Program Named in Dr. Fannie Gaston-Johansson's Honor
A key Johns Hopkins University initiative to increase and promote faculty diversity will be named to honor of the university’s first Black woman to become a tenured professor, Fannie Gaston-Johansson.
The Target of Opportunity Program, which strives to augment the university’s culture and overall excellence through the recruitment of diverse scholars, will be named the Fannie Gaston-Johansson Faculty of Excellence Program.
The naming of the program stems from the ongoing work of the Diverse Names and Narratives Project, an effort with the goal of more visibly celebrating remarkable people from Johns Hopkins history, focusing on those from historically marginalized and underrepresented groups.
Through her research, mentorship, and public service, Dr. Gaston-Johansson has given countless patients a voice in their care, illuminated and addressed the pernicious impact of health disparities, and forged a path for other scholars from historically marginalized groups to flourish in the academy.
In addition to being an internationally renowned educator and nurse researcher, Gaston-Johansson pioneered diversity initiatives in the School of Nursing and led the Minority Global Health Disparities Research Training Program, which allowed hundreds of underrepresented students access to research opportunities around the world.
“My whole life has been about attracting diversity,” said Gaston-Johansson, now a professor emerita. “I think recruiting and promoting diverse faculty scholars makes such an important difference in how you talk to people, how you understand people, and how you treat them.”
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