Brian Johnson

Brian H. Johnson, Ph.D., currently serves as VP, R&D Technology at Takeda since July 2022. In this pivotal role, he plays a central part in ensuring the delivery of critical medicines to patients by partnering with R&D leadership to craft impactful information technology strategies, delivering essential application platforms and capabilities to the function, and actively contributing to the growth and development of exceptional leaders in the R&D technology discipline.
Furthermore, Dr. Johnson holds the position of CEO and President at Olokun Consulting LLC, a firm he established in August 2019. This endeavor is dedicated to addressing healthcare disparities on a global scale, aiming to alleviate the suffering of disenfranchised populations and cultivate the next generation of healthcare leaders to confront these challenges head-on.
Before these roles, from October 2020 to July 2022, he served as LEAD-R&D IT at Spark Therapeutics, Inc., a pioneering company committed to challenging the inevitability of genetic diseases. In this capacity, he worked in close partnership with Spark’s R&D team to deliver IT solutions that would enable the company to achieve remarkable results in the field.
Brian H. Johnson, Ph.D., has a profound background with Johnson & Johnson. Before his recent positions, he held the title of Senior Director of Surgical Innovation at Johnson & Johnson Medical. In this role, he was focused on exploring innovative ways to enhance medical procedures, harness data insights, engage patients, and integrate previously separate data sets to revolutionize the field of medicine.
Prior to his innovative role in Surgical Innovation, Dr. Johnson played a crucial part in Johnson & Johnson’s device sector. He served as the Senior Director responsible for overseeing the R&D, Clinical, and Regulatory IT divisions, and his leadership significantly contributed to product development, resulting in $11 billion in sales across seven distinct franchises. His career at Johnson & Johnson spanned over 13 years, where he successfully managed R&D organizations across various sectors, including pharmaceuticals, consumer products, and devices. His contributions extended to serving as a board member for Johnson & Johnson’s Baby and Therakos franchises and playing a key role in the leadership team of TruMatch, an incubation program focusing on creating customized knee and joint replacement products.
Before joining Johnson & Johnson, Dr. Johnson built his career through consulting engagements in insurance and financial services, small biotech companies, and major pharmaceutical corporations, where he specialized in strategy development, process optimization, and technology integration.
Dr. Johnson’s academic journey included earning a Ph.D. from Princeton University, specializing in chemistry and molecular biology. His research focus was on the fundamental aspects of protein folding, including both wet lab experiments and computational modeling. Additionally, he co-founded GTG, a 501(c)(3) foundation aimed at promoting leadership development and networking opportunities for minorities within the healthcare industry.