Joy Johnson (university administrator)

Last updated
Joy L. Johnson
Joy Johnson 2019 (cropped).jpg
Johnson in 2019
10th President and Vice-Chancellor of Simon Fraser University
In office
2020–present

Joy Louise Johnson FRSC FCAHS is the 10th president and vice-chancellor of Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. A health scientist and researcher in gender and health, she became the first woman to be appointed Vice-President Research at Simon Fraser in 2014.

Contents

Academic work and life

Johnson graduated with a Ph.D. degree in Nursing from the University of Alberta in 1993. [2] She worked as a nurse at St. Paul's Hospital and other facilities before returning to graduate school. [2] [3]

From 2003 to 2007, she was the University of British Columbia (UBC) Unit Director, Centre for Addictions Research of BC. [2] From 2008 to 2014, she was the Scientific Director for the Institute of Gender and Health of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. [4] Johnson held a professorship in the University of British Columbia, School of Nursing, with a focus on health promotion and health behaviour change. [5] Johnson served on the boards of the Women's Health Research Institute, the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, and Innovate BC. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Universities Canada. [6]

In 2014, she became Simon Fraser University's first female Vice President of Research, [7] succeeding Mario Pinto. [8] In 2020, she was appointed to succeed Andrew Petter as President of the university. [9] In 2024, she was reappointed for another five-year term as President. [10]

Research program

Johnson’s research program [11] is geared toward promoting health and modifying health-related behaviour. [12] In particular, women and men exhibit different health behaviours and react differently to drugs and other therapies. Medical devices or other equipment physically fit the sexes differently. Ignoring these differences compromises treatment quality. [11]

One reason for ignoring sex differences in drug therapies, for example, is the standard of controlling for extraneous variables such as hormones. This is done in order to attribute health changes to the drug being tested. Because female hormones fluctuate more than do males’, experiments typically use male subjects. This results in comparatively little data about how women respond to the same drug therapies, which compromises women’s health. [11]

SFU football controversy

On April 4, 2023, Johnson presided over the shutdown of the SFU football program. [13] Johnson cited “ongoing uncertainty” for the cancellation for the program. [14] [15] At the time, SFU had a complete roster, coaching staff and a 2023 schedule to play their final season in the Lone Star Conference (LSC). [16] The Texas-based LSC chose not to renew its affiliation with SFU. [17]

SFU had engaged Bob Copeland from McLaren Global Sports Solutions to assess and evaluate possible directions for the football program. In his report, Copeland concluded that the university had no viable path to participate in the NCAA or compete in the United States. He also noted that rejoining U Sports — the governing body for Canadian university athletics — would involve significant costs and offered no assurance of success. [18]

The result of the decision to cancel the program resulted in 76 returning players and 14 signed recruits losing roster spots for the 2023 season. [19] The move to cancel the program has been criticized [20] [21] for its negative impact on student-athletes and lack of transparency in consultation with stakeholders and the university community. In response to the cancellation, an injunction against the university was filed in the BC Supreme Court by five affected football players. [22] The injunction was rejected on the grounds that the plaintiffs "failed to satisfy the legal requirements under governing case authorities." [23]

Recognition

Selected publications

References

  1. "SFU's next president, Joy Johnson, plans to advance reconciliation and inclusion". 8 January 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 "The University of British Columbia Curriculum Vitae for Faculty members – Joy Johnson" (PDF). Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  3. cmartin (September 27, 2012). "Dr Joy Johnson, Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Gender and Health". ResearchMediaLtd. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  4. Canadian Institutes of Health Research. IGH Scientific Director: Dr. Joy Johnson Biography. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
  5. University of British Columbia Official Webpage. "School of Nursing". Biography.2014-07-07.
  6. "Board of directors". Universities Canada. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  7. "Joy Johnson named SFU's new VP Research". SFU Public Affairs & Media Relations. February 11, 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  8. Roach, Melissa (February 24, 2014). "Joy Johnson will succeed Mario Pinto after two five-year terms in the position". The Peak. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  9. Carrigg, David (January 8, 2020). "Joy Johnson appointed new president of Simon Fraser University". vancouversun. The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  10. "Update on Presidential Reappointment Review Process". www.sfu.ca. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  11. 1 2 3 UBC School of Nursing leading the way by considering sex and gender in research web, archived from the original on 2014-10-19
  12. SFU, Office of the Vice-President, Vice-President's Bio web
  13. Johnson, Joy. "President's Statement: SFU's varsity football program comes to an end". Simon Fraser University Athletics. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  14. Bonagura, Kyle (4 April 2023). "Simon Fraser, Canada's only NCAA member, drops football program". ESPN. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  15. Johnson, Joy. "President's Statement: SFU's varsity football program comes to an end". Simon Fraser University Athletics. SFU. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  16. Mason, Gary (4 May 2023). "Dear Simon Fraser University: There's still time to reconsider your disastrous football decision". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  17. "SFU pulls the final plug on football program, announcing its official end". The Canadian Press. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  18. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sfu-football-team-discontinued-1.7432344
  19. Johnson, Joy. "President's Statement: SFU's varsity football program comes to an end". Simon Fraser University Athletics. SFU. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  20. LaPointe, Kirk. "SFU's Red Leaf football debacle has fans and players red-faced". Business In Vancouver. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  21. Mason, Gary (4 May 2023). "Dear Simon Fraser University: There's still time to reconsider your disastrous football decision". The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  22. Wells, Nick (May 2023). "Simon Fraser University football players in court asking for axed program's rebirth". The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  23. "SFU football players' injunction rejected by B.C. Supreme Court | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  24. "Killam Research Prize Winner (2006)" . Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  25. Sun. "Women of influence: Science and medicine" . Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  26. "Professor Dr. Joy Johnson Awarded the Diamond Jubilee Medal". UBC Nursing News. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
  27. "The RSC presents the Class of 2019". Royal Society of Canada. 9 September 2019. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  28. "Directory of Fellowships". Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. Retrieved 14 October 2014.