UW School of Medicine and Public Health: Johnson named UW Population Health Institute director

Contact: Andrew Hellpap

(608) 316-9786       

ahellpap@uwhealth.org

MADISON, Wis. – The UW School of Medicine and Public Health has selected a leading advocate for health equity as the new director of its Population Health Institute.

Dr. Sheri Johnson, associate professor of pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin and associate director of the Center for the Advancement of Underserved Children, will assume her new leadership role in January 2018.

“Dr. Johnson is a passionate leader with an incredible track record of addressing equity and obstacles to health, especially for under-resourced populations in Wisconsin,” said Dr. Robert Golden, dean of the School. “We are delighted that she will now advance the wonderful work of our school’s Population Health Institute, which is a shining example of the ‘Wisconsin Idea’ in action.”

Johnson completed her undergraduate degree at Brown University and received her PhD in clinical psychology from Boston University.

She completed an internship in clinical psychology at Children’s Hospital of Boston/Judge Baker Children’s Center, where she was also a clinical fellow in psychology at Harvard Medical School.

In Wisconsin, Johnson has worked in a number of important roles, including positions at Sinai Samaritan Medical Center, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, and Milwaukee Health Services, Inc.

From 2005 to 2008, she was administrator and state health officer in the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services.

About the Population Health Institute

The Population Health Institute advances health and well-being by developing and evaluating interventions and promoting evidence-based approaches to policy and practice at the local, state, and national levels. The Institute works across the full spectrum of factors that contribute to health, with a special emphasis on health disparities. A focal point for health and health care dialogue within the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a convener of stakeholders, the Institute promotes an exchange of expertise between those within the university and those in the policy and practice arena.