Dr. Tina Johnson’s stethoscope now hangs as a symbol of where her story began — not just as a tool of her trade, but as a reminder of the urgency and humanity that drive her leadership.
“In the ER, you learn to listen with your hands, your eyes and your heart,” says Johnson, who traded the adrenaline of emergency medicine for the strategic challenges of hospital administration. Today, as Dignity Health’s Sacramento market president, she oversees five hospitals, blending clinical insight with operational grit.
Her journey began at Columbia University’s medical school, wound through Colorado’s mountains as a CEO and COO, and brought her home to California with a vision for compassionate care. Her transition from treating patients to transforming systems was sparked by a desire to scale empathy.
When you’re working in an ER, you’re doing your best as a physician to help one person at a time. After a while, as my career carried me into different areas of the health industry, I realized I could help thousands by fixing what happens between the bedside and the boardroom.” — Dr. Tina Johnson, Sacramento Market President
“When you’re working in an ER, you’re doing your best as a physician to help one person at a time. After a while, as my career carried me into different areas of the health industry, I realized I could help thousands by fixing what happens between the bedside and the boardroom,” she explains.
As COO of Colorado’s Lutheran Medical Center, she united cross-department teams to reduce $30 million in operational costs while boosting physician engagement. Later, as CEO of Longmont United Hospital, she rallied staff to navigate COVID-19’s storm, elevating safety ratings from a C to an A — no easy feat.
Now, leading Dignity’s Sacramento market, Johnson draws inspiration from the Sisters of Mercy, the bold women who founded the health ministry in 1857 with a mandate to serve the marginalized.
“Their legacy isn’t just in the past, it’s in our DNA. It’s a testament to lifting voices that lead with nurture and nuance,” Johnson says. She cites Dignity’s “Hello Humankindness” campaign as more than marketing: “It’s our North Star.”
With three women CEOs leading local Dignity Health hospitals, and the American health care system an ever-evolving organism, Johnson sees collaboration as both strategy and heritage. Pride pulses through her voice when discussing Dignity Health’s $48 million in community benefit last fiscal year and partnerships to train tomorrow’s workforce.
“We’re not just fixing illnesses; we’re healing communities,” she says.
