Paula Johnson facts for kids

Paula Adina Johnson, born in 1959, is an American doctor who specializes in the heart. She is known as a cardiologist. Currently, she is the president of Wellesley College, a famous school for women. She made history by becoming the first Black woman to lead Wellesley College.

Before becoming president of Wellesley, Dr. Johnson started an important center. It was called the Mary Horrigan Connors Center for Women's Health & Gender Biology. She was also in charge of the Women's Health Division at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

Early Life and Education

Paula Johnson grew up in New York. She lived in Brooklyn with her sister. Her mother always encouraged them to be well-educated. She also taught them to think for themselves. This helped Paula to think differently about her college choices.

She went to Samuel J. Tilden High School in Brooklyn. After that, she attended Radcliffe College. There, she studied biology and finished in 1980. She then went to Harvard Medical School. Paula became very interested in how diseases affect groups of people. This field is called clinical epidemiology. She also studied at the Harvard School of Public Health. In 1985, she earned two degrees from Harvard. She received her medical doctor's degree (M.D.) and a master's in public health (MPH).

Medical Career

After finishing her studies, Dr. Johnson began working at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She trained in internal medicine and cardiovascular medicine. This is where she decided to focus on cardiology, which is heart health. In 1990, she achieved a special milestone. She became the first African American to be the chief medical resident at the hospital.

Dr. Johnson worked in the hospital's heart transplant unit. She also managed the quality of patient care. As the chief of the Women's Health Division, she worked to make sure women could get good heart care. She also focused on helping and teaching African-American women. This was important because they are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than white women.

She was a professor at Harvard Medical School. Her special role focused on women's health. She was also a professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Johnson is a member of the National Academy of Medicine. This is a very respected group of health experts. The National Library of Medicine has also recognized her as a national leader in medicine.

Leading Wellesley College

Paula Johnson started her role as president of Wellesley College on July 1, 2016. She works hard to lead the college.

During the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020, Dr. Johnson helped the state of Massachusetts. She joined a group to figure out how to safely reopen college campuses. In June 2020, she also took part in an online discussion. She talked about how COVID-19 showed and made worse racial problems. She discussed this with U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley and Dr. Mary Travis Bassett. In 2021, she joined the board of directors at Abiomed. In 2023, Dr. Johnson was appointed to the board of directors at Johnson & Johnson.

Personal Life

Dr. Johnson lives in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with her family. Her husband, Robert Sands, is also a doctor. He specializes in rheumatology at Atrius Health of Harvard University. They have a son and a daughter.