Donor Network West Names Justin Johnson As Vice President Of Donation Development And Organ Operations
Industry veteran brings proven leadership to help maximize donation potential and accelerate organ donation operations to further Donor Network West’s mission to save and heal lives
SAN RAMON, CA (June 16,2022) – Donor Network West, the federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) for northern California and northern Nevada, today announced the appointment of Justin Johnson as Vice President of Donation Development and Organ Operations, effective June 20, 2022. Justin will lead Donor Network West’s hospital development and organ operations, bringing his more than two decades of organ donation and healthcare experience, to help maximize donation potential and further accelerate organ donation operations to help save and heal more lives.
“I am incredibly pleased to have Justin join our executive leadership team,” said Janice Whaley, President and CEO of Donor Network West. “His leadership experience across the spectrum of not only OPO services and operations, as well as, healthcare overall, will assist us to reach our life-saving goals. Through his integrity, content expertise and proven relationship-building skills, Justin will assist Donor Network West’s leaders and staff, as well as, our hospital partners build effective and successful donation programs. His application of known donation best practices to our mutual OPO/hospital teams will keep Donor Network West’s mission front and center, leading to better donation outcomes and more lives saved.”
Most recently, Johnson served as Director of Clinical Services for New Jersey Sharing Network (NJTO), a federally designated OPO serving 113 hospitals, 6 transplant centers and 14 transplant programs in New Jersey, NY. A registered nurse and certified procurement transplant coordinator (CPTC), Johnson led his team to achieve substantial increases in organ donors during his tenure.
Prior to joining New Jersey Sharing Network, Johnson held substantial leadership and clinical positions at LifeGift, a large, multi-regional OPO in Texas. Johnson held these positions over six years in each of LifeGift’s three regions, including in Houston, a service area comprised of more than 120 hospitals, 5 transplant centers and 23 transplant programs in the fourth largest city in the U.S.
As the Senior Managing Director of Clinical Operations in Houston, Johnson was responsible for building robust donation systems, which resulted in increased donation rates and transplantable organs and improved OPO operational cost effectiveness. Prior to Johnson’s Houston tenure, he served as managing director for the LifeGift West region for four years, increasing organ donors year over year.
Johnson started his career as a staff nurse in one of the largest healthcare systems in Texas, Texas Health Resources (THR), working in critical care and Trauma Units as a staff nurse and later, as a Clinical Coordinator. Johnson was also Director of Nursing at Lamb Healthcare Center, a 72-bed acute care facility in Littlefield, TX, before entering the field of organ donation.
“It is a great honor to join the Donor Network West team,” said Johnson. “I look forward to continuing to steward the gift of organ and tissue donation. Saving and enhancing lives of those that I may never know is my calling in life.”
Johnson received a Master of Biomedical Sciences & Human Donation Science from the University of Toledo and graduated from West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas, with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Johnson is certified in organ recovery through the American Board of Transplant Certification (ABTC).
