Teaching & Research Interests
In the classroom, Dr. Moloney creates an inclusive and welcoming environment. Her teaching philosophy is that biology is for everyone, and she loves the challenge of changing the minds of students who have been told they are “not a science person”. She is passionate about biomedical sciences and enjoys incorporating concepts related to human health and disease into all of her basic science courses. Dr. Moloney loves hands on lab work and incorporates techniques in the classroom that students will use in laboratory careers. Lab procedures are often multi-step processes with many opportunities for making mistakes, getting no results, learning from those mistakes, and trying again. Dr. Moloney believes lab science is a great way to foster resilience under pressure and love of learning and growth.
Dr. Moloney’s research focuses on cellular mechanisms of resistance to cancer treatment. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology with a biomedical concentration from Bridgewater State University. At BSU she conducted research on the inhibition of chemotherapy-induced apoptosis by heat shock proteins in retinoblastoma. She went on to earn a PhD in cellular and molecular medicine from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where she studied the tyrosine kinase inhibitor crenolanib and its activity against acute myeloid leukemia with resistance conferring point mutations in the receptor tyrosine kinase FLT3. Dr. Moloney continued her study of TKI resistance in a postdoctoral fellowship at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Dr. Moloney continues to be interested in cancer cell signaling and mechanisms of resistance to treatment. She is currently collaborating on a project with Dr. Julia Saloni and Dr. Joshua Havelin studying molecular imprinting of chemotherapeutic agents as a potential mechanism to reduce off target toxicity.
Degrees
- Ph.D., Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
- B.S., Biology, Bridgewater State University
Publications
- Galanis A, Ma H, Rajkhowa T, Ramachandran A, Small D, Cortes J, Levis M. Crenolanib is a potent inhibitor of FLT3 with activity against resistance-conferring point mutants. Blood. 2014; 123(1): 94-100.
- Ma H, Nguyen B, Duffield A, Li L, Galanis A, Williams A, Brown P, Levis M, Leahy D, Small D. FLT3 kinase inhibitor TTT-3002 overcomes both activating and drug resistance mutations in FLT3 in acute myeloid leukemia. Cancer Research. 2014; 74(18): 5206-5217.
- Galanis A, Levis M. Inhibition of c-Kit by tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Haematologica. 2015; 100(3): e77-e79.
- Mowafy S, Galanis A, Doctor ZM, Paranal RM, Lasheen DS, Farag NA, Jänne PA, Abouzid KA. Toward discovery of mutant EGFR inhibitors; Design, synthesis and in vitro biological evaluation of potent 4-arylamino-6-ureido and thioureido-quinazoline derivatives. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry. 2016; 22(16): 3501-3512.
Courses Taught
- BI111 Principles in Cellular and Molecular Biology w/ lab
- BI205 Contemporary Issues in Biology
- BI211 Human Anatomy & Physiology I w/ lab
- BI215 Human Anatomy & Physiology II w/ lab
- BI220 Microbiology w/ lab
- BI260 Introduction to Nutrition
- BI350 Human Genetics w/ lab
- BI411 Advanced Cell Biology w/ lab
Campus Involvement
- Advisor, Active Minds at Thomas College
- Safety Committee
- Faculty Enrollment Committee
Honors & Awards
- Excellence in Teaching Award 2025-2026
- Club and Organization Advisor of the Year Thomas College 2021-2022
