Dr. Joel Sunshine is an Assistant Professor of Dermatology, Pathology, Oncology and Biomedical Engineering and the program director of the Johns Hopkins Dermatology Residency program. He did his M.D. Ph.D training at Johns Hopkins in Biomedical Engineering and his dermatology residency and dermatopathology fellowship at Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine. His overarching goal is to develop novel treatment approaches to dermatologic disease and develop the next generation of impactful leaders in our field.

Dr. Luly completed her PhD in the Sunshine and Green labs and is now a Post Doctoral researcher. She has a BS in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Rochester and spent several years in drug discovery before starting her PhD. Her current research focuses on gene delivery for immunoengineering and modulation of the tumor immune microenvironment and development of novel non-viral gene delivery systems.

Libby Will, MD was a post-doctoral research fellow and is now a dermatology resident at Johns Hopkins. Her research interest is in cutaneous oncology, specifically the development of histopathologic and immunohistochemical correlates of cancer immunotherapy treatment modalities, with a goal of identification of biomarkers to improve patient selection for treatment regimens. She attended medical school at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons, completed her medical internship at New York University School of Medicine, and started Dermatology residency in 2025. 

Dr. Surwase graduated with BS in Pharmacy and MS in Pharmaceutics from India and earned his PhD in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), South Korea. His doctoral dissertation was based on engineered nano-microparticles for oral delivery of protein, DNA and RNA. Sachin's current research focuses on modulating the tumor microenvironment through non-viral gene delivery, development of novel oral gene delivery systems, and validating and developing novel multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF) imaging for mouse model systems.

Grace Shoemaker is a Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering PhD candidate in the Sunshine Lab. She received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida in 2023, where she researched CRISPR-Cas12 diagnostic tools. Her current research focuses on reprogramming tumor cells via PBAE gene delivery to restore anti-tumor immunity, as well as topical and intradermal approaches for non-viral gene delivery. She also serves as Graduate Liaison for the ChemBE Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, aimed at creating a more inclusive culture at Hopkins.

Charles Lu is a current medical student at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He holds a B.A. in Biochemistry and a B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics from Washington University in St. Louis. His research focuses on leveraging data science and AI tools to enhance the treatment of oncodermatologic conditions and uncover their underlying biological mechanisms. He aims to further explore the intersection of dermatology, immunology, and oncology throughout his academic career.

Vrinda grew up in Orlando, FL and graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Molecular Biology. A current medical student at Johns Hopkins, she is interested in the intersection of cutaneous oncology, immunotherapy, and dermatopathology. She hopes to combine these academic interests in her future career, with a particular emphasis on medical education and mentorship. 

Jack Kollings is an MD candidate at Johns Hopkins. He holds a BS in Biomedical Sciences from Arizona State University, where his research focused on profiling the immune response and efficacy of neoantigen immunotherapy for melanoma. His current work in the Sunshine Lab involves developing and profiling the response of a novel gene delivery system in various human skin malignancies. His future goals include a career in dermatology, where he aims to bridge his interests in cutaneous oncology/immunology, novel immunotherapeutics, and dermatopathology.

Sara Khoshniyati earned her B.S. in Human Biology from the University of Southern California, where she researched neural stem cell responses to injury. In the Sunshine lab, her research interests lie in exploring how novel gene delivery systems shape the metabolic landscape of the tumor microenvironment. Sara aims to pursue a career in dermatology, with a focus on immuno-oncology.

Jeremy grew up in a small town in Southern Idaho and attended our state's university. During that time, he worked as a research technician in an infectious disease lab studying Staphylococcus biofilms. This led to an early interest in dermatology. He is excited to continue performing research now as a medical student exploring the tumor immune microenvironment of cutaneous cancers.

Jonathan graduated from Columbia University with a BA in Biology and from medical school at Johns Hopkins and is now a dermatology resident at Johns Hopkins. He is fascinated by dermatology and its intersections among oncology, immunology, and pathology. Current research interests of his include exploration of prognostic biomarkers in the tumor microenvironment, development of novel multiplex immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry technologies, and integration of dermatopathology into the clinic to improve dermatology patient experiences. His future career goals include an academic career in dermatology and an eventual fellowship in dermatopathology.  

Matt Zhou was a lab technician in the Sunshine Lab who is now a medical student at Case Western Reserve University. He completed his HBSc at the University of Toronto with a double major in Pharmacology/Physiology and a minor in Immunology. He then completed a MSc in Integrated Immunology from the University of Oxford, during which he investigated the CD2-CD58 antitumoral signaling axis at the immune synapse. Matt’s research focused on the development of quantification and spatial analysis techniques for highly-multiplexed imaging of skin cancers, with the goal of offering new insights into the effects of immunostimulatory nanoparticles on the tumor immune microenvironment.