Leadership

Director:

Julie Johnson, PharmD

Director and Principal Investigator, The Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Associate Dean for Clinical and Translational Research in the Ohio State College of Medicine, Associate Vice Presidents of Research for The Ohio State University, Dr. Samuel T. and Lois Felts Mercer Professorship of Medicine and Pharmacology and Professor of Medicine and Pharmacy.

A native Ohioan, Dr. Johnson earned her Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from The Ohio State University, followed by her Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. She returned to Ohio State to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in pharmacokinetics/cardiovascular pharmacology.

From 1998 - 2023, Dr. Johnson served on the faculty at the University of Florida (UF), where she was Distinguished Professor of Pharmacy and Medicine and became the first female dean of College of Pharmacy, serving from 2013 to 2022. Under her leadership, the University of Florida College of Pharmacy grew its faculty by 90% and rose from No. 14 to No. 5 in the U.S. News & World Report rankings of the best pharmacy colleges in the nation. The college’s annual research funding also increased from approximately No. 20 to No. 3 among the nation’s top colleges of pharmacy and saw the highest percentage of under-represented, minority students among professional degree programs at the University of Florida. At UF she also served as a department chair, Founding Director of the Center for Pharmacogenomics and Founding Director of the UF Health Precision Medicine Program.

An internationally recognized leader in clinical pharmacology, pharmacogenomics and genomic medicine, Dr. Johnson has an extensive record of clinical and translational research, focusing on cardiovascular pharmacogenomics and the implementation of precision medicine approaches into clinical practice. She has a long record of funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and has secured approximately $55 million in research funding as a PI. She has written more than 330 peer-reviewed original research articles and was named Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher, an accomplishment held by just 1 in 1,000 scientists globally who’s publications rank in the top 1% of citations in the previous decade.

Dr. Johnson has received many notable awards and honors for her work. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine and is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Heart Association (AHA), the American College of Clinical Pharmacy and the American College of Clinical Pharmacology. She was the recipient of the Southeastern Universities Research Association Distinguished Scientist Award, the Leon I Goldberg Young Investigator and the Rawls Palmer Progress in Medicine Awards from the American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (ASCPT). She also holds the Volwiler Research Achievement Award and the Paul Dawson Biotechnology Research Award from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy and mentoring awards from the AHA and ASCPT. She has also held numerous service positions, including roles with the NIH, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association.

As director of the CCTS, Dr. Johnson will serve as the Principal Investigator of a seven-year $37.9 million Clinical and Translation Science Award from the National Institutes of Health.

Pediatric Director:

Cynthia Gerhardt, PhD

Pediatric Director and Principal Investigator, The Center for Clinical and Translational Science, Chief Clinical Research Officer, The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Janet Orttung-Morrow, MD and Grant Morrow, III, MD Chair in Pediatric Behavioral Health, Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology, The Ohio State University

Dr. Gerhardt graduated from The Ohio State University with a Bachelor of Science and received her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Vermont. She completed a pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, where she was a faculty member for several years before joining Nationwide Children’s Hospital in 2003.

From 2014 to 2023, Dr. Gerhardt directed the Center for Biobehavioral Health in the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She joined the Center for Clinical and Translational Science in 2015, where she previously served as co-director of Research Resources, director of the Integrating Special Populations Program and now co-director of Community and Stakeholder Engagement. In 2023, Dr. Gerhardt was appointed as Chief Clinical Research Officer at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. She is invested in ensuring a rich environment to support clinical translational research across both campuses, particularly training and inclusion of underrepresented individuals.

Dr. Gerhardt is regarded internationally as an expert in biobehavioral research, particularly the impact of stress on families. She has over 200 publications and has received over $55 million in external funding as a principal investigator. Notably, Dr. Gerhardt contributed to the development of international standards for psychosocial care for families of children with cancer, which have been endorsed by leading organizations around the world. In recognition of her work, she received the Dennis Drotar Distinguished Research Award in 2016 from the American Psychological Association Division 54: Society of Pediatric Psychology. Dr. Gerhardt was the former treasurer and is currently the elected president of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. She will serve her current term on the Board of Directors from 2023-2025.

Dr. Gerhardt has been actively involved in the mentoring of students and trainees in her lab for 25 years. She has been the primary mentor for numerous career development awards, diversity supplements and post-doctoral training grants. She was awarded the Ohio State Department of Pediatrics Outstanding Faculty Mentor in 2018 for excellence in teaching.

As the pediatric director of the CCTS, Dr. Gerhardt serves as the mPI of the Clinical and Translation Science Award from the National Institutes of Health.

Founding Director:

Founding Director and PI, Dr. Rebecca Jackson, 2006 – 2022

Dr. Jackson was a visionary and nationally recognized leader in the world of translational science and research. She helped establish the CCTS in 2006 as its founding director and served through 2022. While her clinical work specialized in understanding and improving women’s health, she built a legacy that lives on through her impact as a leader. She supported the education and training of translational scientists and physicians and served as a mentor to many. Dr. Jackson’s work will forever leave a profound impact for the future of medicine.

(August 18, 1955 - October 11, 2022)