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Photo Courtesy of VTCSOM
Dr. Cynda Ann Johnson retires after creating an outstanding legacy in her field.
Whether it’s the impressive school that now sits in downtown Roanoke or the commercial growth along the downtown portion of Jefferson Street, you may not know her name, but you’ve felt the impact of Dr. Cynda Ann Johnson, founding dean of the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTCSOM), on the Roanoke Valley.
After VTCSOM was officially established in 2008, Johnson spent the first years overseeing the creation of the new allopathic medical school including accreditation, curriculum, admissions, policies, faculty appointments and staffing. And if that wasn’t enough, she also consulted with the architect on the building’s design to best serve the school’s problem-based curriculum. The first class took their seats in 2010.
The school has a two percent acceptance rate with thousands of applicants vying for 42 coveted spots. The school is built on four value domains that are interwoven throughout the four-year curriculum: basic science, clinical science, research and interprofessionalism. The last, interprofessionalism, represents an innovative approach of training doctors alongside nurses, physician assistants and other health care professionals to foster a team-based approach to patient care.
And in the year the school that Johnson built is officially adopted as Virginia Tech’s ninth college, with enrollment at capacity and a 100 percent match rate to residency programs, Johnson is retiring as dean. Johnson is the longest-serving female medical school dean in the country, with more than three years at East Carolina University followed by almost 11 at VTCSOM. She is past president of the American Board of Family Practice (now Family Medicine) and the American Board of Medical Specialties, from which she received that organization’s Distinguished Service Award last year.
Johnson leaves behind a legacy that includes a thriving medical school and a partnership with the co-branded Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, a catalyst for development and growth in downtown Roanoke. The school also supports arts and culture via a variety of programs like the Creativity in Health Education Program’s art show three times a year.
During her tenure, Johnson championed efforts to drive diversity through the Council for Diversity and Inclusion and to encourage youth to pursue health-related professions through the Within Reach program and as host of the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair, hosted here this spring and for the next two years.
After her phenomenal run as VTCSOM’s founding dean, she’s planning on relaxing right here in Roanoke to spend time with her family and keep up with the students she’s mentored into the medical field over the years. Reflecting on her time at VTSCOM, her greatest accomplishment is, “seeing our students graduate, go on to competitive residencies and thrive. My dream is to one day have our graduates come back and serve as faculty and ultimately deans of our medical school.”
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