Julie Johnson, PharmD, named new director of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science

Julie Johnson, PharmD, is an internationally recognized leader in clinical pharmacology, pharmacogenomics and genomic medicine. The Ohio State University has appointed her to direct the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCTS), serve as associate dean for Clinical and Translational Research in The Ohio State University College of Medicine and as associate vice president of Research for The Ohio State University.

Her appointment, which is pending approval by the university’s Board of Trustees, will begin in October. She will also hold the Dr. Samuel T. and Lois Felts Mercer Professorship of Medicine and Pharmacology, which the Board of Trustees approved at its meeting in August.

A native Ohioan, Dr. Johnson earned her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the Ohio State University, followed by her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. She returned to Ohio State to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in pharmacokinetics/cardiovascular pharmacology before embarking on an exceptional career as a talented leader, educator and translational clinician-scientist.

Since 1998, Dr. Johnson has served on the faculty of the University of Florida (UF), where she is a Distinguished Professor in the colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine. Last year, she completed a nine-year term as the first woman to serve as dean of the College of Pharmacy at UF. Under her leadership, the college experienced tremendous growth, rising from No. 14 in 2013 to No. 5 in 2020 in the U.S. News & World Report rankings of the best pharmacy colleges in the nation. During her tenure, the college’s annual research funding also increased from approximately No. 20 to No. 3 in research funding among the nation’s colleges of pharmacy.

“As an internationally recognized leader, Dr. Johnson has an extensive record of clinical and translational research, focusing on cardiovascular pharmacogenomics and the implementation of precision medicine approaches into clinical practice,” says Dr. Bradford. “She has led numerous interventional healthy volunteer studies as well as single and multi-center clinical trials.”

These clinical trials include randomized controlled trials and pragmatic trials and implementation research. Dr. Johnson has a long record of funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including as principal investigator (PI) of multiple large NIH grants (U01) and a T32 training grant for postdoctoral fellows. She has written more than 330 peer-reviewed original research articles and secured approximately $55 million in research funding as a PI. 

In addition, she has received many notable awards and honors for her work and was elected to the National Academy of Medicine. She is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and has received top research awards from a variety of organizations. She has also held numerous service positions, including roles with the NIH, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association.

As director of the CCTS, Dr. Johnson will serve as the PI of a seven-year $37.9 million Clinical and Translation Science Award from the NIH.

“We look forward to playing a significant role in establishing the future of translational science with Dr. Johnson at the helm,” Dr. Bradford says. “We are also grateful for the outstanding service of Matthew Ringel, MD, who stepped in late last year as interim director to ensure CCTS was able to continue its work to improve human health.”

Read more about Dr. Johnson and how the grant supports the work of the CCTS.