Lillie Johnson emigrated from Jamaica to Canada in 1960 after training as a nurse and midwife in Jamaica and the U.K.  She has a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Toronto and became the first Black director of public health in Eastern Ontario.

In 1981, Johnson founded the Sickle Cell Association of Ontario and lobbied the government to add the disease to its list of newborn screening. It is now standard practice to screen for sickle cell disease for newborns in Ontario. Now in her late 90s, Johnson continues to advocate for sickle cell anemia education.

She has received recognition for her advocacy and work, which include the Toronto Public Health Champion Award, the Black Health Alliance Legacy Award and Toronto Metropolitan University’s Viola Desmond Award, and was the recipient of the Order of Ontario.

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