David Johnson

Professor David Johnson PSM

MB BS (Hons, Univ Medal), PhD (Syd), DMed(Res), FASN, FISN, FAHMS, FRACP

Department of Kidney and Transplant Services, Division of Medicine, Building 31, Princess Alexandra Hospital

david.johnson2@health.qld.gov.au

David Johnson is full-time Director of the Metro South Kidney and Transplant Service (MSKATS) and Medical Director of the Queensland Kidney Transplant Service (QKTS) at Princess Alexandra Hospital, Professor of Medicine and Professor of Population Health at University of Queensland, and Director of the Centre for Kidney Disease Research in Brisbane, Australia. He has a number of international leadership responsibilities, including Co-Chair of the International Society of Nephrology Global Kidney Health Atlas (ISN GKHA), Co-Chair of the International Society for Peritoneal Dialysis (ISPD) Guidelines on Peritonitis Prevention and Treatment, Co-Chair of the Global PDOPPS Steering Committee, Chair of SONG-PD, Immediate Past President of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Nephrology (ANZSN), Past President of the ISPD (2018-2020), Past Councillor of the ISN (2013-2019), and member of the ISN-ACT, ISN Research and ISN Monitor groups. He is currently a chair or member of 11 national and 7 international guideline groups and is ranked by Expertscape as the “top-rated expert in dialysis in the world during the years 2013-2023.” He has influenced policy and practice through his leadership as Deputy Chair of the Australian Better Evidence And Translation in Chronic Kidney Disease (BEAT-CKD) program, Deputy Chair of the Australasian Kidney Trials Network (AKTN), Chair of the Primary Healthcare Education Advisory Committee to Kidney Health Australia (PEAK), Co-Chair of the Australasian Creatinine and eGFR Consensus Working Party, Co-Chair of the Australasian Proteinuria Consensus Working Party, Member and Past-Chair of the ANZDATA Registry Peritoneal Dialysis Working Group, and Past-Chair of the Queensland Statewide Renal Clinical Network.

Having published over 1200 original manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals and presented over 550 abstracts at national and international scientific meetings, he brings critical expertise in designing and conducting multi-centre, multi-national randomised controlled trials (RCTs), developing national and international registries, using innovative research methodologies (such as registry-based RCTs) and implementing trial findings into practice. He has held lead roles in high-impact, large, multi-centre RCTs that have informed global clinical practice, including CKD-FIX, IDEAL, balANZ, HONEYPOT, TESTING, HERO, and IMPENDIA. He is currently principal investigator of the TEACH-PD and INCH-HD trials, and chair of the PHOSPHATE Trial Global Steering Committee. He helped establish the Australian Peritonitis Registry and led the highly successful National PD Peritonitis Quality Improvement Project, which reduced national peritonitis rates by two-thirds. He also led the universal implementation of automated laboratory reporting of eGFR in ANZ which increased national detection rates by 40%.

He has won numerous awards for both his basic science and clinical research science studies, including the ANZSN TJ Neale Award for “outstanding contributions to nephrologic science” (2005), the US National Kidney Foundation International Distinguished Medal (2014), the Canadian Society of Nephrology Dimitrios Oreopoulos Award (2017) and the Asia-Pacific Society of Nephrology Priscilla Kincaid-Smith Award (2021). He was a Queensland finalist in the Australian of the Year Awards in 2009 and was awarded a Public Service Medal by the Governor-General of Australia in 2011 for outstanding public service, particularly research into the early detection and management of kidney disease.