Mark Johnson is a Senior Research Scientist at PIRE’s National Capital Region Center. His career at PIRE began in 1998. His career has focused on the public health content areas of drinking and driving, drugged driving, underage and excessive drinking, and illicit drug use in club settings. His research in these areas primarily has been concerned with the prevention and epidemiology of these public harms, as well on the underlying causal mechanisms of behavior change that facilitate risky behavior. His research has included an eclectic array of methodologies to examine the causes of harmful behavior and to expand the knowledge base regarding their prevalence and prevention.
He has conducted basic cognitive/behavioral studies in the laboratory, studies based on secondary data analysis, experimental tests of theory in real-world settings, epidemiological studies on the prevalence of health risk, and a study where he implemented and evaluated large-scale community intervention program.
Mark believes that conducting research at multiple locations within the science-to-practice continuum is important. The public health problems we face are multifaceted and multiply-determined, and accordingly, efforts to identify potential solutions to these problems require diverse approaches. It is his goal to continue building a broad and varied research portfolio that encompasses basic processes, practical solutions, and the space between.
Selected Publications
Johnson, M. B. (2019). A feasibility test of the In Vivo Driving Impairment Research Method: Examining cannabinoid concentrations as predictors of risky driving. Cannabis, 2(2), 144-150. https://doi.org/10.26828/cannabis.2019.02.004
Johnson, M. B., & Kopetz, C. E. (2017). The unintended effects of providing risk information about drinking and driving. Health Psychology, 36(9), 872-880. PMCID: PMC5591027. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000526
Johnson, M. B. (2016). A successful high-visibility enforcement intervention targeting underage drinking drivers. Addiction, 111(7), 1196-1202. https://doi.org/10.1111/add.13346
Johnson, M. B., Voas, R., Miller, B. A., Bourdeau, B., & Byrnes, H. (2015). Clubbing with familiar social groups: Relaxed vigilance and implications for risk. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 76(6), 924-927. PMCID: PMC4712661. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2015.76.924
Johnson, M. B., Kelley-Baker, T., Voas, R. B., & Lacey, J. H. (2012). The prevalence of cannabis-involved driving in California. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 123(1-3), 105-109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2011.10.023
Johnson, M. B. (2012). Experimental test of social norms theory in a real-world drinking environment. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 73(5), 851-859. PMCID: PMC3410953. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2012.73.851
Johnson, M. B. (2012). The effects of BAC estimation tools on drinking behavior and perceptions of impairment and driving risk. Presented at the Midyear meeting & workshop of the TRB Alcohol, Other Drugs and Transportation Committee—Young impaired drivers: The nature of the problem and possible solutions, Woods Hole, MA.
Johnson, M. B., & Clapp, J. D. (2011). Impact of providing drinkers with “know your limit” information on drinking and driving: A field experiment. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 72(1), 79-85. PMCID: PMC3001683. https://doi.org/10.15288/jsad.2011.72.79
Johnson, M. B., Voas, R. A., Miller, B. A., & Holder, H. D. (2009). Predicting drug use at electronic music dance events: Self-reports and biological measurement. Evaluation Review, 33(3), 211-225. PMCID: PMC2812022. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193841X09333253
Johnson, M. B., Lange, J. E., Voas, R. B., Clapp, J. D., Lauer, E., & Snowden, C. B. (2006). The sidewalk survey: A field methodology to measure late-night college drinking. Evaluation Review, 30(1), 27-43. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193841×04273255
