In addition to a distinguished career in research and teaching, Johnson-Thompson has demonstrated a longstanding and vigorous commitment to the advancement of women in science. At the University of the District of Columbia, where she was a valued member of the faculty for two decades, she chaired the Women's Advisory Committee. She is a founding member and former national chair of the National Network of Minority Women in Science (MWIS). She was an active member of the National Network of Minority Women in Science Advisory Panel of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering of the National Science Foundation.
Since joining NIEHS in 1992, Johnson-Thompson has continued to be a role model and advocate for women, initiating mentoring programs aimed at postdoctoral fellows and junior scientists. She organized numerous outreach initiatives to increase the recruitment of women and minorities at NIEHS and throughout NIH. One tribute to her longstanding commitment to mentoring was recognized recently when students of the nationally acclaimed Meyerhoff Program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, named her 2001 Meyerhoff Mentor of the Year.
An extraordinarily active member of ASM, Johnson-Thompson has provided committed service and engaged leadership in a host of roles. A member of ASM's Committee on Underrepresented Members, she chairs the Committee on the Status of Minority Microbiologists; she also chairs the Diversity Committee for the American Academy of Microbiology, a component of ASM. One recent highlight of her efforts is the production of an educational poster, "Heroines of Microbiology," showcasing the contributions and roles of women microbiologists.
Johnson-Thompson earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in microbiology from Howard University in Washington, DC. She received a Ph.D. in molecular virology from Georgetown University Medical School, Washington, DC, in 1978. Elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in 1998, she recently became a Fellow of AAAS.
The Alice C. Evans Award will be presented at the 104th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM), May 23–27, 2004, in New Orleans, Louisiana. ASM is the largest single life science society, composed of over 42,000 scientists, teachers, physicians, and health professionals. Its mission is to promote research and training in the microbiological sciences and to assist communication between scientists, policymakers, and the public to improve health, economic well-being, and the environment.