OUR COMMUNITY
Championing Health Equity in Cardiology
Published Date – 9 December 2024
Dr. Amber Johnson’s journey into cardiology began during her fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh, where she worked part-time as an emergency medical technician. The experience revealed the widespread prevalence of heart disease and sparked her interest in pursuing a career in clinical cardiology and research.
“I was inspired to study cardiology given the vital importance of the cardiovascular system and prevalence of heart disease,” said Dr. Johnson. “Learning basic life support (BLS) training made it abundantly evident to me that treating heart disease was an important job.”
Now an Assistant Professor of Cardiology and Director of Cardiovascular Rehabilitation at the University of Chicago, Dr. Johnson balances teaching, research and clinical practice with her passion for advancing and advocating for health equity. Her research primarily focuses on broadening preventative measures and understanding the factors that influence risk and interventional outcomes across diverse patient populations.
“I applied for the Women As One Escalator Awards in 2022 to further my work in addressing hypertension in communities facing barriers such as lack of financial resources or trust in clinicians,” Dr. Johnson explained. “I was impressed by the unique application process, which emphasized personal investment in the applicants, and was thrilled to win an award.”
With her Escalator Award funding, Dr. Johnson formed a community advisory group, ensuring her project design promoted social justice and equity. The grant also enabled her to recruit and interview focus group participants, enriching her research with valuable community insights.
So far, baseline analyses of her study data have shown differences in cardiovascular outcomes by race and sociodemographic factors. For example, the study team found that people living in poor areas are less likely to be treated for high blood pressure despite having a diagnosis of hypertension.
I absolutely credit the Escalator Award and the networking opportunities created by Women As One as being pivotal to my career advancement.
They also found that the use of internet-based healthcare management strategies, like patient portals, differs by sociodemographic factors. This finding will lead to future work to evaluate how technology can be used to overcome limitations in access to care.
“I absolutely credit the Escalator Award and the networking opportunities created by Women As One as being pivotal to my career advancement,” she emphasized. “The importance of networking is critical in academia, and the global community made accessible through Women As One continues to support my professional journey.”
The ongoing dialogue among the mentors and peers participating in the Escalator Award process has inspired Dr. Johnson to explore new research questions and patient populations. Her future work will continue to focus on community-based interventions to address disparities in cardiovascular outcomes. She’s also staying busy in a growing list of extracurricular roles, including guest editing for Circulation, serving on several AHA committees, and in her recent appointment to the Board of her undergraduate alma matter, Thomas Jefferson University.
“In every role I undertake, I continuously strive to achieve parity in cardiology treatment,” Dr. Johnson noted. “For those looking to follow me in this direction, my advice is to stay strong, set realistic goals and always have faith in big dreams.”
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