Amy K Johnson

Amy K Johnson, PhD, serves as Associate Professor in Pediatrics (Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine) at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, with clinical affiliation at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. She holds key roles in the Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM) - Center for Dissemination and Implementation Science, Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS), and Robert J. Havey, MD Institute for Global Health (IGH).

Dr. Johnson earned her PhD from the University of Illinois, Chicago in 2016. Her research centers on adolescent sexual and reproductive health with dual emphases on HIV/STI intervention implementation and ethical dimensions of community participation in cure research. She develops prevention packages targeting adolescents—particularly young women—and addresses surveillance gaps in sexually transmitted diseases through implementation science frameworks.

Analysis of her 2024-2025 publications reveals a dominant focus on PrEP implementation across diverse populations and geographies. Her work consistently addresses health disparities through mixed-methods approaches, examining structural barriers among Black women in Chicago, migrant communities in France, and youth in Nigeria. Common threads include innovative delivery strategies (text messaging, peer navigation), cultural adaptation of interventions, and ethical considerations in community engagement—demonstrating her commitment to translating research into equitable prevention solutions.

Her scientific contributions have been recognized with the Excellence in Scholarship award from Lurie Children's Hospital (2023) and Best Poster Award from the American Sexually Transmitted Disease Association (2016).

• Excellence in Scholarship, Lurie Children's Hospital (2023)
• Best Poster Award, American Sexually Transmitted Disease Association (2016)

Dr. Johnson actively shapes public health practice through leadership in the Illinois PrEP Working Group, Getting to Zero Illinois, and as Vice Chair of Epidemiology for the Illinois Public Health Association. Her editorial role at Frontiers in Reproductive Health and memberships in the American College of Epidemiology and American Public Health Association reflect her influence in advancing methodological rigor and equity-focused HIV prevention science. Current projects like iCARE Nigeria and POWER Up demonstrate her commitment to scalable interventions addressing the HIV care continuum.