Marian Johnson-Thompson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marian Johnson-Thompson
Johnson-Thompson at ASM Microbe 2022
Born	1946 (age 79–80)
Alma mater	Howard University Georgetown University
Scientific career
Fields	Virology
Institutions	National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences University of the District of Columbia University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Thesis	Effect of 5-Azacytidine on simian virus 40 DNA replication (1978)

Marian Cecelia Johnson-Thompson (born December 9, 1946) is an American scientist who studies viruses. She was a professor at the University of the District of Columbia. She was also chosen as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which is a big honor for scientists.

Early Life and Education

Marian Johnson-Thompson was born in Boston in 1946. When she was a child, her family moved to Riviera Beach, Florida, where she went to high school.

She went to Howard University for college and studied microbiology, which is the study of tiny living things like bacteria and viruses. She earned her master's degree in 1971. Later, she went to Georgetown University for her advanced studies. There, she focused on molecular virology, which is about how viruses work at a very tiny, molecular level.

It was a special time in history, not long after segregation ended. Dr. Johnson-Thompson was the first American-born Black person to finish the graduate program in her field at Georgetown. She completed her doctoral research in 1978.

Research and Career

The Sister Study helps understand breast cancer causes.

Dr. Johnson-Thompson's research looked at many different parts of virology. At first, she studied how a medicine called azacytidine worked against a virus called SV40. She also looked into how ultraviolet (UV) laser light might affect the stability of viral DNA.

She also studied breast cancer and found that women of color were more likely to get breast cancer because of things in their environment. This discovery made her realize how important it was for more scientists from minority groups to be involved in medical research.

After she stopped teaching at the University of the District of Columbia in 1994, Dr. Johnson-Thompson joined the National Institutes of Health. She worked at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). There, she helped lead important health studies, including one called the Sister Study. This study aimed to understand how environmental factors can cause breast cancer. She found that African-American women often had their cancer diagnosed later and had longer treatments. Dr. Johnson-Thompson retired from NIEHS in 2008.

Helping Others in Science

Dr. Johnson-Thompson cared a lot about helping other scientists. She created a scholarship at Howard University to support women scientists from groups who faced challenges. This scholarship was named after her mentor, Marie Taylor.

In 1997, Dr. Johnson-Thompson started a program called Bridging Education Science and Technology at Hillside High School. This program helped high school students learn about molecular biology through hands-on activities.

Awards and Honors

Dr. Johnson-Thompson has received many awards for her important work:

• 1975 Outstanding Young Woman of America
• 1998 Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology
• 1999 ONI Award from the International Congress of Black Women
• 2003 Thurgood Marshall Alumni Award
• 2004 Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
• 2004 Appointed professor emerita of biology and environmental at the University of the District of Columbia
• 2004 Appointed adjunct professor in the School of Public Health at the University of NC-Chapel Hill
• 2004 American Society for Microbiology Alice C. Evans Award
• 2012 Elected to the board of trustees at Howard University
• 2018 Appointed vice chair of the North Carolina Environmental Justice and Equity Board

Personal Life and Community Work

Marian Johnson-Thompson's mother, Rose Mae Henderson Beavers, was born in 1919 in Galveston, Texas. Her father, Edwin Saint Aloyious Johnson, was born in 1908 in Kingston, Jamaica. He later moved to the United States and earned his master’s degree from Columbia University.

Dr. Johnson-Thompson lived with her father in Clewiston, Florida, during her grade school years. After her father passed away in 1961, she continued to live with her stepmother until she finished high school. She then attended Howard University.

In 1978, Dr. Johnson-Thompson started an organization called Minority Women in Science. She organized "science discovery days" to introduce students from minority groups and women to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields at a young age. She also created the Minority Women in Science Christmas Store. This program allowed children to earn special "currency" that they could use to buy science books.

Dr. Johnson-Thompson is married and has two children.

Mentorship and Helping Students

Dr. Johnson-Thompson strongly believed in the importance of mentorship, which means guiding and advising younger students. While at the University of the District of Columbia, she directly mentored 14 college students and master's degree students. She also guided 17 students who were working on their Ph.D. degrees. In 2001, she was recognized as the Meyerhoff Scholars Mentor of the Year for her dedication.

Many of her students have gone on to have successful careers in science and research. For example, Ashalla Magee Freeman is now a director at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Kenneth Gibbs is a program analyst at the National Institute of Health (NIH). Elena Braithwaite is a toxicologist at the FDA. Sherilynn Black is a professor at Duke University School of Medicine.

Supporting Minorities in Science

In 1997, Dr. Johnson-Thompson created the Bridging Education Science and Technology program at Hillside High School in Durham, North Carolina. This program used equipment and scientists from the National Institutes of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS) to give students hands-on experiences in molecular biology.

In 1994, she also established the Johnson-Thompson Taylor Endowed scholarship at Howard University. This scholarship honors her mentor, Dr. Marie Taylor, who was the first woman to earn a Ph.D. at Fordham University.