Kevin B. Johnson, MD, MS, FACMI

Dr. Johnson is one of the most outstanding pediatrician–informaticians in the United States. He is one of a rare group of individuals who are excellent clinicians, excellent informaticians, and excellent teachers. After completing a residency in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins, he obtained a master's degree in medical information sciences at Stanford and then returned as Pediatrics Chief Resident at Hopkins. He subsequently joined the faculty in pediatrics there and became influential both locally and nationally for his informatics work. He was then recruited to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in 2002, where he is now associate professor and Vice-Chair of Biomedical Informatics and associate professor of Pediatrics.

Dr. Johnson's research contributions have been in several areas. He has advanced uses of speech recognition technology through his collaborative work on QMED, a system for continuous speech recognition in history taking. More recently, he has become an expert on personal digital assistants (PDAs) and their use in clinical settings, building systems for use by housestaff and other physicians while also consulting to industry in the area. He has also advanced our understanding of critical pathways for streamlining workflow and improving decision making, creating CLICTATE, a structured reporting tool for guideline-based care.

Equally important have been Dr. Johnson's ability to maintain and promote a positive attitude for team members in high-pressured clinical implementations of informatics systems and his remarkable leadership, teaching, and mentoring skills. As assistant editor of JAMIA, he recruited and directs the Student Editorial Board for the journal. His avocation has included the use of his remarkable singing voice in a near-professional choral group, and you can always count on Kevin to have the newest electronic gadget strapped to his belt.

Dr. Johnson's scholarship, intellect, enthusiasm, creativity, and energy have all contributed to his effectiveness and to the respect of his colleagues as they welcome him to the College.