Faculty Highlights

Dr. Hia Datta, Associate Professor Communication Sciences and Disorders

Dr. Hia Datta is an Associate Professor in Communication Sciences and Disorders at Molloy University. She is also the Program Director for the BS Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology program and Program Director for the PhD in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Dr. Datta obtained her Ph.D in Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences from the CUNY Graduate Center. While she actively publishes across a range of topics both intra and inter-professionally, her primary research agenda focuses primarily on investigating the brain bases of language processing in children and adults. She teaches courses at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels in Neural Bases of Communication, Adult Neurogenic Disorders and Research.

Dr. Datta’s passion for sharing knowledge uniquely integrates teaching and scholarly activity. She annually leads and mentors a full undergraduate cohort of Speech-Language Pathology/Audiology students through a rigorous program wherein each student completes and presents an original, research project.  Dr. Datta’s love for this work led her to design a Ph. D in Communication Sciences and Disorders program at Molloy. While this program is in its infancy, the invaluable mentorship provided to her Ph. D students is just as evident as that provided to her undergraduate and master’s level students.

Dr. Datta’s career at Molloy is an exemplar of an academic with a clinical perspective, and passions for teaching and service. As a certified speech-language pathologist and audiologist in India, she brings a strong connection between theory and practice to her scholarship and her teaching.  Dr. Datta’s commitment to Molloy’s mission is further exemplified in her service. She is regularly engaged in a variety of activities, benefiting the community at Molloy, as her service to the Communication Sciences and Disorders community is well known. When not in the classroom, or lab, you will find her engrossed in peer reviews.

Maria Mazalkova, Associate Professor, Cardiovascular Technology

Maria Mazalkova is an Associate Professor in the School Of Nursing and Health Sciences. She teaches in the Cardiovascular Technology Program, part of the Allied Health Sciences Department. A medical doctor with over 25 years of experience, specializing in Cardiology and Echocardiography, Maria has over 25 years of clinical experience and 20 years of teaching. 

Being an advisor of the Cardiovascular Technology Club, brings her great joy and satisfaction. The goal of the program is to spread awareness of various risk factors of cardiovascular disease, and teach the Molloy community how to take care of their hearts. Over the years, there have been many fundraisers and events at Molloy where we highlight healthy lifestyle and diet choices, and provide important information about the risk factors for heart disease.

This year she was especially proud of the event with the Nursing Department talking about Heart Diversity. This event delved into ethics, cultural sensitivity, and treatment options for patients from different backgrounds. Fundraising goes to support the Long Island chapter of the Children’s Heart Foundation. Maria is proud to announce that since 2019, over $4000 has been donated to the organization. What could be better and more meaningful than giving a child with congenital disease a chance at life changing surgery? She finds this incredibly rewarding. 

Also a member of the Heart Health Community at Molloy, which promotes hands on CPR skills, Maria believes that knowledge is power. You can save a life, if you know how. That’s why throughout the year, she travels with her students to different middle and high schools teaching faculty and students hands on CPR. Multiple CPR training sessions are also held at Molloy in the lobby of Public Square.

Since her Alma Mater is located in Grodno, Belarus, Maria keeps a close relationship with her medical university. She has over 10 publications about the physiological aspects of the heart muscle oxygenation process in patients with coronary artery disease. Maria is also interested in metabolic changes in the myocardium with different risk factors like diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidemia. Everything about the heart fascinates her! 

Dr. Aliya Kuerban - Professor of Nursing

Dr. Aliya Kuerban is a Professor of Nursing at Molloy University and a practicing Family Nurse Practitioner with over a decade of clinical experience, specializing in home-based care for underserved populations. With a unique academic background that bridges sociology and nursing, Dr. Kuerban leverages her training in quantitative analysis and public health to address complex health disparities, particularly among Asian immigrant communities. She is a CDC-certified National Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Coach and has designed and led a structured, home-based exercise program for Asian adults aimed at improving metabolic health—an initiative funded by Molloy University’s Faculty Scholarship & Academic Advancement Grant in 2023.

Dr. Kuerban’s research focuses on immigrant health disparities, diabetes management, and access to mental health services among Asians in the United States. She is an expert in the secondary analysis of large national datasets and has published widely on topics such as the healthy migrant effect, cultural and linguistic barriers to care, and the integration of biostatistics into nursing education. Her peer-reviewed work appears in top journals including the Journal of Immigrant and Migrant Health, the Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, and the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities. Through both scholarship and service, Dr. Kuerban remains deeply committed to advancing health equity and developing culturally tailored interventions to improve outcomes for vulnerable populations.