Joel Rurik is a senior PhD candidate in Dr. Jonathan Epstein’s laboratory at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He studied molecular biology and history at George Fox University, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2016. His current research is focused on using novel RNA delivery technologies to generate immuno-medicine therapeutics in vivo and is investigating how the cardiac mesenchyme interacts with the immune system following injury. Long-term, Joel is fascinated by the adaptive immune system and wants to leverage these powerful cells for human health.