Bio

Moya is the Faculty Director of the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE).

She is the author of The Social Imperative: Race, Close Reading, and Contemporary Literary Criticism (Stanford UP 2016) and Learning From Experience: Minority Identities, Multicultural Struggles (UC Press 2002). She has co-edited three collections of original essays including Doing Race: 21 Essays for the 21st Century (W.W. Norton, Inc. 2010), Identity Politics Reconsidered (Palgrave 2006) and Reclaiming Identity: Realist Theory and the Predicament of Postmodernism (UC Press 2000). 

Her teaching and research focus on twentieth-century and early twenty-first century literary studies, feminist theory, critical theory, narrative theory, speculative fiction, interdisciplinary approaches to race and ethnicity, and Chicano/a and U.S. Latina/o studies.

At Stanford, Moya has served as the Director of the Research Institute of the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity (CCSRE), Director of the Program of Modern Thought and Literature (MTL), Vice Chair of the Department of English, and the Director of the Undergraduate Program of CCSRE. She has been the faculty coordinator of several faculty-graduate student research networks sponsored by the Stanford Humanities Center, the Research Institute for the Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, and Modern Thought and Literature. They include The Interdisciplinary Working Group in Critical Theory (2015-2016, 2012-2014), Feminist Theory (2007-08, 2002-03), Americanity / Coloniality / Modernity (2006-07), and How Do Identities Matter? (2003-06).

Moya was a co-PI of the Stanford Catalyst Motivating Mobility project, and team leader of the Perfecto Project, a fitness tracking app that combines narrative theory, social psychology, and UI/UX research to leverage culturally-specific narratives and artwork to encourage positive behavior change and healthier living in middle-aged and elderly Latinx populations. She was also a founding organizer and coordinating team member of The Future of Minority Studies research project (FMS), an inter-institutional, interdisciplinary, and multigenerational research project facilitating focused and productive discussions about the democratizing role of minority identity and participation in a multicultural society.

Moya has been a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, a Clayman Institute Fellow, a CCSRE Faculty Research Fellow, and a Ford Foundation posdoctoral fellow. She has also been the recipient of the Dean’s Award for Distinguished Teaching and an Outstanding Chicana/o Faculty Member award.

Academic Appointments

  • Professor, English
  • Professor (By courtesy), Iberian and Latin American Cultures
  • Professor (By courtesy), African and African American Studies
  • Member, Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance

Administrative Appointments

  • Director, Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, Stanford University (2021 - Present)
  • Director, Research Institute of Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, Stanford University (2016 - 2019)
  • Director of the Program in Modern Thought and Literature, Stanford University (2011 - 2015)
  • Vice-Chair, Department of English, Stanford University (2005 - 2008)
  • Director, Undergraduate Program in CCSRE, Stanford University (2002 - 2005)
  • Chair, Major in Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, Stanford University (2002 - 2005)

Honors & Awards

  • Burton J. and Deedee McMurtry Fellow in Undergraduate Education, Stanford University (2018-2027)
  • Faculty Fellow, Center for Advanced Study of Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) (2019-2020)
  • Dean's Award for Distinguished Teaching, Stanford University
  • Outstanding Chicana/o Faculty Member Award, Stanford University
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, Ford Foundation
  • Fellowship, Clayman Institute

Additional Program Affiliations

  • American Studies
  • Center for Latin American Studies
  • Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
  • Modern Thought and Literature

Professional Education

  • Ph.D., Cornell University (1998)
  • M.A., Cornell University (1995)
  • B.A., University of Houston (1991)

Contact

  • Academic
    pmoya@stanford.edu
    University - Faculty Department: English Position: Professor

Additional Info

  • Mail Code: 2087

Links

Research Interests

  • Gender Issues
  • Literacy and Language
  • Race and Ethnicity

Projects

  • The Perfecto Project, Stanford University (1/1/2021)

    A fitness tracking app that combines narrative theory, social psychology and user experience (UI/UX research) to leverage a culturally-specific narrative and artwork to encourage positive behavior change and healthier living in middle-aged and elderly Latinx populations.

