Dr Johnson is an academic clinician with interests spanning translational and clinical research. Through the Translational Biomedical Research Unit, he works closely with Professors Ascione and George in testing novel devices and therapies, including bioresorbable arterial scaffolds to treat furred up arteries and new drugs for minimising heart muscle injury relating to heart attack. Harnessing real-world clinical data, he is working with the University’s Population Health Sciences team on unique data from the local clinical commissioning group and a national health informatics collaborative to enhance the accuracy and utility of clinical risk scores in guiding cardiac care, particularly anti-platelet therapies and their association with bleeding.

The reliance of acute cardiac care on anti-thrombotic and anti-platelet treatments has enabled further collaboration with the internationally recognised platelet group within the University, particularly Professor Mundell. Dr Johnson’s clinical sub-speciality expertise in interventional cardiology has led him to be recognised as an international leader in intravascular imaging (IVI), contributing to European and International consensus statements on its clinical utility and interpretation. This recognition has enabled Bristol’s involvement in landmark randomised clinical trials testing the role of IVI in enhancing outcomes for cardiac patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.