Our Team

Kathleen J. Green, PhD

Joseph L. Mayberry, Sr., Professor of Pathology and Toxicology
Professor of Pathology and Dermatology
Associate Director of Basic Sciences, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center

kgreen( at )northwestern.edu

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Lisa Godsel, PhD

Research Associate Professor

l-godsel( at )northwestern.edu

Education: B.S: Biology Bradley University, PhD: Northwestern University

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View Godsel's CV (curriculum vitae)

Cheryl Olson

c-olson( at )northwestern.edu

Robert Harmon, PhD

Research Assistant Professor

robert.harmon( at )northwestern.edu

Education: B.A: Bowdoin College, PhD: Northwestern University

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View Harmon's CV (curriculum vitae)

Xin Tong, PhD

Research Assistant Professor

x-tong1( at )northwestern.edu

Education: BS: Anhui Normal University, PhD: Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine

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View Tong's CV (curriculum vitae)

I study molecular mechanisms of carcinogenesis and skin diseases, develop new strategies for prevention and identify novel targets/pathways for better treatment.

Shinya Imamura, MD, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

shinya.imamura( at )northwestern.edu

Education: PhD, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan

Abbey Perl, PhD

abbey.perl( at )northwestern.edu

Undergraduate: 2013, Lehigh University; Graduate: 2019, PhD, Pharmacology, Case Western Reserve University; Dissertation: Leveraging Small Molecule Activators of Protein Phosphatase 2A (PP2A) to Elucidate PP2A’s Role in Regulating DNA Replication and Apoptosis; Adviser: Goutham Narla, MD, PhD

Brieanna Jarrell

PhD Student

brieanna.jarrell( at )northwestern.edu

Education: B.A. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The College of Wooster

Research Summary: My project focuses on the non-canonical roles of Dsg1 in both driving epidermal stratification and suppressing inflammation through a common actin remodeling pathway to maintain tissue homeostasis.

Jenny Pokorny

Graduate Student

jennypokorny2019( at )u.northwestern.edu

Education: B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology, Beloit College, Beloit, WI

Research Summary: I am investigating signaling pathways that are stimulated in keratinocytes exposed to UV and how those pathways may mimic those activated by melanoma cells.

Charlotte Reed

Medical Student

charlotte.reed( at )northwestern.edu

Education: B.A. in Spanish, Wellesley College

View Reed's CV (curriculum vitae)

Research Summary: My project focuses on the role of small molecule retromer chaperones in the trafficking of Dsg1 to the cell membrane and how that placement of Dsg1 can reduce the keratinocyte-autonomous inflammatory response.

Rosemary DiDominicis

Rosemary.didominicis( at )northwestern.edu

Undergraduate: 2017, Marquette University, Biomedical Sciences; Research Focus: Cognitive Deficits Associated with Schizophrenia: Phenotyping a Neurodevelopmental Model

Erin McCarthy

Research Technologist II

erinfaithmccarthy( at )northwestern.edu

Education: B.S. in Physics, Syracuse University

Research Summary: Adhesive and mechanical defects in keratinocytes from patients with Darier’s Disease

Annette Krol

Annette wrote and was awarded a Summer Undergraduate Research Grant from Northwestern University to work in the Green lab in summer 2023 on the project entitled "Characterizing Regulin Expression in Darier's Disease."

Lauren Albrecht

Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California Irvine

Undergraduate: University of California San Diego, CA; Graduate: Northwestern University

Amanda Bass-Zubek, MD, PhD, FAAD

Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Yale School of Medicine

Undergraduate: 2001, Boston University, Boston, MA; Graduate: 2010 MD/PhD in Medicine, Cell Biology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA; Postgraduate: Yale Universtity

Jing Chen, PhD

Associate Director, Business Development at Spirovant Sciences, Inc.

Undergraduate: 2003, BS, Tsinghua University, China; Graduate: 2012, PhD, Cell and Molecular Biology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois USA

Marihan Hegazy, PhD

Post-doctoral Fellow, Abbvie

MarihanHegazy2020( at )u.northwestern.edu

Undergraduate: Benedictine University, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Graduate: 2022, PhD, Northwestern University; Dissertation: Role of tumor microenvironment in Dsg1 synthesis, trafficking and turnover in keratinocytes; Adviser: Kathleen Green

Ryan Hobbs, PhD

Assistant Professor of Dermatology and Microbiology & Immunology, Penn State College of Medicine

Undergraduate: 2004, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO; Graduate: 2010, PhD in Life Sciences, Cell Biology, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois USA; Postgraduate: The Johns Hopkins University

Sherry Lee, MD, PhD

Pathology Resident, Thomas Jefferson University

Undergraduate: 2010, University of Washington; Graduate: PhD, 2018, Northwestern University; Graduate: MD, 2021, Northwestern University; Dissertation: The role of Dsg1 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; Adviser: Kathleen Green

Dipal Patel, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Undergraduate: 2004-2008, BAS, Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA; Graduate: 2016, MD, PhD, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Postgraduate: Yale University

Cory Simpson, MD, PhD, FAAD

Assistant Professor, Division of Dermatology, University of Washington, Seattle

Undergraduate: 2003, Washington University, St. Louis, MO; Graduate: 2012, MD/PhD in Medicine/Cancer Cell Biology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois, USA; Postgraduate: Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine

Chen Yuan Kam, PhD

Associate Research Scientist, Yale University

Undergraduate: University of Wisconsin-Madison; Graduate: 2018, PhD, Northwestern University; Postgraduate: Yale University

