Johanna Nunez, MD

Current Burn Surgery and Critical Care fellow at Parkland Hospital and UT Southwestern eager to build upon my advanced clinical training by joining a nationally recognized institution that values excellence in patient care, education, and research. Throughout my surgical training and fellowship, I have developed a deep commitment to the care of burn patients from initial resuscitation and operative management to long-term reconstruction and rehabilitation.

• Dean’s Scholarship - MUSC (2015, 2016),
• Rodman Rohde Scholarship - MUSC (2014)
• Jenny and Jerry Reeves Diversity Scholarship - MUSC (2013)
• Alpha Omega Alpha Recipient- MUSC
• Herbert and Gladys Smith Scholarship
• Ann and Henry Fujita Memorial Chemistry Scholarship
• Dr. Arthur Tye Memorial Life Science Scholarship
• Doyle Scholarship
• Dean’s Highest Honors

• Alpha Omega Alpha
• American Burn Association
• American Medical Association
• American Medical Student Association
• American Medical Women’s Association
• Association for Academic Surgery
• Student National Medical Association
• Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society
• Golden Key International Honor Society
• Women in Science and Engineering

• Nunez JH, Clark AT. Burn Patient Metabolism and Nutrition. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 2023 Nov;34(4):717-731.
• Nunez JH, Strong AL, Comish P, Hespe GE, Harvey J, Sorkin M, Levi B. A Review of Laser Therapies for the Treatment of Scarring and Vascular Anomalies. Adv Wound Care (New Rochelle). 2023 Feb;12(2):68-84.
• Nunez JH, Juan C, Sun Y, Hong J, Bancroft AC, Hwang C, Medrano JM, Huber AK, Tower RJ, Levi B. Neutrophil and NETosis Modulation in Traumatic Heterotopic Ossification. Ann Surg. 2023 Dec 1;278(6):e1289-e1298.
• Pagani CA, Bancroft AC, Tower RJ, Livingston N, Sun Y, Hong JY, Kent RN 3rd, Strong AL, Nunez JH, Medrano JMR, Patel N, Nanes BA, Dean KM, Li Z, Ge C, Baker BM, James AW, Weiss SJ, Franceschi RT, Levi B. Discoidin domain receptor 2 regulates aberrant mesenchymal lineage cell fate and matrix organization. Sci Adv. 2022 Dec 21;8(51):eabq6152.
• Patel NK, Nunez JH, Sorkin M, Marini S, Pagani CA, Strong AL, Hwang CD, Li S, Padmanabhan KR, Kumar R, Bancroft AC, Greenstein JA, Nelson R, Rasheed HA, Livingston N, Vasquez K, Huber AK, Levi B. Macrophage TGF-β signaling is critical for wound healing with heterotopic ossification after trauma. JCI Insight. 2022 Oct 24;7(20):e144925.
• Hwang CD, Pagani CA, Nunez JH, Cherief M, Qin Q, Gomez-Salazar M, Kadaikal B, Kang H, Chowdary AR, Patel N, James AW, Levi B. Contemporary perspectives on heterotopic ossification. JCI Insight. 2022 Jul 22;7(14):e158996.
• Van de Vyver M, Boodhoo K, Frazier T, Hamel K, Kopecwicz M, Levi B, Maartens M, Machcinska S, Nunez J, Pagani C, Rogers E, Walendzik K, Wisniewska J, Gawronska-Kozak B, Gimble JM. Histology Scoring System for Murine Cutaneous Wounds. Stem Cells Dev. 2021 Dec 1;30(23):1141-1152.
• Pagani CA, Huber AK, Hwang C, Marini S, Padmanabhan K, Livingston N, Nunez J, Sun Y, Edwards N, Cheng YH, Visser N, Yu P, Patel N, Greenstein JA, Rasheed H, Nelson R, Kessel K, Vasquez K, Strong AL, Hespe GE, Song JY, Wellik DM, Levi B. Novel Lineage-Tracing System to Identify Site-Specific Ectopic Bone Precursor Cells. Stem Cell Reports. 2021 Mar 9;16(3):626-640.
• Gupta VS, Meier J, Nunez JH, Abdelfattah KR, Balentine C, Zeh HJ, Carlson D, Levi B. How We Did It: Implementing a Trainee-Focused Surgical Research Curriculum and Infrastructure. J Surg Educ. 2022 Jan-Feb;79(1):35-39.
• Meier J, Stevens A, Nunez J, Jacob A, Garza A, Bisgaard E, Abdelfattah K, Balentine C. Chief Residents Can Safely Operate on Older and Frail Patients. J Surg Res. 2023 May;285:121-128. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2022.12.005. Epub 2023 Jan 18.
• Rowe CJ, Nwaolu U, Salinas D, Hong J, Nunez J, Lansford JL, McCarthy CF, Potter BK, Levi BH, Davis TA. Inhibition of focal adhesion kinase 2 results in a macrophage polarization shift to M2 which attenuates local and systemic inflammation and reduces heterotopic ossification after polysystem extremity trauma. Front Immunol. 2023 Dec 5;14:1280884.
