Sharon D. Johnston

Sharon D. Johnston, Ph.D., is Professor and Dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where she has been a faculty member since 1999. She holds a BASW from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville (1989), an MSW (1992) and Ph.D. in Social Work (1999) from Washington University in St. Louis, and an MPE in Psychiatric Epidemiology (2002) from Washington University's School of Medicine. Her postdoctoral fellowship specialized in biostatistics and psychiatric epidemiology.

Dr. Johnston's research encompasses epidemiology, trauma, mental health, and social determinants affecting marginalized populations. Key areas include:

• Community-based participatory research and needs assessment methodologies
• PTSD and comorbid substance use disorders
• Adolescent mental health and HIV-risk factors
• Impact of trauma on African American communities

Her publications frequently utilize quasi-experimental designs and national datasets like NESARC.

She has led major federally funded initiatives including:

• SAMHSA's SBIRT Health Professional Training (2015-2018, $1.2M)
• HRSA's Behavioral Health Workforce Enhancement (2014-2017)
• MacArthur Foundation's Justice Reform Project (2015)

Honors include:

• NIMH Pre-doctoral Research Award (1996-1999)
• Social Work Dissertation Award
• Chancellor's Graduate Fellowship