About Us

Dr. Jodi L. Johnson, founder (2016), owner, and editor of DerMEDit, received a PhD in

Molecular and Medical Genetics with emphasis in Dermatology from Oregon Health &

Science University in Portland, OR in 2007. Dr. Johnson is faculty at Northwestern

University in the departments of Pathology, Dermatology, and Medical Social Sciences

(Implementation Science). While serving as a Scientific Director and the Basic and

Translational Research Program Coordinator for the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive

Cancer Center at Northwestern University, Dr. Johnson brings transdisciplinary teams of

scientists, patients, and community members together to learn each other’s languages

and ask far bigger research questions than they could otherwise ask on their own. Dr.

Johnson is also now analyzing the impact of research conducted by Northwestern

University’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and conducting research using

electronic health records and patient reported outcomes to reduce adverse events and

improve survivorship downstream of cancer therapy. In addition to publishing nearly 30

papers in scholarly journals, Dr. Johnson wrote 25 patient-facing articles for the National

Eczema Association (NEA). The DerMEDit team assembled the annual meeting

supplement for the Group For Research and Assessment for Psoriasis and Psoriatic

Arthritis (GRAPPA), consisting of over 25 highly impactful papers annually published in

the Journal of Rheumatology. Dr. Johnson has been the Coordinating Editor for

the Methods and Techniques for Skin Research section of the Journal of Investigative

Dermatology since 2015 and loves having a global impact on educating the scientists

and clinicians working hard to overcome skin diseases. Dr. Johnson delights in working

with early career investigators to teach necessary skills for career development

including project management, writing, editing, and communication across multiple

audiences. With certifications in Project Management and Implementation Science from

Northwestern University, Dr. Johnson is highly equipped to comprehensively assist you

with all your complex project needs.

Dr. Stephanie Zimmer received her PhD in Biochemistry, Cellular, and Developmental Biology with an emphasis in Dermatology from Emory University in 2021. Dr. Zimmer currently works as a postdoctoral scholar at Penn State College of Medicine in the Department of Dermatology where she models rare skin diseases to study skin structure and function in health and disease. Dr. Zimmer has a decade of experience in writing and editing manuscripts, reviews, grants, and lay articles. She has served as an editor for the Journal of Emerging Investigators since 2020. She loves solving both scientific puzzles and writing and editing puzzles: she sees rearranging words and phrases to find the perfect sentence to enhance clarity and flow invigorating. Dr. Zimmer joined DerMEDit in 2024 and skillfully developed and edited multiple papers for our clients. She also served as a reviewer for published articles.

Dr. April Bell received her PhD in Life Sciences from Northwestern University in Chicago, IL in 2023. Her thesis dissertation demonstrated the importance of divergent thinking in research, particularly when tackling complex, interdisciplinary problems such as cancer. Dr. Bell is a neurobiologist who focused on studying glioblastoma during her graduate career. She is now a postdoctoral scholar in Northwestern University's Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine and works in the same collaborative group as Dr. Johnson to uncover new knowledge about cancers where patient outcomes haven’t improved in decades including glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer. Drs. Bell and Johnson collaborate to further team science initiatives in Northwestern University's Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Bell joined DerMEDit in 2024 and has skillfully developed, written, and edited multiple papers as well as served as a reviewer for published articles. She is passionate about making scientific communication accessible to all.