Kevin Johnson, MD, MS, was honored on July 29 as his portrait was unveiled during a celebration event at Langford Auditorium.
Johnson came to Vanderbilt in 2002 as vice chair of Biomedical Informatics. He was appointed chair of that department in 2012 and also served as Chief Informatics Officer for VUMC.
In those roles, Dr. Johnson envisioned a future for biomedical informatics at VUMC and through leadership he made that future a reality. He oversaw the implementation of the electronic health system eStar, the most significant clinical infrastructure change in the history of the Medical Center.
In addition, as a member of both the LGBTQ and African American communities, he was the second African American chair of a Vanderbilt School of Medicine department, and was a visible presence and leader in VUMC’s efforts to increase diversity and inclusion.
In 2021 he joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania and Perelman School of Medicine.