Karen C. Johnson

Karen C. Johnson is the chair for the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC).[1] She has been involved in at least five clinical world trials, including a Women's health initiative, the SPRINT Trial, the Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) Study, the TARGIT Study and the D2d Trial. She has been noted by Thomson Reuters as one of the world's most-cited scientists.[2]

Karen C. Johnson
Born
Karen Lynn Chandler

Memphis, Tennessee
NationalityAmerican
Other namesKaren Chandler Johnson
Alma materLambuth University
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Johns Hopkins University
Occupation(s)Physician, Preventative Health Researcher, Professor
Years active1990-present
EmployerUniversity of Tennessee Health Science Center
Known forBiology research

Biography

Karen Lynn Chandler was born in Memphis, Tennessee[3] to Colie Edward and Cecilia Chandler.[4] She grew up in Memphis and attended the Memphis Preparatory School. She continued her education earning an undergraduate degree at Lambuth University[5] in 1978.[6] She went on to earn her MD distinction at the University of Tennessee in 1985[7] and a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University after her marriage.[6] In 1990, she returned to her alma mater and joined the faculty of the UTHSC where she has been working since.[7] She has two children, Caitlin Johnson and Justin Johnson.

Research

Johnson has been a significant contributor to the university's research funding drives, bringing in $40 million toward five research projects.

Women's Health Initiative

One of the projects, a Women's Health Initiative, began in 1993 and is evaluating diseases that effect women. The clinical trial involves more than 160,000 women.[8] One of their findings was that women who consume two or more diet soft drinks each day face higher risks of heart problems than women who either don't drink soft drinks at all or drink them rarely.[9]

SPRINT trial

Another of her trials was the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), which concluded in 2015. Its findings were that intervention could have a major impact on reducing blood pressure levels.[10]

Look AHEAD Study

Johnson is also the lead researcher on the Look AHEAD Study of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, which started in 2001. It is evaluating whether people with type 2 diabetes can prevent heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems through weight loss and increased levels of physical activity. The study was stopped in 2012, as preliminary indications of the 5,000 test subjects[11] did not show positive changes from lifestyle intervention at the expected rates. However, modifications[12] in the program allowed it to be continued in 2014.[11]

TARGIT

In 2012, Johnson launched a clinic trial called TARGIT (Treating Adults at Risk for Weight Gain with Interactive Technology) funded by the National Institutes of Health. The program is designed to use iPod applications[13] to support smoking cessation while eliminating weight-gain.[5] The study concluded in 2017. It found that "Providing an intensive weight gain prevention program combined with a smoking cessation program via interactive technology was not associated with greater long‐term weight gain prevention".[14]

D2d Trial

In 2014, she began working on the D2d Trial (vitamin D and type 2 diabetes) which is aimed at determining if vitamin D intake lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes.[15] The study concluded in 2020 and did not find any significant results connecting vitamin D intake and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.[16]

The Quit Forever app

In 2011, the UTHSC released an iPhone app that is meant to help people quit smoking. The app includes methods and instructions to help people stop smoking for life. According to Johnson "The app is our way of translating what we know works to promote health into social media and technology trends of today". The goal of the app is to reach large numbers of people who want to quit smoking. The app also includes information about the effects of both first and second hand smoke on people's health.[17]

Work experience

Johnson started working for UTHSC in 1990. From 2010 to 2014, Johnson served as the interim chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at UTHSC.[18] Johnson has been cited by Thomson Reuters as one of the most influential scientific publishers in the world.[19] In 2019, she became the new chair for the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.[1]

Awards

In 2014, she was awarded the Kathryn Sullivan Bowld Endowment Fund Professorship in Women's Health from the College of Medicine at UTHSC. She received this due to her "excellence in research, her national reputation and her history as a strong collaborator".[8]

References
  1. Reisser, Peggy (June 17, 2019). "Karen C. Johnson, MD, Named Chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine at UTHSC". UTHSC News. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  2. "The World's Most Influential Scientific Minds" (PDF). Thomson Reuters. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 17, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  3. "Karen Lynn Chandler Johnson". Yumpu. February 24, 2012. p. 1. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  4. "Memphis-area obituaries for Wednesday, May 28". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis, Tennessee. May 28, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  5. "Karen C. Johnson, MD, MPH, Named Endowed Professor in Women's Health for the UTHSC College of Medicine". Memphis, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Health Science Center. November 4, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  6. "Johns Hopkins University Commencement 1989". Mocavo. 1989. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  7. "Karen C. Johnson, MD, MPH '85 Awarded Professorship". Memphis, Tennessee: UTHSC Alumni Office. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  8. Wade, Don (November 6, 2014). "UTHSC Doctor Receives Endowed Professorship". Memphis Daily News. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  9. Brown, George (April 25, 2014). "Diet Soda Concerns For Women". Memphis, Tennessee: WREG-TV. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  10. "SPRINT Trial - Commentaries". November 17, 2015. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  11. Robertson, Rob (February 19, 2014). "UTHSC prof awarded $1.6 million to continue diabetes study". Memphis Business Journal. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  12. Frederick L Brancati; Mary Evans; Curt D Furberg; Nancy Geller; Steven Haffner; Steven E Kahn; Peter G Kaufmann; Cora E Lewis; David M Nathan; Bertram Pitt; Monika Safford (February 2012). "Midcourse correction to a clinical trial when the event rate is underestimated: the Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) Study". Clinical Trials. 9 (1): 113–124. doi:10.1177/1740774511432726. PMC 3790961. PMID 22334468.
  13. McCoy, Erin L. (July 2013). "Smoke Signals". Memphis Magazine. p. 2. Archived from the original on November 22, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  14. Johnson, Karen C.; Thomas, Fridtjof; Richey, Phyllis; Tran, Quynh T.; Tylavsky, Fran; Miro, Danielle; Coday, Mace (2017). "The Primary Results of the Treating Adult Smokers at Risk for Weight Gain with Interactive Technology (TARGIT) Study". Obesity. 25 (10): 1691–1698. doi:10.1002/oby.21968. ISSN 1930-739X. PMC 5679058. PMID 28948720.
  15. Anastassios G. Pittas; Bess Dawson-Hughes; Patricia R. Sheehan; Clifford J. Rosen; James H. Ware; William C. Knowler; Myrlene A. Staten; Russell Tracy; Michael R. Lewis; Lawrence Phillips; John Foreyt; Ranee Chatterjee; Richard Pratley; Chhavi Chadha; David Robbins; Anne Peters; Irwin Brodsky; Vanita Aroda; Cyrus Desouza; Leonid Poretsky; and 12 others (December 1, 2014). "Rationale and design of the vitamin D and type 2 diabetes (D2d) study: A diabetes prevention trial". Diabetes Care. 37 (12): 3227–3234. doi:10.2337/dc14-1005. PMC 4237973. PMID 25205139. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  16. "D2d Study Results -". D2d Study. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  17. Communications and Marketing (July 25, 2011). "UTHSC Releases New iPhone App to Help Smokers Quit". UTHSC News. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  18. Wade, Don (August 4, 2014). "UTHSC Appoints Chair for Preventive Medicine". Memphis Daily News. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  19. "Cohen Congratulates UTHSC Researchers on Being Named Among "World's Most Influential Scientific Minds". Congressman Steve Cohen. August 18, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
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