Amberly Johnson is the director of the Utah Poison Control Center and an assistant professor (clinical) in the College of Pharmacy. She became the center’s director in late 2019—just a few months before COVID-19 spread worldwide. The pandemic led to an additional assignment: director of the Utah Coronavirus Hotline, a partnership with the Utah Department of Health that provided science-based, expert advice on the safety and effectiveness for various approaches to prevent and treat the virus.

As a widely recognized expert on toxicological issues, Johnson has given over 30 presentations, sharing her knowledge with groups that include Utah health departments, emergency responders and local, national and international associations. The Utah Poison Control Center manages over 40,000 poison cases annually and provides information about health threats posed by a wide range of substances, from harmful algal blooms to laundry pods and glow sticks. Though still early in her career, Amber has published four peer-reviewed articles, seven newsletter articles, three book chapters and 15 abstracts for professional organization meetings.

Johnson serves as a member of the Fatality Review Team and the Public Health Committee of America’s Poison Centers as well as on four state review and advisory committees that monitor substance abuse and related deaths. She is a diplomat of the American Board of Applied Toxicology (2015) and is a recipient of the College of Pharmacy’s Faculty Preceptor of the Year award (2023).