Samantha Johnston, MD

As soon as I decided to become a doctor, I knew I would become a pediatrician. Infectious diseases spoke to me as a subspecialty because it is a field with potential to positively impact many children from a public health, as well as individual, perspective. A lot of morbidity and mortality among children around the world is caused by infections, so one can have a large positive impact on children’s health in this field.

What keeps me going with infectious diseases is that it is constantly changing. It is like being a detective. You are working to solve the mystery of what is causing a problem in a child, or population, and you hope to find a solution!

I love children and working with people. I hope to give the patient and their family the information they need to be empowered to deal with the disease they are facing. For patients who live far away or cannot come to see me regularly, I can also work with primary care physicians to provide a supporting framework and guidance to manage their conditions from a distance.