Dr. Johnson received his formal medical training at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (BA-1976, MD - 1980). He completed his residency in internal medicine and his fellowship in pulmonary and critical care at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas and remained there on the faculty. Dr. Johnson held numerous leadership positions including Director of the MICU, Director of the Pulmonary Critical Care Fellowship Program, Director of the Internal Medicine Residency Program, and Assistant Chief of the Department of Medicine. Dr. Johnson retired from the military medical corps in September 2000. He joined the pulmonary division faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in October 2000 as Associate Professor of Medicine.
In 2002 he was named the Director of Pulmonary Rehabilitation. In 2003, he took on the role of Associate Director of the Pulmonary & Critical Care Fellowship. In 2004, he was promoted to Professor of Medicine, Physiology and Biophysics. In 2005, he became Director of the MICU and became the first Charles and Alice Hohenberg Professor of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. In 2006, Dr. Johnson received the UAB President's Award for Excellence in Teaching for the School of Medicine and became the Associate Chief of Staff for Critical Care Services. In 2008, Dr. Johnson was named Best Basic Science Professor by the graduating medical school class. In 2007, he assumed the role of Interim Division Director and then transitioned to Clinical Division Director in July 2009 upon the arrival of Dr. Victor J. Thannickal.
