Biosketch
Professor Bankole A. Johnson, D.Sc., M.D., MBChB, MPhil, FRCPsych, DFAPA, Dip-ABAM, Dip-ABDA, FACFEI
Professor Dr. Johnson (2013 – 2019) served as The Dr. Irving J. Taylor Professor and Chair in the Department of Psychiatry, and Professor of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Medicine, Neurology, and Pharmacology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He directed all brain sciences across multiple departments at the School under the aegis of the Brain Science Research Consortium Unit, which grew in NIH funding from $21M/year to $35M/year between 2013-2018. Professor Johnson also served as the Director of the Clinical Neurobehavioral Center in Columbia.
Previously (2004 – 2013), Professor Dr. Johnson was the Alumni Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia, and was a Professor in the departments of Neuroscience and Medicine.
Professor Dr. Johnson has a medical degree, two additional doctorate degrees, and a Master’s degree from the best universities in the world.
He graduated in Medicine from Glasgow University in 1982 at the age of 22, and trained in neurology and psychiatry at the Royal London, Maudsley, and Bethlem Royal Hospitals. He obtained a Master of Philosophy degree in computational mathematics for his neurobiological research at the University of London and conducted studies funded through a scholarship in neuropsychopharmacology for his doctoral thesis on the Medical Research Council unit at the Univeristy of Oxford (degree from Glasgow University). In 2004, Professor Johnson earned another doctoral degree – Doctor of Science degree in Medicine from Glasgow University—the highest degree that can be granted in science by a British university for his work in understanding brain function, brain imaging, neuroscience, and molecular genetics.
Professor Johnson’s primary area of research expertise is in brain sciences and in particular on ion channels, neuropsychopharmacology, molecular genetics, mathematics, neuroimaging, brain diseases and medications for treating addictions. He holds over 100 US and International patents in molecular medicine and neuropharmacology. He has published over 400 scientific articles, and 3 major textbooks, which is part of the curriculum for training future doctors. Professor Johnson is a licensed physician and board-certified neurology and psychiatry, forensic medicine, addiction, and medical disability. He holds state licenses to practice medicine in several states and across Europe. He is the Principal Investigator on National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research studies from basic science to molecular and clinical studies in the brain and has been funded continuously for over two decades. Professor Johnson has been awarded or been affiliated with over $50M in NIH funding. Professor Johnson’s clinical expertise is in the fields of addiction, forensics, and disability assessment. Honors include service on numerous NIH review and other committees including special panels. Prof Dr. Johnson also developed national guidelines for the treatment of addiction. He is a multi-award and world acclaimed physician scientist. Briefly, Professor Johnson was the 2001 recipient of the Dan Anderson Research Award for his “distinguished contribution as a researcher who has advanced the scientific knowledge of addiction recovery”. He received the Distinguished Senior Scholar of Distinction Award in 2002 from the National Medical Association. Professor Johnson also was an inductee of the Texas Hall of Fame in 2003 for contributions to science, mathematics, and technology, and in 2006 he received the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA’s) Distinguished Psychiatrist Lecturer Award. In 2007, he received the distinguished honor of being named as a Fellow in the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and in 2008 he was elected to the status of Distinguished Fellow of the APA. In 2009, he received the APA’s Solomon Carter Fuller Award, honoring an individual who has pioneered in an area that has benefited significantly the quality of life for Black people. In 2010, he was named as a Fellow in the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. He received the NIH’s Jack Mendelson Award in 2013 for landmark discoveries in addiction science. In 2016, he received a Governor’s citation for service on the Maryland Heroin and Opioid Emergency Task Force. In 2019, he received the R. Brinkley Smithers award from the American Association of Addiction Medicine.
Professor Dr. Johnson has served as Editor-in-Chief and on the Editorial Boards of prestigious medical journals, and reviewed for more than 30 journals in pharmacology, neuroscience, and the addictions. He has authored over 400 articles, received over 14,500 citations, has an i10 index of 157, and an h-index of 63, making him one of the most senior physician scientists in the world.
Professor Dr. Johnson is the founder and was the Chairman of Adial Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly listed (on the NASDAQ) pharmaceutical Company till august 2019 (now he is its Chief Medical Officer), which developed as a start-up at the University of Virginia.
Professor Dr. Johnson is an outstanding clinician, with his work spanning over 13 hospitals, and being in charge of organizing over 900 other health care providers. He supervised one of the busiest addiction centers in the USA, with over 3000 clients, and his personal clinical research has exposed him to well over 1200 individuals with mental health and addictive disorders.
Prof Dr. Johnson is widely respected in the national press, and has participated in shows on major news networks such as CNN, and during the global COVID-19 pandemic was medical correspondent for Fox Business, Newsy, and several other networks. His work has appeared in Newsweek, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post to name a new. Prof Dr. Johnson’s work on the HBO series on addiction won the prestigious Governor’s Emmy Award.
Professor Johnson is the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Casa Privée in Miami, a 5 Star Concierge Medicine for Mental and Physical Health-Optimization, Bio-Hacking, Longevity Promotion, Beauty, Neurology and Neuropsychiatry, designed to optimize mind-body well being. Focusing on Brain Health as the driver for mental health and total body wellness, Casa Privée offers a unique and advanced high technology-driven approach to medicine. Simply, it’s “Time Travel in Medicine”.