Dr. Johnson is the first woman to lead America’s first cancer research center, founded in 1898. In just the last five years, she has led her diverse team of cancer physicians, nurses, researchers, educators and specialists to new heights and levels of activity. This resulted in active patient count up 26%; staffing of physicians, advanced practice providers and nurses up 28%; peer-reviewed grant dollars up 87%; number of patients accrued to clinical treatment trials up 53%; cancer screening procedures up 86% and documented success in inclusive recruitment, with more than half of all trainees identifying as a member of an underrepresented minority population. A cancer researcher who now runs the only nationally designated cancer center in upstate New York, Dr. Johnson has steered strategic expansion of pivotal programs in community outreach and engagement, immunotherapy and cellular therapy, initiating a project to create the largest U.S. cellular therapy program of its kind. Recipient of the endowed M&T Bank Presidential Chair in Leadership, she has been recognized by organizations locally and nationally, including Buffalo Black Nurses, Gabriel A. Rodriguez American Legion Post, Buffalo Renaissance Foundation, City & State and Girl Scouts.
