About
Dr. Joosun Shin is an Assistant Professor in the UCLA Joe C. Wen School of Nursing. Her research program in precision dyspnea science is built upon interdisciplinary training in precision symptom science, provided by the University of California, San Francisco, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Harvard Medical School. Through a multi-modal, big data-driven approach that integrates machine learning, advanced statistical modeling, and omics analytics, Dr. Shin aims to identify the sociodemographic, clinical, physiological (including spirometry), molecular (omics), and imaging characteristics associated with dyspnea.
Her research focuses on dyspnea (shortness of breath) throughout the lung cancer care continuum. It harnesses diverse big data sources, including electronic health records and large, longitudinal clinical datasets with multi-modal variables. These datasets include smokers with and without chronic lung disease, as well as lung cancer patients and survivors who have undergone lung resection, chemotherapy, and/or immunotherapy.
Dr. Shin's long-term goal is to identify high-risk lung cancer patients who develop or experience worsening dyspnea before and after treatment, enabling clinicians to implement targeted, personalized interventions. As an oncology nurse scientist, licensed as a Registered Nurse and an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, she is committed to advancing precision symptom science, particularly in dyspnea research, by leveraging large, multimodal datasets and sophisticated statistical modeling.
Education and Degree(s)
2025 | Postdoctoral Training, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
2023 | PhD, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA
2020 | MSN, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Los Angeles, CA
2014 | BS in Nursing Science, Inha University, South Korea
Publications
Shin J, Harris C, Oppegaard K, Kober KM, Paul SM, Cooper BA, Hammer M, Conley Y, Levine JD, Miaskowski C. Worst pain severity profiles of oncology patients are associated with significant stress and multiple co-occurring symptoms. J Pain. 2022 Jan;23(1):74-88. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2021.07.001. Epub 2021 Jul 21. PubMed PMID: 34298161; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10788964.
Shin J, Bush NJ. Integration of behavioral cough suppression therapy into lung cancer care: nonpharmacologic interventions for chronic cough. Clin J Oncol Nurs. 2022 Feb 1;26(1):40-47. doi: 10.1188/22.CJON.40-47. PubMed PMID: 35073303.
Shin J, Kober KM, Harris C, Oppegaard K, Calvo-Schimmel A, Paul SM, Cooper BA, Olshen A, Dokiparthi V, Conley YP, Hammer M, Levine JD, Miaskowski C. Perturbations in neuroinflammatory pathways are associated with a worst pain profile in oncology patients receiving chemotherapy. J Pain. 2023 Jan;24(1):84-97. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2022.08.007. Epub 2022 Sep 15. PubMed PMID: 36115520.
Shin J, Kober K, Wong ML, Yates P, Miaskowski C. Systematic review of the literature on the occurrence and characteristics of dyspnea in oncology patients. Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2023 Jan; 181:103870. doi: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2022.103870. Epub 2022 Nov 12. Review. PubMed PMID: 36375635.
Shin J, Kober KM, Wong ML, Yates P, Cooper BA, Paul SM, Hammer M, Conley Y, Levine JD, Miaskowski C. Distinct shortness of breath profiles in oncology outpatients undergoing chemotherapy. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2023 Mar;65(3):242-255. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2022.11.010. Epub 2022 Nov 21. PubMed PMID: 36423799.
Shin J, Kober KM, Yates P, Wong ML, Miaskowski C. Multifactorial model of dyspnea in patients with cancer. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2023 Apr 21;50(3):397-415. doi: 10.1188/23.ONF.397-415. PubMed PMID: 37155981.
Shin J, Oppegaard K, Calvo-Schimmel A, Harris C, Cooper BA, Paul SM, Conley YP, Hammer MJ, Cartwright F, Kober KM, Levine JD, Miaskowski C. Distinct worst pain profiles in oncology outpatients undergoing chemotherapy. Cancer Nurs. 2023 May-Jun 01;46(3):176-188. doi: 10.1097/NCC.0000000000001095. Epub 2022 Dec 10. PubMed PMID: 35439202; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9554042.
