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RLI Taking the Lead Podcasts

Episode 27: Johnson B. Lightfoote, MD, MBA, FACR


Headshot of Dr. Lightfoote

Representative Leadership


October 22, 2020

In this inspiring episode, Johnson Lightfoote, MD, MBA, FACR, Medical Director of the Department of Radiology at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, and current Chair of the ACR’s Commission for Women and Diversity, talks about how his parents’ emphasis on education shaped his early years and how this focus led him to attend high school at Andover Phillips Academy and eventually Harvard University for both college and medical school.

He recalls the transformative nature of these educational experiences in light of the civil rights movement, student activism around the Vietnam War and conversations that are still being held today around social equity and healthcare inequality.

The importance of representative leadership is the foundation of Dr. Lightfoote’s leadership philosophy and has guided his many leadership roles in both organized medicine and his practice.

During his conversation with Taking the Lead guest host, Geraldine McGinty, MD, MBA, FACR, Dr. Lightfoote shares some experiences from his time in the National Health Service Corps in Tuskegee, what led him to radiology and makes him most hopeful about the specialty, and even the story around how the “e” was added to his last name.

 

View episode transcript »

Johnson B. Lightfoote, MD, MBA, FACR

Johnson Lightfoote, MD, MBA, serves as Medical Director of the Department of Radiology at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, having previously served in that capacity at the University of Southern California’s University Hospital and at Beverly Hospital in Montebello. Johnson received his AB in Engineering and Applied Physics, and his MD from Harvard University, and his MBA from Pepperdine University, concentrating on capitation and prospective payment in radiology. After residencies at Stanford University and the University of California San Francisco and Irvine, his fellowships included computed tomography and interventional radiology. He was certified by the American Board of Radiology in 1982, and holds the Certificate of Added Qualifications in Neuroradiology (1999). He served as Chief of Staff at Pomona Valley Hospital for 2011, and was admitted to Fellowship in the American College of Radiology in 2011.

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Did You Know?

Dr. Lightfoote has two adult children, one of whom is a recent graduate from Loyola Marymount and the other is attending Wharton Business School.

Dr. Lightfoote’s hobbies include ACR, biking around Southern California’s large county parks, and attending alumni activities for Andover, Harvard College and Harvard Medical School. Additionally, he enjoys audiobooks, having listened to over 600 titles over the past few decades.

Dr. Lightfoote enjoys traveling a fair amount. Hawaii, the Caribbean and the Bahamas are favorite destinations.

Prior to going into the radiology residency, Dr. Lightfoote did two years of family practice. He always enjoyed the technology, ever since, as a third year medical student in 1975, his Chief of Surgery asked him to prepare for and talk about “this new thing they’re calling the CAT scanner.”

Dr. Lightfoote is a fan of California cuisine generally – big salads with roasted fish and fowl. His favorite restaurant is Bardot, adjacent to the six Claremont Colleges. His favorite wine is a California Sauvignon blanc, called Flint and Steel.

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