Eric Otto Johnson

Eric Otto Johnson, PhD, has more than 25 years of experience studying the epidemiology and genetics of drug addition, HIV, and related phenotypes. He is Chair of the RTI Fellow Program, whose mission is to build a better global future by conducting high-impact research, mentoring the next generation of scientific leaders, and fostering a culture of inclusive and innovative science at RTI. 

Dr. Johnson has published more than 150 peer-reviewed articles and been the Principal Investigator for numerous studies funded by the National Institutes of Health. His current projects include:
 

• Integrative Omics Center for Accelerating Neurobiological Understanding of Opioid Addiction
• Gene Network Identification and Integration (GNetii) Approach to Understanding the Biology Underlying HIV and Drug Abuse

Dr. Johnson works to better understand the biological drivers of drug addiction and biological consequences of exposure across numerous substances (e.g., opioids, cocaine, and nicotine), including in the context of living with HIV. He is also an expert in applications of multiple types of omics studies (e.g., genome-wide association studies, transcriptome-wide studies of gene expression, epigenome-wide studies of gene regulation) to identify the biological drivers underlying substance use disorders and HIV. 

Dr. Johnson holds a professional membership at the American Society of Human Genetics and the College on the Problems of Drug Dependence. He is the former Chair of the Behavioral Genetics and Epidemiology Study Section and has chaired and served on numerous other NIH review and advisory panels.