In his interview for a junior faculty position at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine (CU SDM), Lonnie Johnson, DDS, PhD, was asked, “why do you want to pursue a career in academics?” He responded, “I want my life to have mattered.”
Conversations with some of the people who have known Johnson throughout his career make it clear just how profoundly he has fulfilled that aspiration.
After 40 years at the school, Johnson will retire on March 31, 2025.
Foundations of a Meaningful Career
Johnson had just finished his postdoctoral education, which included specialty training in periodontics as well as a PhD in Biological Structure at the University of Washington when he was hired as an assistant professor in the Department of Surgical Dentistry at CU SDM.
Professor Emeritus Norm Stoller, DMD, then-chair of the Division of Periodontics, said Johnson was “the perfect academic. He was interested in scientific research, a gifted teacher and an excellent clinician.” And he came with an outstanding recommendation from his mentor and world-renowned periodontist, the late Saul Schluger, DMD.
Johnson and Stoller became fast friends, working closely in clinics, classrooms and research for more than 15 years. They even played on the school’s softball team – the only faculty to do so.
Together they led research efforts at the school performing clinical studies for the development of chemotherapeutic agents to treat periodontal disease. Over breakfast one day at the Johnson’s Corner Truck Stop, while on their way to a corporate meeting, they came up with another idea. They discovered one of the components of the agent they were studying could be used as a method for facilitating guided tissue regeneration to manage certain kinds of periodontal bony defects. Ultimately, the chemotherapeutic agent and the guided tissue regeneration tool both received FDA approvals. Research addressing the chemotherapeutic management of periodontal disease and guided tissue regeneration has greatly improved periodontal care for today’s patients.
Johnson eventually took over as chair of the division, and the Graduate Periodontics Residency Program was started under his direction.
From Newcomer to President’s Teaching Scholar, Lifetime Achievement Award
Former CU SDM Dean and Professor Emeritus Bob Averbach, DDS, said he was struck by how much rapport Johnson had with the students. “They revered not only his knowledge, but his approach. He treated students with respect. He was funny and he was fun to be with – the students truly enjoyed him. It was less of a professor-student relationship and more of a professional colleague relationship.”
Averbach recalled this was one of the reasons Johnson was elected to the University of Colorado President’s Teaching Scholars Program (PTSP), an elite group of faculty from all four CU campuses who act as advisors to the president and disseminate knowledge across campuses. A limited number of faculty are chosen for membership each year based on excellence in teaching, scholarship, creative work and research.
Don Kleier, DMD, former chair of the CU SDM Department of Surgical Dentistry and Division of Endodontics, nominated Johnson to the PTSP. He said Johnson was a true triple threat: “He is someone that can clinically practice at a very high level of skill, an excellent teacher, and also a tremendously good researcher, with publications all up and down the ranks of important journals.”
To date, Averbach, Johnson and Kleier are the only President’s Teaching Scholars from the School of Dental Medicine.
Johnson has earned recognition for exceptional teaching and scholarship his entire career. He was inducted into the Omicron Kappa Upsilon national dental honor fraternity upon graduation from dental school. In his first year as faculty at CU SDM, he received the Newcomer Award. He was selected as an outstanding instructor more than 10 times by the dental and hygiene graduating classes; the President's Award for Teaching Excellence more than five; and the Chancellor’s Teaching Recognition Award more than three. Johnson was named an Honorary Alumnus of the CU School of Dental Medicine and became a member of the Pierre Fauchard Academy in the same year.
In 2024, he was presented with the inaugural CU SDM Lifetime Achievement Award, an accolade that signifies not only excellence in one’s chosen field but also an enduring impression that resonates beyond the walls of academia and into the lives of patients, students and colleagues.
“Dr. Lonnie Johnson has been a pillar of our dental school, serving as a renowned periodontist, clinician, researcher, an inspiring educator and a compassionate leader,” shared CU SDM Dean and Professor Denise Kassebaum, DDS, MS. “The impact he has made is immeasurable, but perhaps it is most clearly seen in the generations of dental professionals who leave this institution not only as quality dentists but as better people, inspired by his example.”
