Nicole Johnson (born January 9, 1974) is an American beauty queen, author, public health professional and activist. Crowned

Miss America 1999 Miss America 1999, the 72nd Miss America pageant, was held at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday, September 19, 1998 on ABC Network. Results Placements Order of announcements Top 10 # # # # # # # # # # Top 5 # ...

and

Miss Virginia The Miss Virginia competition is a scholarship pageant for women, with the titleholder representing Virginia in the Miss America pageant. The competition was founded in 1953 as a scholarship contest for young women, although women had represente ...

1998, she became the first Miss America with

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

and the first contestant to publicize the use of an

insulin pump An insulin pump is a medical device used for the administration of insulin in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, also known as continuous subcutaneous insulin therapy. The device configuration may vary depending on design. A traditional pump ...

. She now advocates for

research, treatment, and education, having been diagnosed with

type 1 diabetes Type 1 diabetes (T1D), formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune disease that originates when cells that make insulin (beta cells) are destroyed by the immune system. Insulin is a hormone required for the cells to use blood sugar for ...

in 1993.

Education

Johnson holds a B.A. in English from the

University of South Florida The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF is ...

and an M.A. in journalism from the School of Communication & the Arts at

Regent University Regent University is a private Christian university in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The university was founded by Pat Robertson in 1977 as Christian Broadcasting Network University, and changed its name to Regent University in 1990. Regent offers ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. She also has a Master of

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 ...

degree from the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

gained in 2007. In 2013, Johnson received a Doctor of Public Health degree from the University of South Florida.

Pageantry

Early pageantry

Johnson first started competing in pageants in Florida and placed in the Top 10 at Miss Florida in 1995 and was third runner-up in the

Miss Florida USA The Miss Florida USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Florida in the Miss USA pageant. Up until the 2017 pageant, both Miss and Teen state pageants were held separately in different months. In recent ...

1995 pageant. After moving to

to pursue post-graduate education at Regent University she continued competing and placed in the top ten at

1997.

Miss Virginia 1998

In March 1998 she won the Miss Lynchburg Festival title and went on to win the

1998 title on June 29, 1998.

Miss America 1999

In September Johnson represented Virginia in the

pageant, becoming the second woman representing that state to win the Miss America title. She sang " That's Life" in the talent competition. In 1997 she started wearing an insulin pump on her hip to control her illness, which she wore while competing at Miss Virginia and Miss America, the first Miss America contestant and winner to do so.

Diabetes activism

Johnson became a spokesperson for the

American Diabetes Association The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is a United States-based nonprofit that seeks to educate the public about diabetes and to help those affected by it through funding research to manage, cure and prevent diabetes (including type 1 diabetes, ...

in the 1990s and had testified in legislative hearings in Washington, D.C. prior to winning the Miss Virginia title. In 2004, her communication skills and journalism background led her to become the anchor of ''

dLife ''DLife'' (stylized as ''dLife'') is a half-hour-long American weekly lifestyle television series broadcasting Sundays at 7 PM ET on CNBC. The show, which started airing in 2005, is the first television program dedicated entirely to people livin ...

'', a weekly TV series about diabetes that aired on

CNBC CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...

. Johnson has also written several books over her career: three cookbooks with

Mr. Food Art Ginsburg (July 29, 1931 – November 21, 2012), commonly known as Mr. Food, was an Americans, American television chef and best selling author of cookbooks (not to be confused with the comedy character Mr Food on BBC Radio's Steve Wrigh ...

, an independent cookbook titled, ''Nicole Johnson's Diabetes Recipe Makeovers,'' an autobiography titled ''Living with Diabetes,'' and a book for young adults titled, ''Young Adult Type 1 Diabetes Realities.'' She continues to work as a diabetes advocate and patient care expert - professionally and in a volunteer capacity. Her consulting clients have included

Novo Nordisk Novo Nordisk A/S is a Danish multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Bagsværd, Denmark, with production facilities in nine countries, and affiliates or offices in five countries. Novo Nordisk is controlled by majority shareholder ...

Animas Corporation Animas Corporation was an American company that specialized in making insulin pumps. The company was founded by Katherine Crothall in 1996, had its initial public offering in May 2004 under the ticker symbol 'PUMP', and was ultimately acquired by ...

, AmMed Direct LLC and

Eli Lilly and Company Eli Lilly and Company is an American pharmaceutical company headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, with offices in 18 countries. Its products are sold in approximately 125 countries. The company was founded in 1876 by, and named after, Colonel ...

. On a volunteer basis, she has served in leadership roles within the JDRF and the American Diabetes Association. Her academic credentials have most recently led her to public health work at the University of South Florida where she is the Executive Director of a program she created called Bringing Science Home. In 2010, Johnson founded Students With Diabetes (SWD), at the University of South Florida, to serve the needs of the young adult population with diabetes.

Personal life

Johnson was briefly engaged to investment banker Conn Jackson in 2000. In 2003, Johnson married journalist Scott Baker. The couple met in the mid-90s at a seminar Baker held for college students interested in news careers. Together the couple had a daughter. Johnson and Baker later divorced in 2008.

Filmography

, - , 2008 , , ''

'' , , Herself (host) , , Television

References

External links

*
Official websiteMiss America official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Nicole Miss America winners Miss America 1999 delegates Miss Virginia winners 1974 births Living people University of South Florida alumni University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health alumni Regent University alumni People from Atlanta People from Seminole, Florida People with type 1 diabetes