Biography
Dr. Johnston is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health. As an exposure scientist and environmental epidemiologist, her action-oriented research centers community-driven approaches to understand health impacts from industrial pollution and energy production. She works towards strong partnerships with local organizations, community health workers (promotores), policymakers and residents to address air pollution, upstream oil and gas extraction, extreme heat and incompatible land use. She is the director of the Community Engagement Core for the Southern California Environmental Health Science Center and the CLIMA Climate and Health Center.
Research Interests
Community-based participatory research; community science and air pollution sensors; industrial pollution and community health impacts; environmental justice; children’s health and climate crisis
Current Projects/Studies
- Community-driven approaches to Environmental Justice and Health in the Face of the Climate Crisis in Southern California: Prioritizing Local Action for Climate Equity (PLACE Study)
- Health symptoms and risk perception of urban environmental justice communities after a hydrogen sulfide disaster
- The Los AngeleS Voices on Oil, Community, Environment Study
- The Salton Sea and Children’s Health: Assessing Imperial Valley Respiratory Health and the Environment
- Breast Health and the Environment among Latinas in Los Angeles (BELLA)
- Get the Lead Out!: Promoting Community Resilience in the face of environmental injustice
Education
Dr. Johnston earned a BA in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Wesleyan University and an MS and PhD in Environmental Sciences and Engineering with a minor in Public Policy from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Gillings Schools of Global Public Health. She was a postdoctoral researcher in environmental epidemiology with Dr. Steve Wing at UNC from 2013-2015.
Honors and Awards
- Robert M. Zweig, M.D. Memorial Award, South Coast Air Quality Management District Clean Air Award
- Anita Tarr Turk Fund Award for breast Cancer Research, Community Foundation of Monterey County & CA Breast Cancer Research Program
- Clean Air Unsung Hero Award, California Clean Air Day, Coalition for Clean Air
- Angel Award, Barrio Planners & East Los Angeles Community Youth Center
- Fighting for Life Award, East Yards Communities for Environmental Justice
Publications
- Johnston JE, Enebish T, Eckel SP, Navarro S, Shamasunder B. (2021). Respiratory Health, Pulmonary Function and Local Engagement in Urban Communities Near Oil Development. Environmental Research, 111088.
- Cushing LJ, Vavra-Musser K, Chau K, Franklin M, & Johnston JE. (2020). Flaring from Unconventional Oil and Gas Development and Birth Outcomes in the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas. Environmental Health Perspectives, 128(7), 077003.
- Johnston JE, & Cushing L. (2020). Chemical Exposures, Health, and Environmental Justice in Communities Living on the Fenceline of Industry. Current Environmental Health Reports, 7(1), 48-57
- Johnston JE, Franklin M, Roh H,* Austin C, & Arora M. Lead and Arsenic in Shed Deciduous Teeth of Children Living Near a Lead-Acid Battery Smelter. Environmental Science & Technology. 2019. 53(10) 6000-6006. PMID: 31056909
- Johnston, J. E., Kamai, E., Barahona, D. D., Olmedo, L., Bejarano, E., Torres, C., … & Farzan, S. F. (2024). Air quality and wheeze symptoms in a rural children’s cohort near a drying saline lake. Environmental Research, 263, 120070.
- Quist AJ, & Johnston JE. (2024). Respiratory and nervous system effects of a hydrogen sulfide crisis in Carson, California. Science of The Total Environment, 906, 167480.
- Kamai E, Calderon A, Van Horne YO, Bastain T, Breton C, Johnston JE. (2023) Perceptions and experiences of environmental health and risks among Latina mothers in urban Los Angeles, California, USA. Environmental Health 22 (1), 1-13.
- Chan M,* Shamasunder B, & Johnston JE. (2023). Social and Environmental Stressors of Urban Oil and Gas Facilities in Los Angeles County, California, 2020. American Journal of Public Health, (0), e1-e9.