• Wichmann JL, Takk RAP, Nunez JH, Vliegenthart R, Otani K, Litwin SE, Morris PB, De Cecco CN, Rosenberg RD, Bayer RR 2nd, Baumann S, Renker M, Vogl TJ, Wenger NK, Schoepf UJ. Relationship Between Pregnancy Complications and Subsequent Coronary Artery Disease Assessed by Coronary Computed Tomographic Angiography in Black Women. Circ Cardiovasc Imaging. 2019 Jul;12(7):e008754.
• Novel Short Wave Infrared Assessment Tool Evaluates Human Burn Wound Depth. Johanna Nunez, Sergey Mironov, Bingchun Wan, Alaa Hazime, Audra Clark, Chiaka Akarichi, Samuel Mandell, Brett Arnoldo, Rodney Chan, Jeremy Goverman, Ryan Huebinger, Caroline Park, Bret Evers, Deborah Carlson, Omer Berenfeld
• Benjamin Levi
• . Under review in Wound Repair and Regeneration.
• Intersections of Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva and Traumatic Heterotopic Ossification. Conan Juan, Alec C. Bancroft, Ji Hae Choi, Johanna H. Nunez, Chase A. Pagani, Yen-S Cheng Lin, Edward C. Hsiao and Benjamin Levi. Under review in Biomolecules.
• High Frequency Spectral Ultrasound Imaging Detects Early Post Traumatic Muscle Fibrosis in Rodents. Johanna Nunez, Chase A. Pagani, Nicole Edwards, David M. Stepien, Amanda Huber, Ashish Chowdary, Geoffrey Hespe, Thomas Davis, Benjamin Levi. Academic Surgical Congress, February 2022.
• Targeting myeloid-mechanotransductive signaling to reduce muscle fibrosis. Johanna Nunez, Chase A. Pagani, Nicole Edwards, Amanda Huber, Alec Bancroft, Jessica Medrano, Geoffrey Hespe, Amy Strong, Benjamin Levi. Academic Surgical Congress, February 2022.
• Case Characterizations of Skin Burn Using Novel Multi-Spectral SWIR Imaging. Johanna Nunez, Caroline Park, Audra Clark, Chiaka Akarichi, Brett Arnoldo, Rodney Chan, Sergey Mironov, Samuel Mandel, Jeremy Goverman, Deborah Carlson, Ryan Huebinger, Benjamin Levi, Omer Berenfeld. American Burn Association, April 2022.
• Neutrophil modulation in traumatic heterotopic ossification. Johanna Nunez, Robert Tower, Jonathan Hong, Alec Bancroft, Jessica Marie Medrano, Amanda Huber, Benjamin Levi. Orthopedic Research Society, February 2023
• Tissue resident macrophages as part of the inflammatory milieu in a mouse model of traumatic heterotopic ossification. Johanna H. Nunez, MD; Amanda Huber, PhD; Chase Pagani, BS; Yuxiao Sun, PhD; Gaby Baylon, PhD; Jessica Medrano,BS; Nicholas Livingston, BS; Benjamin Levi, MD. UTSW Research Day, March 2023.
• Neutrophil modulation in traumatic heterotopic ossification. Johanna Nunez, Robert Tower, Jonathan Hong, Alec Bancroft, Jessica Marie Medrano, Amanda Huber, Benjamin Levi. AAP/ASCI/APSA, April 2023
• Gender Differences in Undertriage following Severe Traumatic Injury Women’s Health Research Day MUSC, April 2017

• MRI Technician (Junior Specialist) UC Davis Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences/Imaging Research Center University of California, Davis; Sacramento, CA, (April 2012- May 2013)
• Mentor and After-school Teacher Will C. Wood Middle School (The Sacramento Chinese Community Center) Sacramento, California (August 2011 – May 2012)
• Tutor and Computer Lab Assistant Santa Rosa Junior College (Math and Science Computer Lab) Santa Rosa, California (Oct 2007 - June 2009)

• Member of the Department of Surgery Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
• Member of the Parkland Trauma Informed Care Committee
• Co-Founder of Structural Disadvantages Curriculum (SDC) Group
• Treasurer of Structural Disadvantages Curriculum (SDC) Group
• Housestaff Emerging Acadamy of Leaders (HEAL) Member
• Resident-Student Surgery Mentorship Program Mentor

• Community Service Coordinator for the Student National Medical Association
• Secretary/Treasurer for Pediatrics Interest Group
• Treasurer for Musicians United in Service of Charleston
• SM3 Mentor (Student Mentor for Minorities in Medicine)
• American Medical Women’s Association Mentor