    Location

    Stanford, CA

    Collaborators

    • James Landay, Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan Professor, Stanford University
    • Abby King, Stanford University

2024-25 Courses

Stanford Advisees

All Publications

  • A randomized clinical trial testing digital mindset intervention for knee osteoarthritis pain and activity improvement. NPJ digital medicine Boswell, M. A., Evans, K. M., Ghandwani, D., Hastie, T., Zion, S. R., Moya, P. L., Giori, N. J., Hicks, J. L., Crum, A. J., Delp, S. L. 2024; 7 (1): 285

    Abstract

    This randomized clinical trial evaluated the effectiveness of short, digital interventions in improving physical activity and pain for individuals with knee osteoarthritis. We compared a digital mindset intervention, focusing on adaptive mindsets (e.g., osteoarthritis is manageable), to a digital education intervention and a no-intervention group. 408 participants with knee osteoarthritis completed the study online in the US. The mindset intervention significantly improved mindsets compared to both other groups (P < 0.001) and increased physical activity levels more than the no-intervention group (mean = 28.6 points, P = 0.001), but pain reduction was not significant. The mindset group also showed significantly greater improvements in the perceived need for surgery, self-imposed physical limitations, fear of movement, and self-efficacy than the no-intervention and education groups. This trial demonstrates the effectiveness of brief digital interventions in educating about osteoarthritis and further highlights the additional benefits of improving mindsets to transform patients' approach to disease management. The study was prospectively registered (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05698368, 2023-01-26).

    View details for DOI 10.1038/s41746-024-01281-8

    View details for PubMedID 39414999

    View details for PubMedCentralID 7000096

  • A DIGITAL MINDSET INTERVENTION TO IMPROVE PAIN AND EXERCISE PARTICIPATION IN INDIVIDUALS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS: A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL Boswell, M., Evans, K., Ghnadwani, D., Hastie, T., Zion, S., Moya, P., Giori, N., Crum, A., Delp, S. ELSEVIER SCI LTD. 2024: S7-S8

    View details for Web of Science ID 001280544200005

  • Some Propositions on Close Reading SYMPLOKE Moya, P. L. 2024; 32 (1-2)

    View details for DOI 10.1353/sym.2024.a946635

    View details for Web of Science ID 001402089100031

  • Narrative-Based Visual Feedback to Encourage Sustained Physical Activity: A Field Trial of the WhoIsZuki Mobile Health Platform PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACM ON INTERACTIVE MOBILE WEARABLE AND UBIQUITOUS TECHNOLOGIES-IMWUT Murnane, E. L., Glazko, Y. S., Costa, J., Yao, R., Zhao, G., Moya, P. L., Landay, J. A. 2023; 7 (1)

    View details for DOI 10.1145/3580786

    View details for Web of Science ID 000957429700023

  • Leveraging Mobile Technology for Public Health Promotion: A Multidisciplinary Perspective. Annual review of public health Hicks, J. L., Boswell, M. A., Althoff, T., Crum, A. J., Ku, J. P., Landay, J. A., Moya, P. M., Murnane, E. L., Snyder, M. P., King, A. C., Delp, S. L. 2022

    Abstract

    Health behaviors are inextricably linked to health and well-being, yet issues such as physical inactivity and insufficient sleep remain significant global public health problems. Mobile technology-and the unprecedented scope and quantity of data it generates-has a promising but largely untapped potential to promote health behaviors at the individual and population levels. This perspective article provides multidisciplinary recommendations on the design and use of mobile technology, and the concomitant wealth of data, to promote behaviors that support overall health. Using physical activity as an exemplar health behavior, we review emerging strategies for health behavior change interventions. We describe progress on personalizing interventions to an individual and their social, cultural, and built environments, as well as on evaluating relationships between mobile technology data and health to establish evidence-based guidelines. In reviewing these strategies and highlighting directions for future research, we advance the use of theory-based, personalized, and human-centered approaches in promoting health behaviors. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Public Health, Volume 44 is April 2023. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

    View details for DOI 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-060220-041643

    View details for PubMedID 36542772

  • The Border and the Way We Live Now AMERICAN LITERARY HISTORY Moya, P. L. 2021; 33 (4): 843-853

    View details for DOI 10.1093/alh/ajab069

    View details for Web of Science ID 000743297600009

  • Ask a Feminist: Eesha Pandit and Paula Moya Discuss Activism and the Academy with Carla Kaplan and Suzanna Walters SIGNS Pandit, E., Moya, P., Kaplan, C., Walters, S. 2021; 47 (1): 235-245

