Caroline Helen Johnson

Caroline Helen Johnson is a Tenured Associate Professor of Epidemiology in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Yale School of Public Health. Her research leverages mass spectrometry-based metabolomics to investigate the interplay between genetic and environmental factors (e.g., diet, hormones, microbiome) in colon cancer and perinatal health.

• Education: PhD in Analytical Chemistry (Imperial College London, 2009), MSc (University College London, 2003), BSc (Keele University, 2000)

Dr. Johnson's work focuses on:

• Microbial metabolites in colon cancer, particularly diacetylspermine from biofilms in right-sided tumors
• Peri-conception environmental exposures (e.g., parabens) and their effects on fertility
• Early-life exposures via dried blood spots and their links to later-life cancers
• Sex-specific differences in cancer metabolism and therapeutic responses
• Optimizing normalization methods for metabolomics in clinical samples

Her recent publications span 2023-2025, addressing topics like PFAS exposure, mycotoxin biomonitoring, and polyamine pathways in cancer. She collaborates extensively with Yale Cancer Center, WHRY, and interdisciplinary teams.

Scientific Awards:

• YSPH Team Science Research Award (2024)
• 2023 Career Medal (International Metabolomics Society)
• 2023 Women in Science (Womix) Mentorship Award
• K12 Calabresi Immuno-Oncology Training Program Award (2021)
• Career Enhancement Program Award (NCI/Yale Spore in Skin Cancer, 2020)

As a mentor, she oversees PhD students like Xinyi Shen and contributes to databases like OncoSexome. Her lab develops analytical protocols for metabolomics in diverse clinical matrices.