Generations of people in Ghana and Ethiopia owe their health and well-being today to a kind, big-hearted soul from Michigan, whose medical excellence and dedication to the health of women was matched only by his devotion to helping young health workers grow to provide the care that any mother needs, no matter their postal code or wallet size.
Dr Timothy R.B. Johnson, who passed away on May 27, was a giant in global health and women’s sexual and reproductive health, and a poster child for impassioned and impactful mentorship. Tim was a true force multiplier, training hundreds of future obstetricians and gynecologists in the United Sates, and then forging truly lasting paths first to Ghana, and then our native Ethiopia, bringing his wisdom, vision and excellence to communities where maternal mortality rates were shockingly high.
Whether Tim was training the next cadre of obstetricians and gynecologists at his beloved University of Michigan, or offering his acumen and talent to grow the health workforce in Africa, he was an unparalleled champion for protecting the health of women, especially mothers, while being a compassionate and convincing voice for women’s sexual rights.
Tim helped transform women’s health in Ghana after his first visit there in 1986. Working with local partners, he helped build up the numbers and capacities of obstetricians and gynecologists working there, in doing so achieving great gains in the lives of mothers saved during childbirth. Tim launched the country’s first training program for obstetricians and gynecologists through a groundbreaking collaboration between the University of Michigan and the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons.
His drive and generosity was instrumental for us as we brought the same approach to Ethiopia in 2012, starting by launching the country’s first training program for obstetricians and gynecologists. This later expanded to the opening of the University of Michigan-supported Center for International Reproductive Health Training in Addis Ababa in 2015. Today, the center works with 10 universities across Ethiopia, integrating comprehensive reproductive health training into medical and nursing education and helping expand access to reproductive health services.
Tim’s commitment to training, access for mothers to reproductive health services, and putting women’s health and rights first, whether in the United States, Ghana or Ethiopia, has helped so many mothers, and their children, enjoy healthier and safer lives, protected from the perilous — yet avoidable — risks women in low-resource settings can face during pregnancy.
As an expert, a mentor and a father figure, Tim believed deeply in the international exchange of skills and experiences to build the capacities of health workers. Hundreds of aspiring health workers have expanded their professional capacities thanks to his zeal for bringing people and organizations together.
Tim recognized that in the United States or Africa, basic practices and investments can make the difference between life and death for mothers and their children.
Tim was also a champion of science-based approaches to health, particularly the sexual health of women, and a powerful advocate for any woman to have access to evidence-based and lifesaving treatment options, including abortion.
Our sadness over Tim’s passing is unimaginably deep. We know many are feeling the same today. But his legacy, truly, is one that will live on forever. The health workers he trained are now trainers themselves. The programs, respect and exchanges that Tim helped build will continue to grow the obstetricians and gynecologists of the future, through whom the most precious fruit of their work — the safety and well-being of mothers and their children — will be assured.
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the director-general of the World Health Organization. Senait Fisseha is an adjunct professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Michigan, vice president of global programs at the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation and founder of the Center for International Reproductive Health Training (CIRHT).
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