Denise Kassebaum, DDS, MS, presents the CU SDM Lifetime Achievement Award to Lonnie Johnson, DDS, PhD.
Shaping Clinical Practice, Patient Care and Safety
Kassebaum and Johnson started as junior faculty together and steadily advanced in their careers at the dental school. Johnson served as associate dean then senior associate dean of clinics and professional practice for 14 years.
“He has a strong ethical compass and a thoughtful breadth of perspectives around how patient care should be conducted,” said Kassebaum. “Managing the complexities of clinic operations, balancing patient care, student learning and faculty coordination is no small feat, but he carried out this responsibility with grace and an unwavering commitment to excellence.”
Catherine Flaitz, DDS, MS, professor (C/T) and chair of the Division of Diagnostic Sciences, also began her career at the CU SDM with Johnson and Kassebaum – all within six months of each other. As a novice, she remembers stimulating discussions with Johnson about teaching philosophies and engaging the students. She was involved in clinical trials with Johnson and Stoller early on and has continued to build an impressive portfolio of research. She noted his “tremendous impact as a benevolent, approachable leader who is never beyond rolling up his sleeves in order to fix a problem.”
Flaitz, Johnson and Kassebaum, among others, co-authored a study on “COVID-19 Risk Assessment of Dental School Patients for Safe Clinical Care Strategies” to develop an operational strategy for modifying protocols and infrastructure during the pandemic. Johnson's leadership, compassion and dedication were particularly at the forefront during this time.
“He was at the school nearly every day for three months, trying to make sense of the countless challenges we were facing. He was genuinely the driver who helped get us through it,” said Daniel Wilson, DDS, associate professor (C/T) and chair of the Department of Restorative Dentistry at CU Dental. “You cannot overestimate how hard that was, to satisfy the university, city and state safety issues all while figuring out how to get students and faculty back in person, and patients on top of that.”
Wilson continued, “Even in the most difficult situations, he has always shown extraordinary compassion. He truly cares about his students and patients as humans first.”
Inspiring Future Generations
One of Johnson’s former students, Emanouela Carlson, DDS ’09, said his impact can be seen in the generations of students he trained, the faculty he mentored and the programs he helped develop.
She said Johnson was one of her absolute favorite teachers. “He was intense, demanding and never let anything slide—but always with a deep kindness, humanity and a sharp sense of humor that made learning from him an unforgettable experience. He set the gold standard for how we should manage our patients.”
Carlson is now an associate professor (C/T) and chair of the Department of Diagnostic Sciences and Surgical Dentistry at CU Dental. She noted, "His influence has shaped the way I practice, teach and lead. Future generations should strive to match his ethical standards, his dedication to advancing the field and his belief that, at the heart of it all, it’s about doing what’s right.”
Forty Years of Lonnie Johnson: “I got to be me.”
When asked what he would like his legacy to be, Johnson humbly responded, “I don’t necessarily think there is always a legacy. I worked really hard and tried to do the right thing, and I know that would make my mother happy.”
Aside from his career accomplishments – the research, awards, promotions and patients – it’s the people and the relationships he’s made along the way that he will cherish the most. “If you treat everyone like you want to be treated, usually it works out pretty well.”
Johnson remembered his initial interview, knowing even then that he wanted to make a difference. “I made this plan when I was 25 years old, and I’ve acted it out. I survived the whole journey.”
He has always thought of CU Dental as his second home in many ways. “Dentistry was not a family path for me, so it meant a lot that the people here believed in me and supported me; they truly embraced me. I got to be me. I got away with being Lonnie Johnson, and I feel quite fortunate for that.”
Johnson is looking forward to retirement with his wife Cherylyn and beloved dogs Izzie and Buddy. “This is part of the plan — the next chapter in my life. Hopefully I’ll have some time to just be present in the world and be around my grandkids.”
Lonnie Johnson with his wife, Cherylyn, at the Doctor of Dental Surgery Class of 2000 Commencement Ceremony, where he received the Chancellor's Teaching Recognition Award.
Lonnie Johnson with his wife, Cherylyn, at the Advanced Standing International Student Program Class of 2024 Awards Banquet.
