Johnson Lab

The Skyler Johnson Research Lab is composed of medical students, medical residents in training, research staff, and administrative staff. We are currently investigating cancer misinformation as well as sources of exposure, motivations, and perceptions of complementary and alternative medicine use in adult cancer patients. We also analyze cancer outcomes and health-related quality of life measures in cancer patients receiving radiation treatments.

Lab Focus

The Skyler Johnson Research Lab’s primary goals are to improve the lives of both individuals and the community by (a) improving physician and patient communication and (b) ensuring cancer patients make well-informed decisions by studying the sociodemographic, clinicopathologic, health care system factors, attitudes, beliefs, and exposure to non-traditional treatment approaches that may influence the quality and outcomes of oncologic care. This research will help guide meaningful efforts to improve patient and physician communication, clinical management and global health care policy.

Prior research from Dr. Johnson’s teams on the use of non-traditional cancer treatments garnered national and international media attention and has resulted in more than 350 news stories. More importantly, the research addressed an unmet need in the oncology medical literature. This research has led to an ongoing study in collaboration with national cancer experts quantifying misinformation and the potential for harm contained within cancer articles on social media, as well as a multi-institutional intramural grant identifying sources of exposure, motivations, and perceptions of complementary and alternative medicine use in cancer.