Spirit of Community Service: Daniel Johnson, MD

Daniel Johnson, MD, of the UNMC College of Medicine, will receive the Spirit of Community Service Award at the annual faculty meeting, which will be held virtually through Zoom at 3 p.m. on April 15.

• Name: Daniel Johnson, MD
• Titles: Associate professor and chief of the division of critical care in the UNMC Department of Anesthesiology; co-director of the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit
• Joined UNMC: 2013
• Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska

Why is community service important to you?

Growing up, I benefitted from many Omahans who gave generously of their time and talents to our community. My coaches, teachers, neighbors and relatives always seemed willing to go the extra mile to help people in need — whether they knew them personally or not. My mom, in particular, was and is constantly involved in multiple forms of community service. This attitude is part of what makes Nebraska such a wonderful state, so I try to be involved in community service when I can.

How did you start in your community service activities?

When I was in high school at Creighton Prep, I had amazing mentors who emphasized the importance of people looking out and caring for other people. I became very involved in a food charity organization called Operation Others. I actually met my wonderful wife Rachel at an Operation Others meeting, so I am eternally grateful for that organization!

Nominators praised your public health advocacy work during the pandemic. Describe that work and what it meant to you.

A year ago, it was clear to many UNMC faculty members that the general public did not grasp the gravity of the growing pandemic. Several of us took to social media and traditional media outlets to “sound the alarm” regarding how many lives were at stake and what people could do to protect themselves. At different points in the pandemic, we have raised our voices to try to minimize the damage that the virus could inflict on our communities. I consider being a UNMC faculty member to be a huge privilege, and it is a great honor to work with these amazing colleagues to promote public health.

List three things few people know about you.

• I grew up 1.5 miles from the UNMC campus.
• My grandmother was the first-ever woman on the governing board of Creighton Prep.
• As a little kid, I said that my only birthday wish was to see Mike Rozier and the mighty 1983 Huskers play against UCLA… and my uncles made my wish come true!