Gifts in Action - Michael Johnson

MEET MICHAEL JOHNSON

Michael E. Johnson’s strategy has always been to stay at the frontiers of whatever he happens to be working on. His research, grants, publications and awards illustrate his success at evading the other scientists nipping at his heels.

As a professor of medicinal chemistry, director of the Center for Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and associate director of the Center for Structural Biology, Johnson was the principal investigator on the largest grant ever awarded to a UIC researcher: $15.7 million to develop drugs to address potential drug-resistant anthrax last year. He has also been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1977 and awarded the 2004 Paul Dawson Biotechnology Award by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

Johnson’s research focuses strongly on developing new treatments for sickle cell disease and on strategies to combat antibiotic resistance, which has direct implications for the treatment of patients with HIV/AIDS or cancer. He has mentored 16 graduate students and 14 postdoctoral fellows in his laboratory.

THE UNIVERSITY SCHOLARS PROGRAM

Each year, outstanding faculty members are selected as University Scholars, three-year awards of $10,000 per year. They are nominated by their colleagues and selected by past award-winners.