Shin J, Kober K, Yates P, Wong ML, Cooper BA, Paul SM, Hammer M, Conley Y, Levine JD, Wright F, Miaskowski C. Higher lifetime stress and symptom burden contribute to the occurrence of shortness of breath. Semin Oncol Nurs. 2023 Oct;39(5):151471. doi: 10.1016/j.soncn.2023.151471. Epub 2023 Jul 25. PubMed PMID: 37500312.
Shin J, Hammer M, Cooley ME, Cooper BA, Paul SM, Cartwright F, Kober KM, Conley YP, Levine JD, Miaskowski C. Common and distinct risk factors that influence more severe and distressing shortness of breath profiles in oncology outpatients. Cancer Med. 2024 Feb;13(3):e7013. doi: 10.1002/cam4.7013. PubMed PMID: 38400684; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10891479.
Shin J, Miaskowski C, Wong ML, Yates P, Olshen AB, Roy R, Dokiparthi V, Cooper B, Paul S, Conley YP, Levine JD, Hammer MJ, Kober K. Perturbations in inflammatory pathways are associated with shortness of breath profiles in oncology patients receiving chemotherapy. Support Care Cancer. 2024 Mar 26;32(4):250. doi: 10.1007/s00520-024-08446-x. PubMed PMID: 38532105.
Shin J, Hammer M, Cooley ME, Cooper BA, Paul SM, Conley YP, Kober KM, Levine JD, Miaskowski C. Lower income, smoking, cardiopulmonary comorbidities, and higher symptom burden influence the occurrence of cough in patients receiving chemotherapy. Oncol Nurs Forum. 2024 June 18;51(4): E4-E24. doi: 10.1188/24.ONF.E4-E24. PubMed PMID: 38950088.
Shin J, Hammer M, Paul SM, Paul SM, Conley YP, Harris C, Oppegaard K, Morse L, Cooper BA, Levine JD, Miaskowski C. Associations between preoperative shortness of breath and potassium channels gene variations in women with breast cancer. Biol Res Nurs. Published online August 13, 2024. doi:10.1177/10998004241268088. PubMed PMID: 39137431.
(# co-first & corresponding author) Lo SB, Shin J#, Holtze ME, Post KE, Eche-Ugwu IJ, Temel JS, Cooley ME, Greer JA. Characterization of multidimensional dyspnea in advanced lung cancer with moderate to severe dyspnea-related functional impairment: a latent profile analysis. Support Care Cancer. 2025 Jul 18;33(8):700. doi: 10.1007/s00520-025-09757-3. PMID: 40681792.
Honors and Awards
2022 & 2025 | Abstract Scholarship - American Thoracic Society
2024 | Excellence in Dissemination Award - Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
2024 | Cancer Control Science Sole Nominee for the NCI Pathway to Independence Award for Outstanding Early-Stage Postdoctoral Researchers (K99/R00) - Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
2024 | Emerging Dyspnea Scientist - International Dyspnea Society
2024 | Distinguished Dissertation Award - UCSF School of Nursing
2023-2025 | Mittelman Family Fund Postdoctoral Nursing Science Fellowship - Dana-Farber Cancer Institute & Harvard Medical School
2020-2023 | School of Nursing Graduate Fellowship - UCSF School of Nursing
2021-2022 | Research Doctoral Scholarship - Oncology Nursing Foundation
2019-2020 | Masters Scholarship - Oncology Nursing Foundation
2019-2020 | Benson Family Fellowship - UCLA School of Nursing
2019-2020 | Florence C. Anderson Fellowship - UCLA School of Nursing
2019-2020 | Shapiro Family Dean’s Discretionary Scholarship - UCLA School of Nursing
2018-2020 | Kathryn and George Argabrite Endowed Scholarship - UCLA School of Nursing
2018-2020 | Graduate Fellowship - UCLA Graduate Division
2011 & 2013 | Academic Excellence Scholarship - Inha University
2010 | Honor Student Scholarship - Inha University