    View details for DOI 10.1086/715648

    View details for Web of Science ID 000696913000017

  • Designing Ambient Narrative-Based Interfaces to Reflect and Motivate Physical Activity. Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on human factors in computing systems. CHI Conference Murnane, E. L., Jiang, X. n., Kong, A. n., Park, M. n., Shi, W. n., Soohoo, C. n., Vink, L. n., Xia, I. n., Xin, Y. n., Yang-Sammataro, J. n., Young, G. n., Zhi, J. n., Moya, P. n., Landay, J. A. 2020; 2020

    Abstract

    Numerous technologies now exist for promoting more active lifestyles. However, while quantitative data representations (e.g., charts, graphs, and statistical reports) typify most health tools, growing evidence suggests such feedback can not only fail to motivate behavior but may also harm self-integrity and fuel negative mindsets about exercise. Our research seeks to devise alternative, more qualitative schemes for encoding personal information. In particular, this paper explores the design of data-driven narratives, given the intuitive and persuasive power of stories. We present WhoIsZuki, a smartphone application that visualizes physical activities and goals as components of a multi-chapter quest, where the main character's progress is tied to the user's. We report on our design process involving online surveys, in-lab studies, and in-the-wild deployments, aimed at refining the interface and the narrative and gaining a deep understanding of people's experiences with this type of feedback. From these insights, we contribute recommendations to guide future development of narrative-based applications for motivating healthy behavior.

    View details for DOI 10.1145/3313831.3376478

    View details for PubMedID 33880463

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC8055101

  • "Against the Sorrowful and Infinite Solitude" Environmental Consciousness and Streetwalker Theorizing in Helena Maria Viramontes's Their Dogs Came with Them LATINX ENVIRONMENTALISMS: PLACE, JUSTICE, AND THE DECOLONIAL Moya, P. L., Wald, S. D., Vazquez, D. J., Ybarra, P. S., Ray, S. J. 2019: 250–66

    View details for Web of Science ID 000521354700015

  • "We Carry Our Environments within Ourselves" An Interview with Helena Maria Viramontes LATINX ENVIRONMENTALISMS: PLACE, JUSTICE, AND THE DECOLONIAL Vazquez, D. J., Wald, S. D., Moya, P. L., Wald, S. D., Vazquez, D. J., Ybarra, P. S., Ray, S. J. 2019: 164–76

    View details for Web of Science ID 000521354700010

  • The Social Imperative: Race, Close Reading, and Contemporary Literary Criticism Moya, P. M. Stanford University Press. 2016
  • Doing Race: 21 Essays for the 21st Century edited by Markus, H. R., Moya, P. M. W.W. Norton, Inc.. 2010
  • POSTETHNIC AMERICA? A MULTICULTURAL TRAINING CAMP FOR AMERICANISTS AND FUTURE EFL TEACHERS IDENTITY IN EDUCATION Buchenau, B., Hecke, C., Moya, P. L., Shelton, J., SanchezCasal, S., Macdonald, A. A. 2009: 225–50

    View details for Web of Science ID 000283741100011

  • WHAT'S IDENTITY GOT TO DO WITH IT? MOBILIZING IDENTITIES IN THE MULTICULTURAL CLASSROOM IDENTITY IN EDUCATION Moya, P. L., SanchezCasal, S., Macdonald, A. A. 2009: 45–64

    View details for Web of Science ID 000283741100003

  • Identity Politics Reconsidered edited by Mohanty, S. P., Alcoff, L. M., Hames-García, M., Moya, P. M. Palgrave. 2006
  • WHAT'S IDENTITY GOT TO DO WITH IT? MOBILIZING IDENTITIES IN THE MULTICULTURAL CLASSROOM IDENTITY POLITICS RECONSIDERED Moya, P. L., Alcoff, L. M., HamesGarcia, M., Mohanty, S. P., Moya, P. M. 2006: 96–117

    View details for Web of Science ID 000284041800007

  • "This is not your country!": Nation and belonging in Latina/o literature AMERICAN LITERARY HISTORY Moya, P. M. 2005; 17 (1): 183-195

    View details for DOI 10.1093/alh/aji011

    View details for Web of Science ID 000226290700011

  • Learning From Experience: Minority Identities, Multicultural Struggles Moya, P. M. University of California Press. 2002
  • Chicana feminism and postmodernist theory SIGNS Moya, P. M. 2001; 26 (2): 441-483

    View details for Web of Science ID 000166908800004

  • Reclaiming Identity: Realist Theory and the Predicament of Postmodernism edited by Moya, P. M., Hames-García, M. R. University of California Press. 2000