Holly E. Johnson, Ph.D.

Chief Science Officer
hjohnson@ahpa.org | 301-588-1171 x103

Holly E. Johnson Ph.D., is the Chief Science Officer at the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) where she is the primary scientific resource for the organization, providing individualized technical guidance to member organizations and helping the herbal industry use the latest science, technology and research to ensure consumers continue to have informed access to innovative, safe and effective herbal products.

Before joining AHPA, Dr. Johnson served as the Laboratory Director for Alkemist Labs, an ISO 17025 accredited natural products testing lab specializing in botanicals.

Dr. Johnson took her Ph.D. in Pharmacognosy at the College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois – Chicago (UIC), under renowned Pharmacognosist and researcher Dr. Norman Farnsworth. Holly was awarded a National Institutes for Health (NIH) Pre-Doctoral Fellowship and trained at the UIC/NIH Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements. She was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Institute for EthnoMedicine studying the etiology of neurodegenerative disease, and worked for Waters Corporation conducting technical training and regulatory consulting for pharmaceutical and supplements companies. She is currently a Research Associate with the National Tropical Botanical Garden and serves on AOAC Stakeholders Panels and Expert Review Panels for Foods and Dietary Supplements.

She is a member of the United States Pharmacoepia’s (USP) Medical Cannabis Expert Panel, the Editorial Board of the AOAC International Journal, and also serves on the Advisory Boards of the American Botanical Council and the American Herbal Pharmacoepia. Holly has over 20 years experience in natural products chemistry with botanicals and spent many happy years conducting research on medicinal plants and giving courses at the University of Hawaii.