Kelly Johnson, DrPH, MPH, MA

Kelly Johnson (she/her/hers) is a public health practitioner, qualitative researcher, and mental health clinician. At YSPH, she collaborates with Dr. Ashley Hagaman on two implementation science studies that seek to improve suicide prevention programs in Nepal. Dr. Johnson’s work focuses on increasing health equity among marginalized populations, both domestically and internationally. Her current research examines minority stress, resilience, and social support among trans and non-binary adolescents. Dr. Johnson completed a postdoctoral research fellowship with the Health Equity Institute at San Francisco State University, where she coordinated the San Francisco site of Project AFFIRM, an NICHD-funded longitudinal, multi-site study of transgender development across the lifespan. She has worked on numerous HIV surveillance, malaria elimination, and COVID prevention projects targeting vulnerable populations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the United States. She also works part-time as a psychotherapist in private practice, with a specific focus on adolescents and young adults.