Dame Anne Mandall Johnson DBE FMedSci (born 30 January 1954) is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

epidemiologist Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and risk factor, determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decision ...

, known for her work in public health, especially the areas of

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

sexually transmitted infections Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and oral se ...

and

infectious diseases An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable dise ...

. "One day, a journalist rang us up... the survey had been banned by then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher"

Education

Johnson's family were involved in medicine. She chose to study at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and received a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Medical Sciences, Tripos Part I in 1974, intercalating a year studying social and political sciences during this degree. After graduating, uncertain whether to continue with medicine, she took a gap year in South America that gave her direction for her career. She spent most of her time in

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

but also with

Yanomami The Yanomami, also spelled Yąnomamö or Yanomama, are a group of approximately 35,000 indigenous people who live in some 200–250 villages in the Amazon rainforest on the border between Venezuela and Brazil. Etymology The ethnonym ''Yanomami ...

people who lived along the

Orinoco The Orinoco () is one of the longest rivers in South America at . Its drainage basin, sometimes known as the Orinoquia, covers , with 76.3 percent of it in Venezuela and the remainder in Colombia. It is the fourth largest river in the wor ...

river. This made her understand the importance to people's health of their environment and socioeconomic status. In 1978, she completed her clinical training at the

University of Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is a red brick univer ...

and received her Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) in Clinical Medicine. In 1979, she received a Master of Arts from the

. Her initial post as a GP was in a deprived community in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. To support her increasing interest in the broader determinants of people's health, especially preventive measures to avoid the need for clinical treatments, she then undertook specialist training in epidemiology, earning a Master of Science (MSc) in Public Health and Epidemiology from the

London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a public research university in Bloomsbury, central London, and a member institution of the University of London that specialises in public health and tropical medicine. The inst ...

in 1984. This subject, essential to

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

, had not been included in her medical training. It led her into the area of public and economic policy and politics later in her career.

Career

Johnson is Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Chair of the Grand Challenge for Global Health at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. She was formerly Director of the University's Division of Population Health. She was Chair of the Medical Research Council Population Health Sciences Group until 2010. She is a

National Institute for Health and Care Research The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) is the British government’s major funder of clinical, public health, social care and translational research. With a budget of over £1.2 billion in 2020–21, its mission is to "impr ...

(NIHR) Senior Investigator. In her clinical research career she has focused on epidemiology and prevention of HIV and sexually transmitted infections. This was initiated in the mid 1980s through a chance opportunity to take a research post at

Middlesex Hospital Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, England. First opened as the Middlesex Infirmary in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally clos ...

into the early epidemiology of HIV at a time when the topic attracted considerable stigma and sexual health was a new concept. One of her first epidemiological studies was into whether HIV could be transmitted between heterosexual couples. Johnson was also involved in the design of the first purpose-built ward for patients with AIDS that was opened in 1987 by

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

. Her work includes sexual lifestyle studies, international HIV cohort studies, and behavioural intervention studies. She has led randomised control trials of behavioural interventions to promote sexual health. Aside from HIV/AIDS research, she also researches epidemiological and immunological determinants of seasonal and pandemic influenza transmission. She was principal investigator in the

National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles The National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal) are a series of surveys of people in the Great Britain regarding their sexual behaviour and patterns, and are among the largest scientific studies of sexual behaviours in the world. Th ...

(NATSAL), which has run in 1990, 2000, and 2010. Along with several colleagues including

Kaye Wellings Kaye Wellings is an active Sexual and Reproductive Health educator and has worked within this field of study for over 20 years. She has a strong interest in evaluation research, particularly in relation to preventive intervention and has assessed m ...

, Johnson initiated this large sample survey despite some scepticism and opposition. Her work on the national survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyles not only maps the extent of the HIV epidemic but also tracks changes in behaviour over time in the whole UK population. It was financed by the

Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of one of the predecessors of Glaxo ...

charity when government funding was refused at prime ministerial level. The NATSAL-III study had a broader emphasis on sexuality in the context of health and well-being, and tracked four other sexually transmitted infections:

chlamydia Chlamydia, or more specifically a chlamydia infection, is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Chlamydia trachomatis''. Most people who are infected have no symptoms. When symptoms do appear they may occur only several wee ...

gonorrhea Gonorrhea, colloquially known as the clap, is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium '' Neisseria gonorrhoeae''. Infection may involve the genitals, mouth, or rectum. Infected men may experience pain or burning with ...

HPV Human papillomavirus infection (HPV infection) is caused by a DNA virus from the '' Papillomaviridae'' family. Many HPV infections cause no symptoms and 90% resolve spontaneously within two years. In some cases, an HPV infection persists and re ...

, and ''Mycobacterium genitalium'' in addition to HIV. As well as within public health, information from the surveys has informed government policy in areas such as contraception, age of consent and HPV vaccination. In 2006, Johnson, along with Andrew Hayward, was one of the founders of ''Flu Watch'', designed to understand effects and transmission of influenza in the general community, rather than only among hospital patients. Participant households were invited to join after being selected at random from the lists of volunteer general practitioners around England. The study also collected blood samples to study immunology related to influenza. In July 2020, Johnson and other public health scientists affiliated with the

Academy of Medical Sciences The Academy of Medical Sciences is an organisation established in the UK in 1998. It is one of the four UK National Academies, the others being the British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society. Its mission is to adv ...

co-authored a report ''Preparing for a Challenging Winter 2020/2021'' commissioned by the UK Government Office for Science. This indicated that the UK was not well prepared for a second wave of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

and proposed what should be done. She was one of the presenters to the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

Select Committee Select committee may refer to: *Select committee (parliamentary system), a committee made up of a small number of parliamentary members appointed to deal with particular areas or issues *Select or special committee (United States Congress) *Select ...

on Intergovernmental Organisations. In November 2010, she was appointed to the Board of Governors of the

. In 2017 she was elected vice president international of th
Academy of Medical Sciences
and in December 2020 was elected President of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

Awards and honors

Among other awards, she was appointed, in 2013, a

Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, as a result of which she is properly styled "Professor Dame Anne Johnson, DBE". * DBE:

, as of the 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours List * PMedSci: Fellow of the

elected in 2001 * FRCP: Fellow of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

* FFPH: Fellow of the

Faculty of Public Health The Faculty of Public Health (FPH) is a public health association in the United Kingdom established as a registered charity. It is the standard setting body for public health specialists within the United Kingdom, setting standards for training ...

* FRCGP: Fellow of the

Royal College of General Practitioners The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is the professional body for general (medical) practitioners (GPs/Family Physicians/Primary Care Physicians) in the United Kingdom. The RCGP represents and supports GPs on key issues including l ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Anne Mandall 1954 births British public health doctors Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge British women scientists Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Alumni of Newcastle University Alumni of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) Fellows of the Royal College of General Practitioners Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Wellcome Trust NIHR Senior Investigators Women public health doctors