Members of the Taparra Lab promote an inclusive, collaborative, and multidirectional-learning research environment. We engage with research scholars from around the country with the shared goal of advancing NHPI health. We welcome new collaborations to foster a research community passionate about the health and wellbeing of NHPI communities. Join Us!
Dr. Kekoa Taparra is a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and the Department of Radiation Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine. As a physician-scientist with multidisciplinary training across basic science, clinical medicine, and public health, Dr. Taparra conducts research at the intersection of molecular oncology, survivorship, health services, and cancer disparities.
He earned his PhD in Cellular and Molecular Medicine from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he studied the molecular mechanisms of oncogene-induced senescence and reprogramming in lung cancer through a novel sugar metabolism pathway. He was funded by a NIH NCI F31 Award under the mentorship of Dr. Phuoc Tran. He then pursued his MD at the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, graduating with a certification in the Science of Health Care Delivery. During his medical training, he focused on identifying strategies to reduce cardiotoxicity from cancer therapies and quantifying bleomycin-induced pulmonary toxicity in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma. To further integrate population health perspectives into his research, he completed his MPH at Hawaiʻi Pacific University as a Graduate Merit Scholar. His thesis applied complex survey analysis methods to nationally representative datasets from the National Cancer Institute.
Dr. Taparra completed his clinical residency and postdoctoral medical fellowship at Stanford University in the Department of Radiation Oncology. He trained under nationally recognized leaders in the field, gaining comprehensive experience in treating a broad range of cancers using advanced technologies in radiation therapy. His current research spans prostate cancer survivorship, comorbidity burden in cancer, the role of GLP-1 receptor agonists in oncology, climate health, and Pacific Islander health. He is particularly interested in bridging molecular and clinical research with population-level data to improve cancer health equity.
Dr. Taparra has authored over 80 peer-reviewed publications and several book chapters, with work published in leading journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, The Lancet, and JAMA. His research has received support from ASTRO, ASCO, AACR, ASH, AHA, NIH, Stanford, Mayo Clinic, and the National Medical Fellowships, among others - including the inaugural ASCO Conquer Cancer Foundation Endowed Dr. Judith and Alan Kaur Young Investigator Award as well as a Robert A. Winn Career Development Award.
As a Native Hawaiian born and raised on Oʻahu and as a graduate of the Kamehameha Schools, Dr. Taparra is committed to improving health equity for underserved communities, with a particular interest in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander health. At UCLA, he leads a diverse research team that contextualizes cancer disparities through cultural, clinical, and policy lenses. He is passionate about mentoring the next generation of physician-scientists, working with over 20 undergraduate, graduate, and medical trainees in his lab. As a member of the inaugural cohort of the Obama Foundation Leaders USA program, he is equally dedicated to leadership, community engagement, and advocacy in academic medicine and public health. He holds a steadfast mission to make advancements across the cancer care continuum for all patients, so they can live healthier and longer lives.