Dr. Khalilah R. Johnson is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and owner and operator of Slaying Academia, LLC.  She also serves as an affiliate research faculty member at the Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Cultural Experiences in Prevention in Richmond, Virginia.  Broadly, Dr. Johnson's research focuses on health services access and participation with racially minoritized adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, as well as developing culturally affirming interventions that support their community engagement.  Additionally, she is involved in research aimed to address pathways to occupational therapy education for African American students and racial equity in occupational science and occupational therapy curricula.  Her work is informed by 16 years of experience spanning Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. 

 

Dr. Johnson serves on the boards of the Society for the Study of Occupation: USA (SSO:USA) and the Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD), and is the immediate past Advocacy and Policy Coordinator for the Developmental Disabilities Special Interest Section of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA).  In addition to her memberships with SSO:USA, COTAD, and AOTA, Dr. Johnson is a member of the World Federation of Occupational Therapists, the National Black Occupational Therapy Caucus, the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, the Brenau University Heritage Society, the Carolina Black Caucus, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.  She also serves on the American Journal of Occupational Therapy and Autism in Adulthood editorial boards, and a host of other advisory boards and scholarly committees. Dr. Johnson is a 2021 inductee of the Brenau Women's College Alumni Hall of Fame, as well as recipient of the 2021 UNC Unsung Hero Award, the 2022 Hortense McClinton Outstanding Faculty Staff Award, and the 2022 Journal of Occupational Science Article Impact Award.