Justina P. Tavanā, PhD, MBA

Research Faculty Member | Brigham Young University

Dr. Justina “Tina” Tavanā is a Research Faculty member in the Department of Biology at Brigham Young University. With over a decade of experience, she specializes in the genetics of Alzheimer's disease and rheumatic heart disease, particularly within Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) communities. She and her team have successfully recruited over 2,000 participants, forming the first NHPI dementia cohort, which includes individuals from the United States, Samoa, and Tonga. They have collected and analyzed DNA samples from this cohort to identify and explore genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Tavanā's work also focuses on developing linguistically and culturally appropriate dementia diagnostic tools tailored specifically for Pacific Islanders.