Sheri Johnson

Sheri Johnson is a Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, specializing in clinical psychology and bipolar disorder research. Her work focuses on emotion-related impulsivity, bipolar disorder interventions, and the neurobiological mechanisms underlying mental health conditions. She leads the Calm Program, a research initiative exploring lifestyle interventions for bipolar disorder patients. Johnson has collaborated on studies funded by the Wellcome Trust, examining healthy eating plans and their impact on psychiatric outcomes. Her research also investigates reward sensitivity, mania prediction, and cognitive training for impulsivity reduction. She has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles, with recent work published in Biological Psychiatry, Journal of Personality, and Cortex. Her contributions span clinical trials, neuroimaging studies, and transdiagnostic models of psychopathology.

Education: Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh.

• Research Interests: Bipolar disorder, emotion regulation, impulsivity, mental health interventions
• Labs/Teams: Calm Program (UC Berkeley)
• Funding: Wellcome Trust, NIH grants

Her research highlights include:

• A 2023 study on emotion-related impulsivity and pandemic-related anxiety/depression
• 2024 trials comparing time-restricted eating vs. Mediterranean diets for bipolar disorder
• Meta-analyses linking impulsivity to ADHD and comorbid psychopathologies

Johnson's work bridges neuroscience and clinical practice, emphasizing translational research to improve mental health outcomes.