SHSP Welcomes New Vice Dean Benjamin F. Johnson, Ed.D.
The School of Health Sciences and Practice (SHSP) is pleased to announce the appointment of Benjamin F. (Ben) Johnson, Ed.D., as vice dean.
Dr. Johnson joined the College community on July 1, succeeding Ben Watson, Ph.D. who retired from the position at the end of the 2018-2019 academic year. Dr. Johnson was selected from a national search led by a committee chaired by Susan L. Ronan, P.T., D.P.T., PCS, assistant professor of physical therapy.
Dr. Johnson comes to New York Medical College from the University of Kentucky in Lexington, where he was chair of the Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion. Prior to that he served as chair of the Department of Kinesiology at City University of New York – Brooklyn College in Brooklyn, New York, and professor and associate dean for community partnerships and global initiatives in the WellStar College of Health and Human Services at Kennesaw State University (KSU) in Kennesaw, Georgia. While at KSU, he directed the Global Center for Social Change with four major divisions including the International Academy for Disability Rights, International Academy for Women’s Leadership and Sport for Health, Development and Peace. Dr. Johnson was also a faculty member and lab director at Georgia State University in Atlanta.
He is the author of numerous sports medicine-related research articles and is a frequent presenter at international and national professional meetings. He was a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Medical Commission from 1990-1999 and coordinated the IOC’s Sport Science Research Projects during the 1996 Atlanta Centennial Olympic Summer Games. Dr. Johnson also served on a number of international sport-related committees including the Program Committee for the 1996 IOC World Congress on Sport Science.
Dr. Johnson has been the co-primary investigator on eight Department of State International Sport Programming Initiative projects since 2002 and several other federally funded projects. He is the co-founder of the African Academy of Disability Sport and Founder of the International Academy for Disability Rights. Dr. Johnson is the recipient of more than $11 million in funding throughout his career.
For nearly 30 years, Dr. Johnson was an expert witness and consultant on work-related musculoskeletal injury legal cases. He specializes in the biomechanical aspects of occupational tasks to identify acute and chronic movement and environmental factors that may contribute to musculoskeletal injury.
“I look forward to bringing my 35-year higher education background to New York Medical College and am confident my experiences can be used to positively impact the future of the School of Health Sciences and Practice,” said Dr. Johnson. “Mine is an entrepreneurial spirit that will hopefully bring additional innovative degree and certificate programs to the SHSP. Health sciences is a rapidly growing area of study with huge potential for research funding and I look forward to working with the faculty and leadership in developing areas of growth. I am also looking forward to exploring academic programs and research initiatives that can engage faculty and students from the School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Basic Medical Sciences with our faculty and students in the School of Health Sciences and Practice.”
“Dr. Ben Johnson is a valuable and welcome acquisition for our leadership team. His appointment fills a critically needed function, particularly as we expand our footprint with new academic offerings in clinical and public health fields.” said Robert W. Amler, M.D., M.B.A., dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice and vice president for government affairs.