Evangeline Amargo

Technology Consultant
Hewlett-Packard

Undergraduate: Northern Illinois University, Illinois; Graduate: MS, Northwestern University

Christopher R. Arnette, PhD

Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, University of Washington, Seattle

Undergraduate: 2008, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX; Graduate: May 2014, PhD, Vanderbilt University Medical School, Nashville, TN; Dissertation: Functional and regulatory mechanisms of microtubule-associate proteins involved in cancer progression; Adviser: Irina N. Kaverina, PhD

Joshua Broussard, PhD

Advanced Imaging Specialist
Nikon Instruments

Undergraduate: 2006, Centenary College of Louisiana; Graduate: Aug. 2012, PhD, Vanderbilt University; Dissertation: The adaptor protein APPL1 regulates cell migration and adhesion dynamics; Adviser: Donna Webb, PhD

Hope Burks, PhD

CZ Biohub Chicago Fellow; Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, Chicago

Undergraduate: 2011, Hendrix College; Graduate: Aug. 2017, PhD, Tulane University; Dissertation: The interplay of ZEB2 and HDAC2 in breast cancer progression and metastasis; Adviser: Matthew Burow, PhD; Postgraduate: Northwestern University

Eran Cohen-Barak, MD

Physician and Researcher, Department of Dermatology, Emek Medical Center, Israel

Undergraduate: 006, Faculty of Medicine, Ben Gurion University, Afula, Israel; Graduate: 2011, MD, Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel; Residency: Department of Dermatology, Afula, Israel; Fulbright Scholar: Northwestern University

Research interest: Genetic Skin Diseases

Bhushan Desai, PhD

Associate Director
Kite Pharma

Undergraduate: University of Mumbai, India; Graduate: 2005, PhD, Molecular Biology, University of Illinois, Chicago; Postgraduate: Northwestern University

Adi Dubash, PhD

Henry Keith and Ellen Hard Townes Associate Professor of Biology, Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina

Undergraduate: 1999-2003, BS, Cell and Molecular Biology, University of Texas at Austin; Graduate: 2003-2009, PhD, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Postgraduate: Northwestern University

Gillian Fitz

Undergraduate: 2014, Carleton College; Undergraduate Thesis: Cell-to-cell contact allows BMP signaling to establish primordial germ cells; Graduate: PhD Candidate in Cell & Developmental Biology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

Amber Huffine, MA, RLATg

Undergraduate: 2013, University of WI-Milwaukee; Graduate: 2018, MA, North Carolina State University

Avinash Jaiganesh, PhD

Scientist II at Codiak Biosciences

Undergraduate: May 2012, Anna University; Graduate: May 2018, PhD, Biophysics, The Ohio State University; Dissertation: Cadherin-23 Structure, Function, and Nanomechanics in Hearing and Deafness; Adviser: Marcos Sotomayor, PhD; Postgraduate: Northwestern University

Jodi L. Johnson, PhD

Research Assistant Professor in Pathology and Dermatology
Scientific Director, Basic Research Program Coordinator, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

jodi-johnson( at )northwestern.edu

Undergraduate: 1998, Washington State University; Graduate: 2007, PhD, Molecular and Medical Genetics, Oregon Health & Science University; Dissertation: The p53 family interacting pathways in carcinogenesis and cellular response to DNA damage; Adviser: Molly F. Kulesz-Martin, PhD, 1998, BSc, Microbiology, Washington State University; Postgraduate: 2007-2010 Oregon Health & Science University, 2010-2011 Northwestern University

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Jodi Klessner, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow (Ozdinler Laboratory)
Department of Neurology
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Undergraduate: Western Michigan University; Graduate: PhD, Loyola University, Maywood, IL; Postgraduate: Northwestern University

Nicole Najor, PhD

Assistant Professor of Biology
University of Detroit Mercy

Undergraduate: 2005, University of Detroit Mercy, Michigan; Graduate: 2010, PhD, Wayne State University; Postgraduate: Northwestern University

Oksana (Oxana) Nekrasova, PhD

Senior Cell Biology Research Scientist, Applied Medical

Graduate: 2004, MS, Biochemistry, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia, graduated with honors; 2007, PhD, Cell Biology, Koltzov Institute of Developmental Biology Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia; Postgraduate: Nortwhestern University

Quinn Roth-Carter, PhD

Fellow, Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago

quinn.roth-carter( at )northwestern.edu

Undergraduate: 2012, Lewis & Clark College;Graduate: June 2018, PhD, Oregon Health & Sciences University; Dissertation: Eosinophils Mediate Inflammation in the Skin through the Activity of Eosinophil Peroxidase; Adviser: David Jacoby, MD

View Roth-Carter's CV (curriculum vitae)

Viktor Todorovic, PhD

Principal Research Scientist at Discovery Dermatology and Fibrosis, AbbVie

Undergraduate: 1998, BSc, Molecular Biology and Physiology, University of Belgrade; Graduate: 2006, PhD, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago; Dissertation: CCN1(CYR61): a Novel Extracellular Matrix Inducer of Cell Death; Adviser: Lester F. Lau, PhD; Postgraduate: Northwestern University

Alejandra Valenzuela-Iglesias, PhD

Postgraduate: Northwestern University

Hoda Zarkoob, PhD

Biomedical Scientist at National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), National Institutes of Health

Undergraduate: 2008, BSc, Isfahan University of Technology; Graduate: 2011, MSc, Isfahan University of Technology; Graduate: 2017, PhD, The University of Iowa; Dissertation: Mechanobiology of keratinocytes colony formation and its role in wound healing; Adviser: Edward Sander, PhD