Our in-house editors are PhD-level scientists with research experience. All in-house editors work full-time for the journal to oversee the review process, handle manuscripts as primary editors, liaise with our Editorial Board Members and enforce journal policy. Editors also engage in other activities on behalf of the journal, such as attending and organizing conferences and meeting with scientists at their institutions.
In-house editors work closely with our Editorial Board Members to ensure that all manuscripts are subject to the same editorial standards and journal policies.
Chief Editor: Xin (Cindy) Sun, PhD, Springer Nature, US
Cindy received her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Johns Hopkins University, investigating NF-κB signaling in T cell activation and the DNA damage response during tumorigenesis. She pursued postdoctoral research at The Rockefeller University, where she explored RNA–protein crosstalk in neurological diseases. Cindy began her editorial career at the Journal of Experimental Medicine in 2018 and was promoted to Deputy Editor in 2023. She became Chief Editor of Communications Medicine in April 2025 and is based in the New York office. xin.sun@us.nature.com
Senior Editor: Katharine Barnes, PhD, Springer Nature, UK
Katharine obtained a PhD in Cancer Pharmacology at the Institute of Cancer Research, London and did postdoctoral research at the University of Pittsburgh. She became an editor in 2001; her roles have included Editor of Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, Chief Editor and Managing Editor of Nature Protocols and locum Senior Editor at Nature Biomedical Engineering. She joined Communications Medicine in September 2021 and is based in the London office. k.barnes@nature.com
Senior Editor: Meg Mashbat, PhD, Springer Nature, UK
Meg obtained a PhD from and worked as a Postdoctoral researcher in the department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases at Imperial College, London. Her doctoral research was focused on identifying rare and novel genetic variants that confer susceptibility to meningococcal disease using next generation sequencing and mechanistic studies. She worked as a Senior Editor at eBioMedicine, one of The Lancet’s Discovery Science journals for nearly 4 years. She then joined Communications Medicine in November 2022 and is based in the London office. meg.mashbat@nature.com
Associate Editor: Valerie Salvatico, PhD, Springer Nature, US
Valerie received her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Genetics at Drexel University College of Medicine. She completed postdoctoral studies at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her research focused on elucidating novel vulnerabilities in breast and ovarian cancer to identify potential therapeutic targets. She then served as a field applications scientist in the Cell Analysis division of Agilent Technologies for several years. She joined Communications Medicine in February 2024 and is based in the Philadelphia office. valerie.salvatico@us.nature.com
Associate Editor: Lauren Malave, PhD, Springer Nature, US
Lauren received her PhD in Biology with a focus in Neuroscience from the City University of New York (CUNY) graduate center in 2020, investigating therapeutic targets for Parkinson's disease. She went on to do her postdoctoral work at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, firstly studying cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia, and then risk factors of early life-trauma in psychiatric disorders. Lauren also taught Human Medical Genetics as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at CUNY School of Medicine. She joined Communications Medicine in August 2024 and is based in the New York office. Lauren.Malave@springernature.com
Associate Editor: Itzel Rojas, PhD, Springer Nature, US
Itzel obtained her PhD in Experimental and Molecular Medicine from Dartmouth College, completing a dissertation evaluating the role of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) in diet-induced obesity and metabolic-dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). She continued to work on metabolic disease and adipose tissue biology while a postdoctoral researcher at Tufts University. Prior to joining Communications Medicine in April 2025, she was a Senior Research Scientist at Spark Therapeutics, where she supported systemic gene therapy research efforts, with a focus on hemophilia A and liver directed adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy. Itzel is based in the Philadelphia office. itzel.rojas@springernature.com
Associate Editor: Tzvi Pollock, PhD, Springer Nature, US
Tzvi received his PhD in Microbiology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2022, where he investigated the innate immune response to intracellular bacterial infection. He then conducted his postdoctoral research at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, studying the metabolic biology of the malaria parasite and odor-based methods to detect malaria infection. He has additionally volunteered with the Children's Hospital's Vaccine Education Center, writing articles to communicate complex vaccine-related subjects to diverse audiences. Tzvi joined the Communications Medicine team in April 2025 and is based in the Philadelphia office. tzvi.pollock@us.nature.com
