A Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researcher was selected for the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for healthcare as a young leader and innovator in the field.

Joshua Cohen Credit: Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center

Joshua Cohen, a M.D./Ph.D. student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 28, works in the Ludwig Cancer Research Center as part of the team working to develop tests to detect cancer using liquid biopsies. Cohen was the first author of a published paper that outlined how a simple blood test could be used to detect the presence of cancer proteins and gene mutations in eight common cancer types.

“I'm honored to be listed alongside others who are doing impactful and meaningful work,” Cohen said about the inclusion. “Moments like these remind me how privileged I am to be at an institution and in a lab that has afforded me incredible resources and opportunities.”

“It is my hope that this accolade brings attention to the critical work being done in our cancer center. However, above all, it provides an opportunity to personally reflect on my scientific journey and recognize all of the mentors, family, and friends who have been instrumental in supporting me and helping me get to where I am today.”

In their profile of Cohen, Forbes wrote, “As an MIT undergraduate, Joshua Cohen worked as a counselor at Camp Kesem, which serves children whose parents have cancer. He wound up working in the laboratory of cancer pioneer Bert Vogelstein, where he is one of the leaders in an exciting field: Developing diagnostic tests that detect cancer early by sensing fragments of DNA in the blood.”

Cohen earned his undergraduate degree at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his master’s degree at the University of Cambridge. His work at the Ludwig Center is under the supervision of Bert Vogelstein, M.D., and Kenneth Kinzler, Ph.D., co-directors of the center.

“Josh exemplifies in every way the intelligent and dedicated trainees that makes Hopkins such a great place to work,” Kinzler said. “He was instrumental in our efforts to develop a pan-cancer blood test, which capture the public’s imagination in 2018.”