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Chair named for gifted educator, physician MUSC is working to establish a new endowed chair in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics in honor of admired and respected alumnus, clinician and educator Allen Johnson, M.D. It will be called the Allen Johnson Endowed Chair in Internal Medicine and Geriatrics.   Allen, a native of Columbia, earned his medical degree in 1963 from MUSC and entered the U.S. Army where he served in the Medical Corps until 1965. He then completed an internship and residency at MUSC and joined the faculty at Emory University School of Medicine.   He wouldn’t stay away for long. In 1969, Johnson returned to MUSC and launched a widely acknowledged career that earned him a reputation as one of MUSC’s most gifted educators and caregivers. “Allen Johnson has always been there for the institution. He’s always ready to step up to any challenge, step into any breach and help, to find a way to enhance or improve MUSC. He is one of a kind; after they made Allen, the mold was destroyed,” said Jack Feussner, M.D., Department of Medicine chair. “What a privilege for me to have been able to work closely with him during these past four years as chairman of medicine.”   During his 25 years as a teacher of medicine, Johnson became known as an educator of the highest caliber, recognized both by peers and students. He has received the Golden Apple Award for excellence in clinical instruction, the Distinguished Faculty Service Award, the Distinguished University Professor Award, and the Excellence in Teaching Award twice. Johnson has held more than a dozen leadership positions at MUSC, Charleston County Hospital, and St. Francis Xavier Hospital.   “Any major task, people would turn to Allen and he would always step up to the plate. He’s a soft-spoken, unassuming person, yet so very capable,” said Bruce Elliott, M.D., professor and senior associate dean for Clinical Affairs- Department of Medicine.   This reputation for reliability and fairness landed Johnson in the “go-to-guy” seat numerous times, demonstrating a widespread university trust in his steady leadership style during times of change. He’s served as the Department of Medicine’s acting chairman three times, twice as the College of Medicine’s dean, and once as the director of the Division of General Internal Medicine/Geriatrics. Johnson also has been the director of the Division of Internal Medicine, executive medical director of the MUSC Hospital and president of the University Medical Associates.   “Allen Johnson is an internist, but his specialty ought to have been emergency medicine. Every time MUSC has had an emergency and needed someone to fill in, we have turned to Allen… Each and every time that he has stepped into such a gap in leadership, he has brought a calming influence and helped us make the transition with ease and grace. The entire Medical University owes him a huge debt of gratitude,” said Ray Greenberg, M.D., Ph.D., MUSC president.   Endowed chairs are elite faculty appointments that carry a stable, guaranteed source of funding to support the chair-holder’s work. It is the most prestigious honor the university confers upon a faculty member.   A chair is established by a pool of philanthropic funds totaling $1 million, which is then invested into a managed fund. The interest income accumulated is used to cover the chair’s annual salary. Therefore, the initial core  portion of the endowed chair fund exists indefinitely, creating a permanent means of support.   To help establish the Allen Johnson Endowed Chair, call Terry Stanley at (800) 810-MUSC or mail a pledge or tax-deductible gift to The Allen Johnson Endowed Chair, c/o MUSC Foundation, 18 Bee Street, P.O. Box 250450, Charleston, SC, 29425.     Friday, Aug. 11, 2006 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.