Biography

Research interests: Immunology, Cell Biology, Neuro-immune interactions

Clinical interests: Anesthesiology, Infectious Disease, Pediatrics

Joyce graduated from Carleton College in 2017 with a B.A. in Biology. She worked as a research assistant investigating the role of immune cells in allergic lung inflammation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She matriculated into the M.D./Ph.D. program at OHSU in 2020 and joined the Lewinsohn Lab in 2022 as a graduate student in the department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. Joyce is interested in understanding the host immunity in the context of human diseases to provide better treatments and promote prevention. Her dissertation project is to understand the mechanism of MR1 antigen presentation and the role of MAIT cells during Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Outside of science, she enjoys hiking and camping with her partner.

Selected publications

Kim SJ, Kain D, Lewinsohn DA, Swarbrick GM, Cansler ME, Bimber BN, McElfresh GW, Wong EB, Khuzwayo S, Riffelmacher T, Lewinsohn DM. Antigenic stimulation in conjunction with cytokine is required for mediating IL-17A production in human MAIT cells. Sci Rep. 2026 Jul 15. doi: 10.1038/s41598-026-61896-7. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42449160.

Bates TA, Kulicke CA, Gurmessa SK, Kim SJ, Suresh S, Reyes-Weinstein JB, Hinchliff A, Burke JE, Lewinsohn DM, Tafesse FG. An MR1-specific nanobody capable of blocking MR1T cell activation. J Immunol. 2026 Jun 7;215(6):vkag094. doi: 10.1093/jimmun/vkag094. PMID: 42391329; PMCID: PMC13326741.

Kulicke CA, Lemon C, Krawic JR, Nieto Ramirez LM, Kim SJ, Narayanan G, Tafesse FG, Hildebrand WH, Dobos KM, Lewinsohn DM. Mutations outside the MR1 antigen binding groove differentially inhibit presentation of exogenous antigens. J Biol Chem. 2026 Apr;302(4):111317. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2026.111317. Epub 2026 Feb 26. PMID: 41759736; PMCID: PMC13022675.

Kim SJ, Peterson JC, Olive AJ, Tafesse FG, Kulicke CA, Karamooz E, Lewinsohn D. Synaptotagmin 1 and Synaptotagmin 7 promote MR1-mediated presentation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigens. Elife. 2026 Apr 14;14:RP108318. doi: 10.7554/eLife.108318. PMID: 41979188; PMCID: PMC13078786.

Karamooz E, Kim SJ, Peterson JC, Tammen AE, Soma S, Soll ACR, Meermeier EW, Khuzwayo S, Lewinsohn DM. Two-pore channels in MR1-dependent presentation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. PLoS Pathog. 2025 Aug 4;21(8):e1013342. doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1013342. PMID: 40758737; PMCID: PMC12331044.

Rojas-Quintero J, Laucho-Contreras ME, Wang X, Fucci QA, Burkett PR, Kim SJ, Zhang D, Tesfaigzi Y, Li Y, Bhashyam AR, Li Z, Khamas H, Celli B, Pilon AL, Polverino F, Owen CA. CC16 augmentation reduces exaggerated COPD-like disease in Cc16-deficient mice. JCI Insight. 2023 Mar 22;8(6):e130771. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.130771. PMID: 36787195; PMCID: PMC10070105.

Kim SJ, Karamooz E. MR1- and HLA-E-Dependent Antigen Presentation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Nov 19;23(22):14412. doi: 10.3390/ijms232214412. PMID: 36430890; PMCID: PMC9693577.

Wallrapp A, Burkett PR, Riesenfeld SJ, Kim SJ, Christian E, Abdulnour RE, Thakore PI, Schnell A, Lambden C, Herbst RH, Khan P, Tsujikawa K, Xavier RJ, Chiu IM, Levy BD, Regev A, Kuchroo VK. Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Negatively Regulates Alarmin-Driven Type 2 Innate Lymphoid Cell Responses. Immunity. 2019 Oct 15;51(4):709-723.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2019.09.005. Epub 2019 Oct 8. PMID: 31604686; PMCID: PMC7076585.