David K. Johnson, M.A., Ph.D.
Clinical Professor
David K. Johnson is not currently accepting new patients. For assistance finding a UC Davis doctor, please call 800-2-UCDAVIS (800-282-3284).
Locations and Contact
UC Davis Alzheimer's Center/VA Center
East Bay Alzheimer's Disease Clinic
100 North Wiget Lane
Walnut Creek, CA 94598
Clinic Phone: 925-357-6515
Additional Numbers
Clinic Phone
Clinic Fax
Physician Referrals
Philosophy of Care
For over 20 years I have worked with older patients and their families cope with the stress that Alzheimer's disease and dementia causes. As an expert diagnostician, care consultant and therapist I treat older adults' poor memory and thinking skills but also inform, educate and support families as they reconstruct family networks of care.
Clinical Interests
Dr. Johnson is a tenured Associate Professor of Neurology at University of California at Davis. He possess expertise in clinical and neuropsychological assessment of healthy aging and dementia and advanced longitudinal research methodology. As director of the UC Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Center – East Bay San Francisco, he is responsible for the clinical-cognitive assessment, analysis, and interpretation of over 400 older adult research participants. His primary academic interest is to investigate the biologic bases of behavior that identify healthy aging and distinguish it from dementia. Dr. Johnson's research program focuses on improving the sensitivity and specificity of cognitive and biological markers of Alzheimer’s disease and on developing and testing clinical interventions that inhibit disease progression. Fundamental to all of his research is a broad appreciation of how dementia affects individuals as well as the social networks that support them. He has published work (40 peer-reviewed manuscripts, 14 first authored, 15 senior authored) reflects his specialty training in (1) Clinical Gerontology, (2) Neuropsychology, and (3) Neurology. His work has contributed significantly to the detection of very early signs and component processes of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Currently he is a Principal Investigator of a five-million dollar lifestyle intervention study investigating near and far biomarkers associated with the development of both Alzheimer’s disease and Type-II diabetes. As a previous NIH Fogarty International Center (FIC) awardee, he gained extensive experience in international (Central America), multi-cultural investigations in cognitive aging. As director of the UC Davis ADRC Outreach and Recruitment and Education Core, he applies these culturally competent patient engagement strategies every day.
Research/Academic Interests
Dr. Johnson's decision to focus the Alzheimer’s Disease Center in the East Bay on African-American health disparities research and clinical service evolved easily. San Francisco continues to gentrify and it has become an enclave of wealth. Its middle and working classes have fled the city for the East Bay which has become the home for people of color in the bay area. By result, our catchment in the East Bay is the most diverse in Northern California. Focusing the center to serve this catchment is synthetic (1) with UC Davis' spirit of community and diversity, (2) with the National Institute of Aging's focus to include greater numbers of minority participants in clinical research and (3) his personal career objective to understand health disparities among low resourced aging families. He has organized his hiring, recruiting and administrative strategy to support this rebranding of the East Bay ADC to support these families and enhance our diversity themed research. Dr. Johnson continues to be excited about his move to UC Davis, because the university’s priorities dove tails with his own research experience and expertise. He looks forward to growing research, clinical practice and service across the greater UC Davis community.
Division
Neurology
Undergraduate School
B.A., Washington College in Maryland, Chestertown MD 1990
Medical School
M.A., Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis MO 2001
Other School
Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis MO 2003
Other School
Clinical Postdoc, Neuropsych, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis MO 2004
Internship
Doctoral Internship in Clinical Psychology, St. Louis VA Medical Center, St. Louis MO 1996-2001
Residency
Doctoral Training in Clinical Psychology, Aging and Neuropsychology tracks, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis MO 1996-2001
Fellowship
Research Instructor, Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, Department of Neurology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis MO 2003-2007
Ad Hoc Reviewer, National Institutes of Health Center for Scientific Research, 2019, 2020
National Institutes of Health Center for Scientific Research, Permanent Reviewer NIA-S, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
Invited Expert Testimony, California Legislature Committee on Aging and Disability, 2018
Invited Expert Testimony, Kansas Legislature Appropriations Committee, 2017
National Institutes of Health Center for Scientific Research, Early Career Reviewer, 2013, 2014, 2013
Burns JM, Johnson DK, Liebmann EP, Bothwell RJ, Morris JK, Vidoni ED. Safety of disclosing amyloid status in cognitively normal older adults. Alzheimers Dement. 2017 Sep;13(9):1024-1030. doi:10.1016/j.jalz.2017.01.022. Epub 2017 Mar 3. PMID:28263740.
Valdivieso-Mora E, Peet CL, Garnier-Villarreal M, Salazar-Villanea M, Johnson DK. A Systematic Review of the Relationship between Familism and Mental Health Outcomes in Latino Population. Front Psychol. 2016 Oct 25;7:1632. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01632. PMID:27826269.
Johnson DK, Langford Z, Garnier-Villarreal M, Morris JC, Galvin JE. Onset of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson Disease. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2016 Apr-Jun;30(2):127-33. doi:10.1097/WAD.0000000000000088. PMID:25850732.
Morris JK, Vidoni ED, Mahnken JD, Montgomery RN, Johnson DK, Thyfault JP, Burns JM. Cognitively impaired elderly exhibit insulin resistance and no memory improvement with infused insulin. Neurobiol Aging. 2016 Mar;39:19-24. doi:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2015.11.005. Epub 2015 Dec 1. PMID:26923398.
Gupta A, Lepping RJ, Yu AS, Perea RD, Honea RA, Johnson DK, Brooks WM, Burns JM. Cognitive Function and White Matter Changes Associated with Renal Transplantation. Am J Nephrol. 2016;43(1):50-7. doi:10.1159/000444334. Epub 2016 Feb 20. PMID:26894920.
Salazar-Villanea M, Liebmann E, Garnier-Villarreal M, Montenegro-Montenegro E, Johnson DK. Depressive Symptoms Affect Working Memory in Healthy Older Adult Hispanics. J Depress Anxiety. 2015 Oct;4(4):204. doi:10.4172/2167-1044.1000204. Epub 2015 Sep 27. PMID:27104091.
Vidoni ED, Johnson DK, Morris JK, Van Sciver A, Greer CS, Billinger SA, Donnelly JE, Burns JM. Dose-Response of Aerobic Exercise on Cognition: A Community-Based, Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. PLoS One. 2015 Jul 9;10(7):e0131647. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0131647. PMID:26158265.
Morris JK, Vidoni ED, Perea RD, Rada R, Johnson DK, Lyons K, Pahwa R, Burns JM, Honea RA. Insulin resistance and gray matter volume in neurodegenerative disease. Neuroscience. 2014 Jun 13;270:139-47. doi:10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.04.006. Epub 2014 Apr 13. PMID:24735819.
Watts AS, Vidoni ED, Loskutova N, Johnson DK, Burns JM. Measuring Physical Activity in Older Adults with and without Early Stage Alzheimer's Disease. Clin Gerontol. 2013 Jul;36(4):356-374. doi:10.1080/07317115.2013.788116. PMID:24062599.