Elizabeth Johnson is a May 2023 Social Work Doctoral Candidate at the University of Kentucky in Lexington Kentucky. She completed her Masters of Social Work in 1995 at the University of Kentucky and dual Bachelor of Science in Social Work and Sociology at Illinois State University in 1993.
Elizabeth joined UK HealthCare in 1997 as a Social Worker Senior in The Young Parents Program, a Title X program focused on the health and wellness, including reproductive choice and family planning, of pregnant and parenting adolescents, their children and families. In 2008, she completed her LCSW and began offering evidence-based treatment and interventions to adolescents. In 2011, she continued her clinical work while assuming the role of Practice Manager and responsibility for clinical operations and oversight of the ambulatory clinics for Adolescent Medicine and by 2020 had added 4 additional pediatric clinics . She worked in collaboration with medical directors and Divison Chiefs on establishing and growing mental health services in four key areas: Adolescent Medicine, Developmental Pediatrics, Forensic Medicine and Palliative Care. In 2020, she transitioned to a Clinical Administrator in the Department of Pediatrics where she collaborates on administrative oversight, faculty and staff provider recruitment, contracting, budget and strategic planning for eleven divisions.
As the daughter of a mother who was a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner, whose career focused on caring for the under and uninsured, Elizabeth has known from a young age the importance of accessible care. A strong advocate for reproductive autonomy, Elizabeth has focused her capstone on accessibility of sexual reproductive healthcare (SRH) with a focus on expansion of Title X Services and the impact of policy, legislation and coercive prescribing practices on accessing care. It is her core belief that building strong families through family planning education and access, reproductive autonomy and accessible and affordable SRH is the first step in preventive physical and mental healthcare for parents and children alike.