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. 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 has written over 20 patient-facing articles for the National Eczema Association (NEA) and is embarking on a third year of assembling 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 writing, editing, and communication across multiple audiences. This is why expanding DerMEDit with two new editors is so exciting! With certifications in Project Management and Implementation Science from Northwestern University, Dr. Johnson is well-equipped to comprehensively assist you with all your 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 is excited to join DerMEDit to help solve your editing puzzles.

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 Center for Health Information Partnerships 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. New to academic editing, Dr. Bell is eager to gain experience writing and editing scientific communication. She is passionate about making scientific communication accessible for all.