Dr. Johnson is an Assistant Professor and Clinical Specialist in Transplantation at the University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. She received her PharmD degree from the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy in 1995, after which she completed a Clinical Fellowship in Renal Transplant Pharmacotherapy at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dr. Johnson has been a member of the School of Pharmacy faculty since August 1997 and is a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist and an inaugural member of the Board of Pharmacy Specialties Solid Organ Transplantation Pharmacy Specialty Council.
Dr. Johnson is a Clinical Specialist in abdominal transplantation at UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside where she works primarily in the setting of liver transplant. Dr. Johnson developed practices in ambulatory kidney transplant, viral hepatitis, and designed and implemented a pharmacy service in Palermo, Italy.
Currently, her primary teaching focus is in liver disease and nutrition, but also participates in the immunology course as well. Dr. Johnson precepts both University of Pittsburgh Pharmacy students and pharmacy residents on clinical rotations in Liver Transplant and is Director of the PGY1 Pharmacy Residency at UPMC Presbyterian. In addition, Dr. Johnson coordinates a rotation for pharmacy students at ISMETT (the Mediterranean Institute for Specialized Therapy and Transplantation) in Palermo, Italy.
Dr. Johnson’s research interests are in the area of transplantation and pharmacokinetics in transplantation and liver disease.
Viral Hepatitis
Fellow - American college of Clinical Pharmacy - 2022
Kasiske BL, Johnson HJ, Goerdt PJ, Heim-Duthoy KL, Rao VK, Dahl DC, Ney AL, Andersen RC, Jacobs DM, Odland MD. A randomized trial comparing cyclosporine induction with sequential therapy in renal transplant recipients. Am J Kidney Dis 1997, 30:639-645.
Johnson HJ, Swan SK, Heim-Duthoy KL, Nicholls AJ, Tsina I, Tarnowski T. The pharmacokinetics of a single oral dose of mycophenolate mofetil and patients with varying degrees of renal function. Clin Pharm Ther, 1998;63:512-518.
Johnson HJ, Romano MJ, Weber RJ. Developing an integrated pharmacy service in a specialized Italian hospital. Am J Health-Syst Pharm, 2007;64:430-435.
Johnson HJ, Han K, Capitano B, Blisard D, Husain S, Linden PK, Marcos A, Kwak EJ, Potoski B, Paterson DL, Romkes M, Venkataramanan R. Voriconazole Pharmacokinetics in Liver Transplant Recipients. Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 2010;54:852-859.
Han K, Bies R, Johnson H, Capitano B, Venkataramanan R. Population Pharmacokinetic Evaluation with External Validation and Bayesian Estimator of Voriconazole in Liver Transplant Recipients. Clin Pharmacokinet 2011;50(210-214).
Smith MA, Johnson HJ, Chopra KB, Dunn MA, Ulrich AM, Mohammad RA. Incidence and management of rash in telaprevir-treated patients: lessons for simeprevir? Annals of Pharmacotherapy 2014;48(9) 1166-1171.
Rivosecchi RM, Kellum JA, Dasta JF, Armahizer, MJ, Bolesta S, Buckley MS, Dzierba AL, Frazee E, Johnson HJ, Kim C, Murugan R, Smithburger PL, Wong A, Kane-Gill SL. Drug class combination associated acute kidney injury: A review of the literature. Annals of Pharmacotherapy 2016;50:953-972.
Iasella CJ, Johnson HJ, Dunn MA. Adverse Drug Reactions: Type A (Intrinsic) or Type B (Idiosyncratic). Clinics in Liver Disease 2017;21:73-87.
Rivosecchi RM, Kane-Gill, SL, Garavaglia J, MacLasco A, Johnson HJ. The effectiveness of intravenous vitamin K in correcting cirrhosis-associated coagulopathy. International Journal of Pharmacy Practice. 2017 doi:10.1111/ijpp.12355.
Kalluri HV, Sacha LM, Ingemi AI, Shullo MA, Johnson HJ, Sood P, Tevar AD, Venkataramanan R. Low vitamin D exposure is associated with higher risk of infection in renal transplant recipients. Clinical Transplantation. 2017;31:e12955.
Hedges AR, Johnson HJ, Kobulinsky LR, Estock JL, Eibling D, Seybert AL. Effects of cross-training on medical teams’ teamwork and collaboration: use of simulation. Pharmacy (Basel) 2019; 7(1). pii: E13. doi: 10.3390/pharmacy7010013.
Almazroo OA, Miah M, Pillai V, Shaik I, Xu R, Dharmayan S, Johnson HJ, Ganesh S, Planinsic R, Demetris A, Al-Khafaji A, Lopez R, Molinari M, Tevar A, Hughes C, Humar A, Venkataramanan R. An evaluation of the safety and preliminary efficacy of peri- and post-operative treprostinil in preventing ischemia and reperfusion injury in adult orthotopic liver transplant recipients. Clinical Transplantation e14298, 2021 Mar25.
