获奖者

Dr. Victoria Johnson '74 grew up in Deephaven and attended Minnetonka High School, graduating in 1974. Bob Sorenson, her childhood friend and award nominator, remembers her from early on as “so bright. Everyone knew she’d go places and do amazing things."

“She was interested in science from the start,” said Victoria’s mother, Shirley Eastwood Johnson. “She was dedicated to her learning and nurtured by very good teachers, who could see she was going somewhere.”

After graduating from MHS, Dr. Johnson attended St. Olaf College, where a virology class captured her imagination and set her on her path to become a research physician. She also spent time at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and the University of Colorado Health Science Center.

Dr. Johnson served on numerous prestigious boards and committees in addition to being the principal author or co-author of more than 98 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts and 12 reviews and book chapters. As an infectious disease program director for eight years, she mentored more than 25 infectious disease fellows and taught and mentored more than 750 physicians and 100 medical students who have pursued successful careers.

Dr. Johnson passed away in October, 2023. She is remembered as a leader, researcher, mentor, teacher and deeply compassionate physician. She made a historic impact through her virology and infectious disease research and her clinical practice. Dr. Johnson was a leader for both HIV/AIDS research and for women in medicine, playing a pivotal role in integrating HIV drug resistance testing into clinical settings worldwide.

“她热爱自己的工作。她喜欢与患者接触并结交朋友，也乐于指导年轻医生，”约翰逊医生的丈夫布鲁斯·博德纳回忆道，“她常对年轻医生说的一句话是：要了解你的患者。这实际上意味着要花时间和精力，彻底准备并回顾患者的既往病史，绝不走捷径。无论你想做什么，付出辛勤的努力都至关重要。”