Dr. Johnson-Thompson (1946-) is an American cancer biologist, virologist, and educator. She was born in Boston, but spent most of her childhood years in south Florida. Her father was a physician and had a large influence on her passion for science during her youth. Despite growing up in a segregated school system with little access to textbooks and science supplies, she found a love for science, and after graduating from high school wanted to pursue chemistry.
Dr. Johnson-Thompson earned her Bachelor’s degree in microbiology from Howard University in Washington, DC. After discovering her passion for microbiology, she continued at Howard University to earn her Master’s degree. Her desire to teach in an academic setting lead her to obtain her PhD at Georgetown University in 1978. Dr. Johnson-Thompson then spent the next 14 years as a biology professor at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC). Her work focused on the molecular mechanisms of small molecule inhibitors of Simian Virus 40 (SV40) and characterizing drug-resistant human cancer cell lines. She then retired from UDC, becoming a Professor Emerita of Biology and Environmental Sciences. Her hard work attracted attention from various governmental organizations, and in 1992 she became the Director of Education and Biomedical Research Development in the Environmental Health Sciences division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She retied from the position in 2008. She remains active on several scientific boards including the University of North Carolina Lineberger Cancer Centre, the Howard University Board of Trustees, and the Environmental Equity and Justice Advisory Board of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Dr. Johnson-Thompson has always advocated for health equity, and she has published on factors linked to environment-associated breast cancer in women of colour and the lack of diversity in the sciences. Her strongly held belief is that hiring people from minorities gives focus to important issues faced by minority stakeholders, such as clinical patients. Together with others, she founded the National Network of Minority Women in Sciences in 1978. Dedication to social justice and health equity issues throughout her career have garnered Dr. Johnson-Thompson many accolades over the years. In 1999 she was the recipient of the Oni Award from the International Black Women’s Congress; in 2003 she received the Thurgood Marshall Alumni Award; she is also an elected fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Further reading: https://asm.org/Biographies/Marian-Johnson-Thompson,-Ph-Dhttps://www.asmscience.org/content/book/10.1128/9781555819545.chap20 https://unclineberger.org/community-outreach/community-advisory-board/marian-johnson-thompson/#:~:text=Dr.,in%20clinical%20trials%20research%20activities. https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/marian-johnson-thompson Andrew Hogan PhD student
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AuthorWe are graduate students at the Department of Microbiology, University of Manitoba Archives
October 2023
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