Joongho John Joh, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and a faculty researcher at the Brown Cancer Center (BCC) at the University of Louisville. His research focuses on discovering novel preventive and therapeutic strategies for human cancer. A significant breakthrough in his work was the isolation of the first and only mouse papillomavirus, MmuPV1, which infects various strains of laboratory mice and induces diverse tumor development. This led to the establishment of an HPV cancer mouse model, enabling him to conduct research focused on HPV-induced carcinogenesis and the underlying protective and therapeutic immune mechanisms.

With the emergence of COVID-19, he applied his virology expertise to investigate the preventive and therapeutic effects of drug candidates on SARS-CoV-2 and to contribute to COVID-19 detection in healthcare workers and the Louisville community.

As a Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator on multiple university- and NIH-funded grants, his research has laid a strong foundation for ongoing studies aimed at developing vaccines to prevent human diseases caused by infectious pathogens, as well as discovering therapeutic and diagnostic targets relevant to disease progression and host immune disorders.