Dr. Shin is a new Assistant Professor recruited to The Ohio State University’s Department of Neurology in September 2023. She uses a multimodal approach to comprehensively study the underlying mechanisms of peripheral neuropathy, a painful sensory neuron disorder that can affect cancer patients after chemotherapy and immunotherapy. She is a member of the Comprehensive Cancer Center and also holds a courtesy appointment in the Department of Dermatology.
Dr. Shin received her first bachelor’s degree at Ewha Women’s University in Seoul, Korea, where she unexpectedly found her passion for research while studying engineering and business administration. To pursue her research endeavors, Dr. Shin moved to Australia and obtained her second bachelor’s degree in biomedical science at the University of Queensland. Following her graduation, she joined Dr. Brian Key’s laboratory to study axon guidance mechanisms for her honors and PhD (2006-2012). She studied an axon guidance molecule called RGMa, which turns out to be a multi-faceted gene involved in seemingly every step of brain development as well as after nerve injury via neurons and immune cells. It was during this time that she found her passion for translational research in neurological disorders. This time also guided her to start thinking about how multiple cell types work together to maintain the function of the nervous system in health and disease.
Since then, Dr. Shin’s research aims to apply what we learned from basic research for the effective treatment of pathological conditions. After a productive postdoc in Australia studying cellular mechanisms of synaptic connections in the developing brain, she was recruited as a senior postdoc in Dr. Wes Grueber’s lab at Columbia University in New York to develop and lead a project investigating the mechanisms of peripheral sensory neuropathy induced by chemotherapy called CIPN. As a part of the translational neuroscience research initiative at Columbia, Dr. Shin collaborated with scientists and physicians from multiple disciplines to build and utilize models to decipher the complex etiology of CIPN.
At OSU, Dr. Shin is a founding scientist for the CIPN clinic in Neurology, where she collaborates with clinicians and scientists to close the gap between basic science research and clinical practice. Her lab aims to understand the underlying mechanisms of painful sensory neuropathy caused by cancer treatment and their potential connections to painful skin disorders. She is passionate about mentoring the next generation of neuroscientists, biomedical scientists, and physician scientists in and outside her laboratory.
Outside the lab, she spends her time in galleries, playing music, and learning about contemporary ceramics with her husband.
Research Interests
- Neuron-immune-skin interactions in health and disease
- Intracellular trafficking mechanisms underlying sensory disorders
- Peripheral neuropathy from cancer treatments
- Peripheral mechanisms of pain
Clinical Interests
- Precision approaches to CIPN intervention
- Comorbidity of CIPN, particularly in the context of skin and immune disorders
- Predictive modeling for CIPN diagnosis and prognosis
Education
- Postdoctoral training: Columbia University, USA (Sensory Biology and Pain)
- PhD: The University of Queensland, Australia (Developmental Neuroscience)
- Undergraduate: The University of Queensland, Australia (Honors, Biomedical Sciences)
Professional Activities
- 2022-2023 - Scientific Program Committee member (Neuropathic Pain Consortium), Annual Meeting for Peripheral Nerve Society, Copenhagen, Denmark
- 2022 - Chair for the inaugural Basic Science Highlights Session, on Peripheral Mechanisms of Neuropathic Pain, 2022 - Peripheral Nerve Society Annual Meeting, Miami, Florida
- 2021-2023 - Board member (ex-officio), Neuropathic Pain Consortium, Peripheral Nerve Society
- 2021-2022 - Junior member representative, Neuropathic pain joint meeting for International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) and Peripheral Nerve Society
- 2021-2023 - Junior committee member, Peripheral Nerve Society
- 2021-2022 - Scientific program committee member (Basic Science Highlights), Annual Meeting for Peripheral Nerve Society, Miami, Florida
- 2021 - Expert Reviewer, Global Year About Translating Knowledge to Practice, International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP)
- 2017-2019 - Organizing committee member for Extramural Postdoctoral Seminars at Columbia, Columbia University, New York
- 2017-2018 - Chair for Korean Biologist Association at Columbia University, New York
- 2017-2018 - Board member for New York Korean Biologist Association, New York
Honors and Awards
- IASP 2022 World Congress on Pain Travel Award, 2022
- Jack Griffin Award for Regeneration, Peripheral Nerve Society, 2022
- Rising Star in Cancer Pain Research, selected by the editorial board from Frontiers in Pain Research, 2021
- Poster Awards, The Thompson Family Foundation Initiative Symposium in Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy and Sensory neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, 2019, 2017
- School of Biomedical Sciences Postdoctoral Training Award, The University of Queensland, Australia, 2015
- Early Career Academic Publishing Award, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Australia, 2014
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Axon guidance, synapse formation, and regeneration meeting travel award, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, 2014
- School of Biomedical Sciences Postdoctoral Travel Award, The University of Queensland, Australia, 2014
- Invitation to Asia Pacific Advanced Neuroscience School, jointly hosted by Asia Pacific Society of Neurochemistry, Society for Neuroscience and School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 2013
- Annual Biomedical Research Award 2012, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland, Australia, 2012
- Best Postdoctoral Researcher Oral Presentation, Brisbane Cell and Developmental Biology Meeting, Australia, 2012
- Michael F. Hickey Memorial BSc Honors prize awarded by the School of Biomedical Science for the top Honors thesis in Anatomy & Developmental Biology at the University of Queensland, Australia, 2008
Grants and Projects (Selected)
- R01, NINDS (Role: Co-Investigator). "Role of immune cells in skin reinnervation by collateral sprouting after peripheral nerve injury," 2024-2029
- K01 Supplemental Funding Award, NIAMS (Role: Principal Investigator), 2023-2025
- K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (PA-20-190), NIAMS (Role: Principal Investigator). “Sensory neuron-skin interaction in health and disease”, 2023-2026
- Engineering of Biomedical Systems, Directorate For Engineering, NSF (Role: Collaborator). “Restoring Mechanosensation in Engineered Skin using Controllable Cellular and Extracellular Cues”, 2023-2025
- R21 Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant (PA-21-219), NCI (Role: Principal Investigator, MPI). “Neuron-macrophage interactions in models of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy”, 2022-2024
- The Thompson Family Foundation Initiative Scholar (Role: Principal investigator), 2021-2023