Nina is an Akron, Ohio native currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Design at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio (OSU). Before enrolling in graduate school, Nina completed the last three years of her undergraduate studies at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications Design and a Minor in Sustainability Studies. For her first year of undergraduate studies, Nina attended the University of Notre Dame before transferring to Pratt for a more rigorous design education.

While Nina's professional practice primarily focuses on branding—specializing in logo design—she possesses a variety of design skills due to her diverse undergraduate studies in user experience and interface (UX/UI) design, co-design, speculative design, and more. 

Nina decided to continue her education at OSU to develop the design and research skills required to become a successful UX Researcher in healthcare, a career goal she is working toward. Furthermore, Nina aims to teach design at the collegiate level in the future.

Outside of her research and design practice, Nina's hobbies include hiking and kayaking, trying new recipes, reading mystery novels (usually by Ruth Ware), and spending time with her loved ones—especially her rescue dog, Suede.

In pursuit of her MFA degree, Nina is working on a thesis project interrogating the question: How can healthcare experiences be modified to provide more holistic care for individuals with chronic conditions? She plans to investigate this question by focusing on those living with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). 

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a prevalent, complex hormonal disorder linked to infertility, insulin resistance, mood disorders, and various other symptoms in women and individuals with ovaries and a uterus (Teede et al., 2010). Highlighted by recent studies of the lived experiences of individuals with PCOS, such as “‘I felt like she didn’t take me seriously’: a multi-methods study examining patient satisfaction and experiences with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in Canada,” PCOS emerges as a chronic condition in need of better care for those afflicted (Ismayilova & Yaya, 2022). This demand is intensified by the disorder’s significant impact, estimated to affect 4%-20% of reproductive-aged women globally (Deswal et al., 2020). While research about the condition has been increasing, research has shown that the amount of research being conducted is still insufficient given the condition's high prevalence (Cai et al., 2023).