Dame Anne Mandall Johnson - Biography#
Professor Dame Anne Johnson has been Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at University College London since 1998, and is currently Co-Director of UCL Health of the Public and President of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS). After training in Medicine in Cambridge and Newcastle Universities, qualifying in 1978 she specialized in Epidemiology and Public Health. She co-directed the Medical Research Council, UK Centre for Co-ordinating Epidemiological Studies of HIV from 1985 until 1999, undertaking early studies on heterosexual and homosexual HIV transmission. mathematical modeling and HIV prevention.
She led 3 National Surveys of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles from 1990-2012, initially to assess population HIV transmission risk, now the largest, most robust studies worldwide, greatly influencing policy. She has developed major international HIV cohort studies and undertaken highly innovative behavioural intervention trials. Recent internationally leading work includes elucidating transmission dynamics of pandemic influenza and cross-protective T-cell immunity; HPV vaccination impact; HIV molecular epidemiology, trials of antiretroviral HIV prophylaxis and SARSCoV-2 epidemiology (Viruswatch). She has published over 400 papers with an H index of 97 (total citations 40528)
She co-founded UCL’s cross-disciplinary Institute for Global Health in 2007. She has advised many national and international science organisations and as AMS Vice president International worked closely with Science Academies throughout the world. She chaired the UK Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) Working Group on Improving the Health of the Public by 2040. She is a former member of the Adaptation Sub-Committee of the UK Committee on Climate Change and a former Governor of the Wellcome Trust (2011-2018). She chairs the UK Committee for Strategic Coordination of Health of the Public Research (SCHOPR). She has advised the UK Chief Scientist and major funding agencies throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, overseen UK AMS response as President and contributed to original research.
