Each year, the Wright State Alumni Association recognizes the work of outstanding alumni. This year, Ohio Academy of Family Physicians resident member Christen D. Johnson, MD, has been selected to receive the Graduate of the Last Decade Alumni Achievement Award. The award was presented at a ceremony on October 4 during Homecoming Weekend.
When Dr. Johnson was 3 years old, her mother took her to the doctor for an ear infection. Upon being treated by the first black medical professional she can remember seeing, she declared that she wanted to be a doctor when she grew up. Now, after earning her bachelor’s degree at Wright State and graduating from the Boonshoft School of Medicine, Dr. Johnson is inspiring others around her to pursue medicine as a profession.
While completing her undergraduate degree, Dr. Johnson began mentoring fellow students and became involved with the Student National Medical Association (SNMA). In 2013, she was accepted to the Boonshoft School of Medicine, where she was elected president of the SNMA. As president, Dr. Johnson established bias training to eliminate health disparities among underserved communities, lobbied at the White House to develop addiction medicine curriculum, and conducted a national study on students of color applying to medical school. In 2017, NBC profiled Dr. Johnson as one of its “Black 28 under 28.”
“Dr. Johnson has touched the lives of literally everyone she has encountered,” said Antoinette Leonard-Jean Charles, former director at the SNMA. “She is affectionately known as a shoulder to cry on, a supportive friend, an encouraging mentor, and a gentle educator.”
Dr. Johnson serves on several OAFP committees, has represented OAFP at the National Conference of Resident and Student Members, and is currently the resident representative on the AAFP Commission on Health of the Public and Science.
Congratulations, Dr. Johnson!