Bethany L. Johnson

Dr. Bethany L. Johnson is a historian of science, technology, and medicine whose work interrogates how scientific and medical knowledge is constructed, normalized, and communicated from the nineteenth century to the present. Holding a Ph.D. in History of Science, Technology, and the Environment from the University of South Carolina (2025), she is currently the Albert M. Greenfield Research Fellow at the Consortium of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine (2022–2023).

Education

• B.A. in History, Nyack College, 2002
• M.Phil. in Development Studies, University of Glasgow, 2005
• Ph.D. in History of Science, Technology, and the Environment, University of South Carolina, 2025

Research Interests

Johnson’s scholarship centers on the historical interplay between institutions, individuals, and the evolving discourses of science, medicine, and public health. She investigates how epidemics, endocrinology, and reproductive health have been framed in expert and popular arenas. Her work draws on methodologies from gender studies and media analysis to illuminate the social construction of medical authority.

Selected Publications

Her co-authored book "You’re Doing it Wrong! Mothering, Media, and Medical Expertise" (Rutgers University Press, 2019) synthesizes decades of archival and media research to critique dominant narratives around mothering and medical expertise. She has additionally contributed to leading journals such as Health Communication, Qualitative Research in Medicine and Healthcare, Social History of Medicine, Women’s Reproductive Health, and Isis, collectively spanning the history of medicine, public health communication, and gendered medical discourses.

Awards & Honors

• Albert M. Greenfield Research Fellow, Consortium of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine (2022–2023)

Current & Future Projects

Johnson continues to expand her research on the historical dynamics of epidemic narratives, with forthcoming projects exploring the gendered dimensions of endocrinological knowledge production and the role of media in shaping reproductive health expertise.