Her fascination for understanding the functioning of the human body in health and disease began at school in Buckinghamshire. This was centered around her involvement in sport, particularly swimming, leading her to pursuing her undergraduate degree in Anatomical Sciences at the University of Dundee's Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification. Following her BSc(Hons), she worked in the NHS, then as a Prosector at St George's University London. In this role, she developed her passion for anatomy education, as she led the Summer Dissection programme and taught on various undergraduate and postgradate courses. During this time, she completed her PGCert in Biomedical Sciences and Healthcare Education, and gained her Fellowship to the Higher Education Academy.

In 2018, Joanna moved to the University of Otago, New Zealand to complete her her PhD, where she was investigating the innervation of the hip joint capsular complex and its role in proprioception and stability of the hip joint, under the supervision of Professor Niels Hammer. This project utilised multiple techniques including immunohistochemistry, plastination, dissection, and machine learning. Alongside her studies, she taught anatomy to undergradate students as a Senior Demonstrator, worked on various projects as a Research Assistant with different research teams, including the Otago Anatomy-Biomechanics Group, Reproductive Health and Education Group, and also the Office of Student Success. Following her PhD, Joanna worked as an Assistant Research Fellow in the Zwirner group on various tissue biomechanics, tissue engineering, and clinical anatomy projects. Joanna then joined the School of Anatomy as a Lecturer in June 2022.