Editors
Our in-house editors are PhD-level scientists with research experience. All in-house editors work full-time for the journal to oversee the review process, handle manuscripts as primary editors, liaise with our Editorial Board Members and enforce journal policy. Editors also engage in other activities on behalf of the journal, such as attending and organizing conferences and meeting with scientists at their institutions.
In-house editors work closely with our Editorial Board Members to ensure that all manuscripts are subject to the same editorial standards and journal policies.
Chief Editor: Andreia Cunha, PhD, Springer Nature, UK
Andreia received a PhD in Immunology from Universidade Nova de Lisboa. She then joined Genome Medicine, where she handled translational and clinical research manuscripts for five years. In 2018, she became team manager of the Biomedical and Translational Research Team at Nature Communications. In early 2020, Andreia rejoined Genome Medicine as Locum Chief Editor and later that year became launch Chief Editor of Communications Medicine. She is based in the London office. andreia.cunha@nature.com
Senior Editor: Ben Abbott, PhD, Springer Nature, UK
Ben studied for his BSc in Biomedical Sciences, MRes in Translational Medicine and PhD in Cancer Sciences at the University of Manchester, UK. His doctoral research was focused on the mechanisms of bone metastasis in prostate cancer. Ben joined Communications Medicine as one of the launch editors in October 2020, having previously worked as a Manuscript Editor on the BMC Series journals. He is based in the London office. ben.abbott@nature.com
Senior Editor: Katharine Barnes, PhD, Springer Nature, UK
Katharine obtained a PhD in Cancer Pharmacology at the Institute of Cancer Research, London and did postdoctoral research at the University of Pittsburgh. She became an editor in 2001; her roles have included Editor of Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, Chief Editor and Managing Editor of Nature Protocols and locum Senior Editor at Nature Biomedical Engineering. She joined Communications Medicine in September 2021 and is based in the London office. k.barnes@nature.com
Senior Editor: Meg Mashbat, PhD, Springer Nature, UK
Meg obtained a PhD from and worked as a Postdoctoral researcher in the department of Paediatric Infectious Diseases at Imperial College, London. Her doctoral research was focused on identifying rare and novel genetic variants that confer susceptibility to meningococcal disease using next generation sequencing and mechanistic studies. She worked as a Senior Editor at eBioMedicine, one of The Lancet’s Discovery Science journals for nearly 4 years. She then joined Communications Medicine in November 2022 and is based in the London office. meg.mashbat@nature.com
Associate Editor: Valerie Salvatico, PhD, Springer Nature, US
Valerie received her PhD in Molecular and Cellular Biology and Genetics at Drexel University College of Medicine. She completed postdoctoral studies at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her research focused on elucidating novel vulnerabilities in breast and ovarian cancer to identify potential therapeutic targets. She then served as a field applications scientist in the Cell Analysis division of Agilent Technologies for several years. She joined Communications Medicine in February 2024 and is based in the Philadelphia office. valerie.salvatico@us.nature.com
