Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Aaron Johnson.
Hi Dr. Aaron, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up, I experienced different socioeconomic backgrounds and spent time with people of diverse cultures and beliefs. These experiences made me realize at an incredibly young age that I could not attain many of the luxuries and opportunities others had the chance to achieve.
I had a vision of being the change I wanted to see in the world but I did not know what road to take or how I would get there. Fast forward about 20 years and while pursuing my Doctor of Pharmacy degree I had an opportunity to create a scholarship. I jumped at the opportunity as this is in line with what I wanted to do since I was a child.
This was a lucky break that I created with some of the volunteer work I had been doing at the time. With this, I was able to begin my mission of leaving an impact on society by giving underrepresented students financial assistance as well as mentorship and professional development opportunities. The goal was always to bring others along and be a mentor as well as a sponsor for underrepresented individuals.
While doing this philanthropic work I wondered how I could parlay my Doctor of Pharmacy degree with my desire and commitment to helping marginalized communities into a career, and with a great deal of commitment and refusal to be stopped, I created my Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion(DEI) and Health Equity Advisory Services business. If you were to ask me 20 years ago what I would be doing with my life I would have never guessed it would be the work that I am doing now but the universe had a plan for me and I followed where it led me.
I now get to guide corporations, universities, and non-profits to create a DEI and health equity-focused environment, create sustainable health equity programs that expand access to care, and increase cultural competency from the top down which in turn will lead to better representation in the workforce as well as better health outcomes for all individuals.
I started my work exclusively in the pharmacy space, working with colleges of pharmacy and pharmacy organizations but now I have expanded to interprofessional sectors. I have been able to create different frameworks that impact the workforce, academia, healthcare, and ultimately, people. I have delivered transformative results in key DEI leadership roles and have successfully implemented culturally tailored DEI programs nationally and internationally using my philanthropic and public health experience and clinical expertise.
Being able to speak on a global basis about different communities and which strategies to implement, which in turn has led to better lives and health outcomes, has been nothing short of a blessing for me and I look forward to what the future has in store.
We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Inevitably there are going to be challenges in anything you do, and in my case, I was not an exception. The biggest challenge I faced was there was not anyone doing what I was doing in my field of practice. I had to build a valuable service from scratch. I did not have any blueprint to work off and I had to adopt a learn-as-I-go mindset, like how NASA began. They never had the luxury of seeing and knowing how to get to space but they figured it out along the way, the same principle applies to the work that I do.
What ended up being extremely valuable to me was consulting with experts in affiliated areas to gain insight and perspective on how they operate. I made sure to glean valuable information and skills that I could implement into the work that I was conducting. I sought out DEI and public health professionals working in various industries to learn as much as I could and apply it to what I was doing.
I cannot stress enough the importance of networking and getting along well with others; without assistance from so many different people, I would not be where I am today. My career was created by, of course, my hard work and persistence, but mainly different experienced individuals guiding me along the way; I cannot thank all of them enough. To be able to make progress I had to grow through the process and the mistakes I made early on became the catalyst to my success; if it were easy everyone would do it.
We’ve been impressed with Aaron Johnson Advisory Services, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Aaron Johnson Advisory Services is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Health Equity Consulting Service. DEI and Health Equity are not just altruistic but key strategic business imperatives, such as Lean and Six Sigma, that all companies and organizations should take advantage of. The likelihood of outperforming industry peers on profitability exponentially increases over time if the correct DEI and Health equity strategy is implemented, that’s where I come in.
My scope of services includes DEI Introduction Presentations, Senior Executive Consultations, Leadership Team DEI & Health Equity Training, DEI Strategy Review, Culture Advancement Evaluation, and Program Logic Model Implementation. What makes me particularly unique and what I am most proud of is the diversity of my clientele base. I have worked with large universities and corporations, as well as with small businesses and non-profits; all with positive quantifiable results.
This has allowed me to have a myriad of innovative strategies and frameworks that lead to successful implementation and profit, but ultimately a more inclusive and people-centered environment. I am most known for having my clinical expertise as a Doctor of Pharmacy and also for my ability to simply and easily communicate complex issues surrounding the increasing breadth and bottom-line impact of DEI and Health Equity.
Successful implementation of these services will lead to positive bottom-line impact, employee retention, and lower turnover, better healthcare access and quality of care, and a more inclusive environment.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
What I like most about the city is the throng of different cultures and backgrounds. Every day you have the opportunity to meet so many different people, the diversity of cultures, careers, and interests is something you can experience daily here in South Florida and I believe everyone should experience it at least once in their life.
Having a plethora of options ranging from what you want to do, what you want to eat, and who you want to meet is a major factor as to why many people move to this area. Couple that with amazing weather, what is not to love?
Pricing:
- Corporate-$350 per hour
- Non-profit and Universities-$150 per hour
- Keynote Speaking-$5,000 and up
- Event Panel Moderation-$3,000 and up
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everyonelovesaaron/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-johnson-pharmd-59329b193/
