Janet Ogeneitsega Joseph

Doctoral candidate in pathobiology at Brown University
Class of 2015
Janet Ogeneitsega Joseph is a doctoral candidate in pathobiology at Brown University, where she researches the initiation, progression and resolution of human disease, both heritable and nonheritable.

Joseph enrolled at Moraine Valley in 2014 after graduating high school in Nigeria and immediately immersed herself in the campus community. She was a conversation partner with the International Conversation Partners Program, an orientation peer, a student tutor for chemistry and math, and president of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Club. She also was a recipient of the Moraine Valley Academic Achievement Scholarship and Matthew P. Walsh Scholarship.

After graduating with honors, she attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and earned a bachelor’s degree in molecular and cellular biology. She later took part in the Mayo Clinic’s Graduate Research Employment Program, where she worked on spinal cord injuries, and the National Institute of Health where she was a postbaccalaureate intramural research training awardee.

Throughout her educational journey, Joseph has amassed multiple recognitions, including earning a summer undergraduate research fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, becoming a recipient of the 2020 National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Director’s Award for her work on the NIMH’s anti-racism task force and receiving a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Gilliam Fellowship, which encourages inclusivity and recognizes leadership in STEM fields. She also was accepted into the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program.

Joseph is passionate about providing opportunities for underrepresented communities. She founded the Pathobiology URM Focus Group, a supportive and inclusive community in her graduate program for underrepresented minority students to advocate for their needs. She also served as the academic chair for the Graduate African Student Organization, assisting new students from various cultural backgrounds in acclimating to the university. Within the pathobiology program, Joseph is a member and steward of the Graduate Labor Organization, ensuring the wellness of graduate students and creating measures to protect student rights. Currently, Joseph is part of the STEM to Stern and community STEM middle school mentorship program, helping students develop their science skills. She also teaches immunology to high schoolers at the Wheeler School in Providence.

At Brown University, Joseph’s research focuses on the impact of chemical and biological stressors on transcriptomic markers of the placenta, specifically targeting inflammatory and neuroinflammatory markers for a successful immunological response during pregnancy, combining the fields of immunology, neuroscience, multiomics and epidemiology. She is a contributor to numerous scientific  publications, published abstracts and has given several poster presentations.

Those who know her say she is upbeat, personable and engages students with respect. Joseph’s educational experience, accolades and pursuits make her an exemplary Moraine Valley alumna.