Dr. Leslie Johnson

After graduating from college, Dr. Leslie Johnson worked as a middle school science teacher in East Harlem through the Teach For America program. Her time spent teaching general science and health inspired her to pursue medical school.

“I saw the social and environmental inequity that my students experienced in their everyday lives. I determined to address these issues by empowering my future patients,” she said.

That passion to help others and better the health of underserved populations led to Dr. Johnson’s selection as recipient of the 2018 Rolland C. Reynolds Pathology Award, presented to a graduating medical student whose actions demonstrate care and giving. The award, which includes $1,500, honors the late Dr. Reynolds, a UT Southwestern alumnus and faculty member remembered as a gifted pathologist and a generous person.

“I was humbled to receive the news that I had been selected for the Reynolds Pathology Award. It is a true honor to have been chosen for this recognition,” said Dr. Johnson, a former manager of the student-run Monday Clinic.

One of her mentors, Professor of Pathology Dr. Kathleen Wilson, called Dr. Johnson a standout student.

“I have observed students who exemplify qualities of outstanding physicians – that of compassion, empathy, intellect, and a strong work ethic with associated experience that demonstrates these qualities in a meaningful way. Dr. Johnson is such a person. She has distinguished herself in the classroom, in the clinic, and in her service to others,” said Dr. Wilson, also a Professor in the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development.

Dr. Johnson expressed gratitude to her parents for their support and encouragement throughout her childhood and school years at The Hockaday School in Dallas.

A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Stanford University with a bachelor’s in human biology, Dr. Johnson was involved in health education at a free clinic in East San Jose, California, that is associated with Stanford’s medical school. At UT Southwestern, she continued to be interested in empowerment through health and gravitated toward women’s health issues.

She was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and chosen for the Gold Humanism Honor Society. A past President of Medical Students for Choice and the Future Residents of Obstetrics and Gynecology student groups, she also coordinated the Women’s Health Enrichment Elective.

“One of my most formative medical school experiences was being a manager of the student-run free clinic, The Monday Clinic at North Dallas Shared Ministries, where I was also involved in managing health education,” she said.

She will begin her obstetrics and gynecology residency at Parkland Hospital.

“I am very excited to be staying with UT Southwestern for my next steps in training. The Ob/Gyn residents and faculty who have mentored me through medical school have been very influential in my choices, and I am excited to work with some of the best in the field,” she said.