travel grants, fellowships, and awards that funded her PhD journey. Dr. Moana completed her PhD studies in May of 2025.

After completing her PhD, Dr. Moana has been actively navigating new opportunities to support other students looking to pursue higher education. Her love for teaching and mentoring students has always been a cornerstone of her career, from working as a writing tutor to mentoring junior graduate students. As a minority woman in STEM who was the first in her family to complete a doctoral degree, Dr. Moana has first-hand experience in navigating the complex landscape of graduate education. She knows that pathways change suddenly, as evident by her own twisting journey, and is skilled in helping students pivot from one path to another. She is also experienced in finding funding sources for students who come from underrepresented backgrounds and skilled in turning disadvantages into advantageous qualities. Dr. Moana doesn’t just consider herself a scientist, she prides herself on being a mentor who understands the anxieties and ambitions of applicants and has dedicated herself to guiding the next generation of scientists.

In her free time, Dr. Moana loves to spend time with her partner Jared and their two dogs and cats, exploring Iowa City. Although she has not participated in collegiate sports for a while, she still enjoys shooting hoops at local recreation centers or playing volleyball with her friends. She also enjoys making art, baking, and creative writing.