Ace against aids
Michael Johnson '79 earns Rolex Achievement Award for work in HIV/AIDS
education and prevention
By Wendy Linden
Michael Johnson '79 doesn't have an Olympic gold medal like the runner of
the same name, but his work has been no less heroic. An outstanding Division
III tennis player at Clark who is currently chief medical officer of the
nation's largest HIV/AIDS health care program—the Ryan White CARE
Act—Johnson strives to make a difference in people's lives.
Johnson's stellar college tennis career at Clark and professional fight for
HIV/AIDS education, prevention and care were recognized last October when he
received the 2000 Rolex Achievement Award. The award honors one male and one
female former collegiate tennis player for their accomplishments after
college, outside the tennis world. As part of the award, Rolex made a $2,500
gift to Clark's tennis teams on Johnson's behalf.
"I can think of no one more deserving of this award than Mike," says his
former Clark tennis coach and pre-medical advisor, Professor Edward
Trachtenberg. "He was a first-rate athlete and his work in AIDS prevention
and care is just another example of that same spirit. He was also one of the
best laboratory workers I've ever seen."
At Clark, Johnson earned the Coach's Sportsman Award and the Herbert Award
for outstanding senior athlete, and was the No. 1 ranked singles player.
Johnson credits Clark, and particularly Trachtenberg, for his start in
medicine.
"Professor Trachtenberg played a pivotal role in my decision to go to medical
school," recalls Johnson. "He was not just my tennis coach. He was my
academic mentor." Johnson still keeps in touch with Trachtenberg, who
attended the Rolex Award ceremony.
Legacy of Ryan White
Today, Johnson is medical director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services' federal program created under the Ryan White CARE Act. The federal
legislation was named for the Indiana teenager who died of AIDS in 1990.
Johnson describes the legislation as a "safety net," providing HIV/AIDS care
for poor and vulnerable populations who otherwise would not receive care.
"It used to be that AIDS care meant you hold someone's hand and help them
die comfortably," Johnson explains. "Now it's different. With the therapies
available, it's vital to get people into treatment. We know it can add years
to their lives."
The decade-old act is unique in that, according to Johnson, it has a "bottom
up structure." Typically, legislation is created in a top-down structure,
with the federal government dictating how the funds are to be spent. "In our
case, we do most of our work through community organizations," says Johnson.
His organization gives funds to local planning councils in major metropolitan
areas. And, by law, those councils must include providers and
patients—one-third of whom are people with HIV.
"We can put the money in the hands of the people most impacted by the
disease," he says.
Sports and AIDS
Johnson's involvement with AIDS began in the early 1990s, when, as a member
of the faculty at Johns Hopkins University, his work focused on infectious
diseases and international health. He spent three years conducting studies on
tuberculosis and AIDS prevention in the slums of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. At
that time, Johnson recalls, "Magic Johnson was telling America that he was
HIV positive." When Dr. Johnson returned to the states, he initiated an
HIV/AIDS education and prevention program for NBA athletes and their families.
Johnson's innovative program used role-playing, videotapes, skits and "lots
of humor" to communicate a serious message. "One unique piece was trying to
convince the players that they are not likely to get HIV on the basketball
court, and that HIV-infected athletes should have the opportunity to compete
in basketball."
His program continues today through a non-profit health education
corporation, Mosaic Health, which Johnson founded in 1995. The program has
since been adapted for the players' families and their communities, as well
as for adolescents aged 12-16 years old, who are invited to shoot baskets
with the players and participate in small-group HIV/AIDS education seminars.
But whether he's working with basketball stars or the urban poor, Johnson's
message is the same.
"Appropriate education and information can help people understand the risks
and consequences of unsafe sex and help them make life-saving decisions."
Looking to the future
With the reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act last October, Johnson
sees a lot more work to do.
"In this country, we have a weak record of providing health care to poor
people," he says. "As HIV infection becomes more common in such populations,
we have one more health-care delivery challenge before us."
Read more information about the Rolex Achievement Awards.
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Clarknews Winter 2001
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Dr. Michael Johnson '79 (left) and Dr. Ruth Haude were presented with the seventh-annual Rolex Achievement Awards by Walter Fisher, CEO of Rolex Watch, U.S.A., and David Benjamin, executive director for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Johnson and Haude each received a Rolex watch and a certificatie in recognition of their career accomplishments.
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