Kaalan Johnson, M.D.
Specialties
Primary clinical office
Kaalan Johnson, M.D.
Biography
Dr. Johnson is the director of the Aerodigestive Center and practices at Seattle Children's main campus and Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center. He is an assistant professor of otolaryngology - head and neck surgery at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is a native of the northwest, but did his medical school in southern California and residency in Virginia before completing a fellowship in pediatric otolaryngology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital and working there after his fellowship.
He began working at Seattle Children's Hospital in 2013 and started seeing patients for the Aerodigestive Center later that year. The work he began in Cincinnati on medical simulation has continued through his work at the Learning and Simulation Center at Seattle Children's Hospital and the UW Institute for Simulation and Interprofessional Studies.
Overview
Undergraduate Education: Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, Wash., 2000
Medical School: Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, Cal., 2004
Internship: Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, Va., 2005
Residency: Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VAa., 2009
Fellowship: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, 2011
Board Certification: Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, 2010
Memberships: American Medical Association, American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, Society for Simulation in Healthcare, Association for Surgical Education
Awards and honors
2010: Unsung Heroes Award Winner, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center
2009: Eunice Baxter Award for Outstanding Chief Surgical Resident at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
2009: 1st Place, Resident Podium Presentations, Virginia Society of Otolaryngology Annual Meeting
2007: 1st Place, Resident Research Award, Basic Science Category, AAO-HNSF
2004: Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society Member
College Recipient of Servant Scholar of the Year Award
SPU Scholar Award Winner (largest academic scholarship)
College Crew Team Scholar Athlete Award winner, qualified for National Crew Regatta
Academic interests
CLINICAL INTERESTS
Aerodigestive conditions including complex airway, breathing, and swallowing issues, aspiration, laryngeal clefts, airway reconstruction, subglottic stenosis, obstructive sleep apnea, voice, and tracheotomy management. Additional interests include sinus and ear disease, and craniofacial disorders.
RESEARCH FOCUS
Dr. Johnson's primary research interests center on aerodigestive and airway conditions including aspiration and airway evaluation. He also participates in medical simulation research and directs courses aimed at improving medical education and procedural competency.
Recent Publications
Padia R, Miller C, Patak L, Friedman SD, Stone K, Otjen J, Johnson K. Simulation-Guided Tracheotomy in a Patient With Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva., Laryngoscope 2018 Dec
Hinchcliff M, Kao M, Johnson K. The importance of technical skills assessment during an airway foreign body removal course., Int. J. Pediatr. Otorhinolaryngol. 2019 Feb; 1171-5
Miller C, Kirkham E, Ma CC, Filipek N, Horn DL, Johnson K, Chen ML, Parikh SR. Polysomnography outcomes in children with small tonsils undergoing drug-induced sleep endoscopy-directed surgery., Laryngoscope 2018 Dec
Miller AL, Hersh CJ, Johnson KE, Hartnick CJ. Short-term swallowing outcomes following type 1 laryngeal cleft injection., Int. J. Pediatr. Otorhinolaryngol. 2019 Jan; 116159-163