St. Pete Native Dr. Nicole Johnson Joins JDRF

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – A St. Petersburg native who made national headlines becoming the first woman with diabetes to be crowned Miss America has been hired as the National Director of Mission with JDRF.

Dr. Nicole Johnson formally joined the leading global organization funding Type 1 diabetes research with the newly created position. Johnson has served on the JDRF International Board of Directors and volunteered with the organization for more than 24 years.

“I am honored to become part of the JDRF staff after having participated for many years in volunteer roles,” Johnson said. “This is an exciting opportunity to help JDRF expand its capacity in supporting T1D families to handle the issues they face every day.”

Johnson’s role with JDRF, formerly known as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, will focus on supporting families living with the chronic disease.

“Nicole has done so much in the past few decades to improve the quality of life for people living with T1D and their families,” said JDRF President and CEO Derek Rapp. “In this new roll, she will drive mission-related activities that strengthen relationships throughout the T1D community and within JDRF.”

Johnson was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1993 and has focused on promoting diabetes awareness and prevention since she was named Miss America 1999.

While on her way to earning her Doctor of Public Health degree at the University of South Florida, Johnson created Bringing Science Home and Students With Diabetes at USF. She is also the founder of Diabetes Partners and Diabetes Moms and the co-founder of the Diabetes Empowerment Foundation. Johnson also led statewide initiatives in Florida funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention related to pre-diabetes and infant mortality.

“Our mission is focused on improving outcomes for people with T1D by supporting research to cure, prevent and treat diabetes,” Rapp said. “While these successes are being accomplished, we at JDRF also want to reduce the daily burden of this disease. Nicole will be an enormous asset to our programs focused on the well-being of the T1D community.”

Johnson also holds a Master’s degree in journalism, earning a Telly Award for her work on the CNBC diabetes talk show dLife and has been a columnist for numerous diabetes magazines. She has also authored eight books related to diabetes, including her latest “What to Do When Your Partner Has Diabetes: A Survival Guide.”

“I’m eager to offer new insight and resources on the behavioral aspects of T1D, as we work together to make a difference in the lives of millions of people affected by Type 1 diabetes,” Johnson said.

For more information on JDRF, visit www.jdrf.org.

Image courtesy of JDRF