Robert Johnston

Robert Johnston is a Professor and Director of the Teaching of History Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). His research focuses on the Progressive Era, post-1970 U.S. history, history of medicine, and historiography. He has authored influential works such as The Radical Middle Class (2003) and co-edited volumes on alternative medicine and rural politics. Johnston is also a prominent educator, receiving the American Historical Association’s Eugene Asher Distinguished Teaching Award (2020) and multiple UIC teaching accolades.

He directs UIC’s Teaching of History program, collaborating with institutions like the Chicago Metro History Fair and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Johnston has led numerous teacher training initiatives, including summer institutes on the Gilded Age and Progressivisms. He served as co-editor of the Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era (2013-2018) and currently co-edits the Journal of American History’s “Textbooks and Teaching” section.

His recent projects include a book on vaccination controversies (Oxford UP, forthcoming) and revisions to The American Century textbook. Johnston actively engages in public history through lectures globally and serves as vice-president of UIC’s faculty union. He resides in Chicago’s West Rogers Park neighborhood, playing baseball with The Naturals senior team.