Jennifer Johnson
Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Human Behavior (Research):
Psychiatry & Human Behavior
Phone: +1 401 444 1916
Jennifer_Johnson@brown.edu
Dr. Johnson is a clinical psychologist whose initial research examined therapeutic relationships in group psychotherapy. Her current interests include interpersonal and gendered aspects of major depression and substance use disorder and their treatment, therapeutic relationship, group treatments, and implementation of evidence-based treatments and principles in low-resource settings such as prisons. Currently, she is focusing her interest in group psychotherapy and interpersonal issues on developing, evaluating, and implementing interpersonal group treatments for high-risk women, including women prisoners, perinatal women, and women with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders.
Biography
Dr. Johnson earned a B.S. in physics in 1995 and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 2004 from Brigham Young University (BYU), attending the Palo Alto VA for her predoctoral internship. Dr. Johnson came to Brown as a postdoctoral fellow in treatment research. She completed a NIDA K23 award at Brown, conducting a randomized clinical trial of group interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT)for women prisoners with co-occurring substance use and depressive disorders. She continues to conduct NIH-funded clinical trials of behavioral interventions for high-risk women.
Dr. Johnson's current clinical trials examine:
(1) Effectiveness and implementation of group IPT for major depressive disorder in prisons
(2) IPT-based group treatment for women experiencing major depression after a perinatal loss
(3) Transitional interventions to reduce HIV sex risk behavior among women with interpersonal violence as they leave prison and return to the community
(4) IPT/sober network treatment for perinatal women with substance use and major depressive disorder (MDD).
(5) Sober Network IPT delivered via phone for depressed, substance-using women prisoners re-entering the community
Interests
Dr. Johnson is a behavioral treatment researcher. Specific current research interests include:
*Group psychotherapy and group treatments
*Substance use treatment research
*Depression treatment research
*Interpersonal treatments (e.g., IPT) and treatment mechanisms (e.g., social support, therapeutic relationship)
*Women prisoners and issues affecting them (e.g., HIV prevention, parenting, partner violence)
*Perinatal depression
Degrees
Ph.D.
Awards
National Institutes of Health, Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research (OSSBR) - Fellow, Ninth Annual Summer Institute on Randomized Clinical Trials Involving Behavioral Interventions, July 2009
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT), Women's Special Interest Group, New Investigator Award, November 2008
National Institute on Drug Abuse Women and Gender Junior Investigator Travel Award, College on Problems of Drug Dependence, June 2007
National Institutes of Health, Loan Repayment Program Award, July 2005 – June 2008
American Psychological Association, Division 49 Dissertation Award Finalist, 2004
Yvonnne Agazarian Research Scholarship, 2003
Alonso Award for Excellence, Group Psychotherapy Foundation, 2003
Durkin-Glatzer Scholarship, American Group Psychotherapy Association, 2002
Sant Graduate Fellowship for Family-Related Research, 2001
Affiliations
American Psychological Association (APA)
American Group Psychotherapy Association (AGPA)
Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPR)
International Society for Interpersonal Psychotherapy (ISIPT)
Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT)
Marce Society
Funded Research
CURRENT:
R01 MH095230 (Johnson) 7/1/11 – 6/30/14 Role: PI
NIH/NIMH $360,587 (DC Yr1)
Effectiveness of IPT for men and women prisoners with major depression
To conduct the first fully-powered effectiveness study of major depressive disorder in an incarcerated population, along with cost and pilot implementation data
R34 MH086682 (Johnson) 6/1/10 – 2/28/13 Role: PI
NIH/NIMH $163,732 (DC Yr1)
Group IPT for major depression following perinatal loss
To adapt group IPT to treat major depressive disorder that occurs following perinatal loss (including miscarriage, stillbirth, and early neonatal death), and to test its feasibility, acceptability, and initial efficacy relative to a standard depression treatment in a sample of 60 women.
R34 MH094188 (Johnson and Zlotnick) 4/15/11 - 2/28/14 Role:PI
NIH/NIMH $176,437 (DC Yr1)
HIV/STI risk reduction for incarcerated women with interpersonal violence
To integrate strategies for affect management and increased social support/access to community resources into the empirically supported Women's Coop HIV prevention intervention and tailor the integrated intervention for incarcerated women with lifetime interpersonal violence
R34DA030428 (Johnson and Zlotnick) 7/1/11–6/30/14 Role:PI
NIH/NIDA $150,000 (DC Yr1)
Sober Network IPT for perinatal women with comorbid substance use and depression
To adapt IPT for perinatal depression into Sober Network IPT to treat co-occurring substance use disorder and major depressive disorder among pregnant and post-partum women, and to test its feasibility, acceptability, and initial efficacy in a community setting relative to a community treatment as usual in a sample of 50 women
PAST:
1 K23 DA021159-01 (Johnson) 4/23/06-4/22/11 Role: PI NIH/NIDA
Group IPT for Women Prisoners with Comorbid Substance Use and Depression
To develop Dr. Johnson's career as a clinical researcher with a programmatic line of research on interpersonal group treatments for high-risk women with substance use and co-occurring disorders.
Johnson, J. E. (2005). Group Treatment for Depression as an Adjunct to Substance Use Treatment in Incarcerated Women with Co-Occurring Depressive and Substance Use Disorders. Group Psychotherapy Foundation.
Johnson, J. E. (2005). Group Treatment for Depression as an Adjunct to Substance Use Treatment in Incarcerated Women with Co-Occurring Depressive and Substance Use Disorders. National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program award.
Johnson, J. E. (2007). Group IPT for Women Prisoners with Comorbid Substance Use and Depression. National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program award (renewed in 2008, 2009, and 2010).