Reed MJ, Dhanyamraju S, Schultz MF, Sanchez-Cueva PA, Johnson HJ, Miao CL. Solid Organ Transplantation in the ICU - In Comprehensive Critical Care: Adult, 2nd Edition.. Roberts PA and Todd SR (eds); 2017
Johnson HJ. Long-term outcomes of belatacept-based immunosuppression in kidney transplant recipients. Pharmacotherapy Updates, 22August 2016. McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 2016. AccessPharmacy.
Johnson HJ. “Immunosuppressive Medications†in Synopsis of Neurology, Psychiatry and Related Systemic Disorders. Ettinger AG, Weisbrot DM and Gallimore CE, (eds); 2019.
Jennings D, Johnson HJ. Solid Organ Transplantation – In Pharmacotherapy - A Pathophysiologic Approach, 11th edition. DiPiro JT et al (eds); 2020.
Johnson,HJ. Interactive Case: Solid Organ Transplantation. In: Boucher BA, Haas CE, eds. Critical Care Self-Assessment Program, 2019 Book 2. Surgical Patients in the ICU. Lenexa, KS: American College of Clinical Pharmacy, 2019:217-221.
“Testimonianza di una Farmacista in prima linea†– Inaugurazione dei nuovi corsi per l’anno accademico 2001-2002, Dipartimento di Chimica e Tecnologie Farmaceutiche, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy, October 2001. (Testimony of a Pharmacist on the Front Lines – Inauguration of the 2001-2002 academic year)
“Update in Parenteral Nutritionâ€, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy, December 2001.
“Nutritional Support in Special Patient Populationsâ€, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy, December 2001.
La “Pharmaceutical Care†in un reparto ad alta specializzazione, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche, Policlinico P. Giaccone, Palermo, Italy, January 2002. (Pharmaceutical Care in a Specialty Care Department).
Medication Errors – Clinical Cases: experience of a clinical pharmacist. Errori farmacologici -Casi clinici: l’esperienza del farmacista clinico. 26th National Congress of the Italian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, Catania, Italy, October 2005.
Medication Safety from A to Z: Initiatives and Experience from the University of Pittsburgh. 26th National Congress of the Italian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, Catania, Italy, October 2005.
Impact of a clinical pharmacist in an Italian transplant and specialty hospital. 34th European Symposium of Clinical Pharmacy Amsterdam, The Netherlands October 2005.
“Pharmacological Challenges of Hepatitis C†– First Annual Update on Liver Transplantation: Hepatitis C – The Medical Journey, Pittsburgh, PA, October 13, 2006.
Immunosuppressant Therapy in Transplantation – an overview. Presented to MSL staff of INO Therapeutics, Woodshole, MA, July 2007.
Therapeutic Update – Pharmacotherapy of Viral Hepatitis. Pennsylvania Society of Health-System Pharmacists Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA, October 2007.
The Pharmacist’s Role in the Clinical Management of Immunosuppressant Therapy in Liver Transplantation, 36th European Symposium on Clinical Pharmacy, Istanbul, Turkey, October 2007. (presented in collaboration with Francesca Venuti)
HMDP expert of Solid Organ Transplantation (lecture series), Singapore General Hospital, September 27 - 1 October 1, 2010, Singapore
• Roles of Transplant Pharmacists & Key Performance Indicators of Transplant Clinic and Inpatient Transplant Service
• Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Immunosuppressants – Evidence of Clinical Outcomes for Best Clinical Practice
• Fungal Infection in Solid Organ Transplant – case studies
• How Pharmacogenomic would changes Clinical Practice in Solid Organ Transplant
• Updates on Management of CMV Infection in Solid Organ Transplant patients
• Updates on mTOR Inhibitors in Liver Transplantation – Risks and Benefits
• ICU Management of Critically Ill Transplant Patients
• Solid Organ Transplant Residency Program – the planning
• Optimizing Immunosuppressant in Solid Organ Transplant – Challenges in Achieving Better Long -Term Outcomes
• Current Approach in Managing PTLD vs Malignancy
• Metabolic Complication in post Solid Organ Transplant patients
“You Can Build It vs. Let’s Build Something Together: Building On Strength to Find Residency Opportunities†Residency Pearl Session: National Pharmacy Residency Preceptors Conference, Washington DC, August 16-18, 2012.
Pharmacology and Clinical Practice Update – Hepatitis C. University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing’s 2012-2013 Continuing Education Program, Pittsburgh, PA, October 13, 2012.
Evolving Literature Guiding the Management of Chronic Hepatitis C, GI/Liver/Nutrition PRN Focus Session--Updates in Gastrointestinal Topics, ACCP Annual Meeting, Hollywood, FL, October 21-24, 2012.
Feedback: What’s All the Noise?. Pharmacy Grand Rounds, UPMC Presbyterian, July 16, 2014.
HCV-New and Emerging Therapies. University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy Fall Continuing Education Seminar, Pittsburgh, October 19, 2014.
Update on HCV Therapy in Transplantation, 25th Annual ITNS Symposium, Pittsburgh, October 2016.
Managing Drug-Drug Interactions with Direct Acting Antivirals in HCV, National Continuing Education Training Workshop for Pharmacists and Clinical Pharmacists, Shanghai, China, May 2017.
Killing the Interview: tips for being memorable in a good way. PSHP Student Programming, Severn Springs, PA , October 2017.
