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Christopher J. Johnson, PhD

Christopher Johnson is the Deputy Director for the Office of Science Quality and Integrity (OSQI) which is responsible for enhancing the integrity, quality, and health of USGS science. In addition to overseeing operations in OSQI, Chris is the USGS Scientific Integrity Officer. 

Chris has been the Deputy Director for the Office of Science Quality and Integrity (OSQI) since February 2019. He oversees the management of several areas including the Office of Tribal Relations, Research Grade Evaluation/Equipment Development Grade Evaluation (RGE/EDGE), and the Scientist Emeritus program. Chris is also the USGS Bureau Scientific Integrity Officer and responsible for investigating allegations of research misconduct or losses of scientific integrity by USGS staff, contractors, or affiliates.  

Previously, Chris was a Senior Scientist for RGE/EDGE with OSQI where he led research evaluation panel reviews for the bureau’s approximately 1,200 RGE/EDGE scientists. He served as a member of the RGE Review Team, which closely examined the program and produced recommendation to better align RGE with the USGS mission.  

Before joining OSQI in 2015, Chris was a Research Biologist with the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) in Madison, Wisconsin. At NWHC, Chris investigated the transmission and host range of prion diseases, including chronic wasting disease (CWD). Chris also worked on novel methods and agents to inactivate pathogens, including prions. Chris’ research helped explain how soil could serve as a reservoir for CWD and scrapie prions. 

Chris has an undergraduate degree in Molecular Biology and Ph.D. in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Wisconsin -Madison. He also has a graduate certificate in Veterinary Homeland Security from Purdue University. 

Science and Products

Plants as vectors for environmental prion transmission

Prions cause fatal neurodegenerative diseases and exhibit remarkable durability, which engenders a wide array of potential exposure scenarios. In chronic wasting disease of deer, elk, moose, and reindeer and in scrapie of sheep and goats, prions are transmitted via environmental routes and the ability of plants to accumulate and subsequently transmit prions has been hypothesized, but not previousl
Authors
Christina M. Carlson, Samuel Thomas, Matthew W. Keating, Nicole M. Gibbs, Haeyoon Chang, Jamie K. Wiepz, Annabel G. Austin, Jay R. Schneider, Christopher J. Johnson, Joel A. Pedersen
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, National Wildlife Health Center, Office of Science Quality and Integrity

Increased attack rates and decreased incubation periods in raccoons with chronic wasting disease passaged through meadow voles

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a naturally-occurring neurodegenerative disease of cervids. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) and meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) have previously been shown to be susceptible to the CWD agent. To investigate the potential for transmission of the agent of CWD from white-tailed deer to voles and subsequently to raccoons, we intracranially inoculated raccoons with brain
Authors
S. Jo Moore, Christina M. Carlson, Jay R. Schneider, Christopher J. Johnson, Justin J. Greenlee
By
Office of Science Quality and Integrity

Chronic wasting disease—Research by the U.S. Geological Survey and partners

IntroductionChronic wasting disease (CWD) is the only transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, a class of invariably fatal neurodegenerative mammalian diseases associated with a misfolded cellular prion protein found in wild free-ranging animals. Because it has a long incubation period, affected animals in Cervidae (the deer family; referred to as “cervids”) may not show signs of disease for sever
Authors
M. Camille Hopkins, Christina M. Carlson, Paul C. Cross, Christopher J. Johnson, Bryan J. Richards, Robin E. Russell, Michael D. Samuel, Glen A. Sargeant, Daniel P. Walsh, W. David Walter
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Cooperative Research Units, National Wildlife Health Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Office of Science Quality and Integrity

Science and Products