About Debra J. Johnson, MD
Dr. Debra Johnson is one of the top plastic surgeons in Sacramento, and she has been providing cosmetic and reconstructive surgery for Northern California patients for over 25 years. Perennially selected as a “Top Doc” for her impressive results, Dr. Johnson joined The Plastic Surgery Center in 1989 as the first woman plastic surgeon to practice in our area. She received her MD and her plastic surgery training at Stanford University and has continued her training at Clinica Planas in Barcelona and the Institut Francais de la Main in Paris. Dr. Johnson is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and participates in the Maintenance of Certification program to ensure ongoing excellence in plastic surgery. She currently serves as one of the 18 Directors of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, a high honor. As a well-known leader in plastic surgery, Dr. Johnson was previously elected as president of the California Society of Plastic Surgeons. For her outstanding work, Dr. Johnson was honored with the Presidential Award for “Exemplary Service to the California Society of Plastic Surgeons.” She currently serves as co-chair of the CSPS Legislative Committee, advocating on behalf of patient safety and other plastic surgery issues at the Capital. She also serves as Vice President of the CSPS Education and Research Foundation, which provides free reconstructive surgery to children in California. In addition to her work with the CSPS, Dr. Johnson recently served as President of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the largest organization of board-certified plastic surgeons in the world. She is only the second woman to hold this prestigious position. Dr. Johnson focused on making the society the most valuable asset for the practicing plastic surgeon, providing excellent continuing education, offering products for practice solutions, and forcefully advocating on behalf of its members and patients. (The ASPS remains a respected resource for patient information and education. For more information on plastic surgery and ASPS, go to www.plasticsurgery.org.) Dr. Johnson is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and has served as Chief of Surgery for the Sutter Community Hospitals. Currently, she is Co-Director of the Sutter Cleft Lip, Palate, and Craniofacial Anomalies Panel. Dr. Johnson is a Clinical Professor of Plastic Surgery at the UC Davis Medical Center, teaching residents in training. She is also a member of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, which represents those plastic surgeons felt to have the greatest positive impact on the specialty. Dr. Johnson is the only private practice surgeon in the Sacramento area to be so honored. Dr. Johnson considers herself a general plastic surgeon, enjoying the wide variety of problems and procedures the field offers. She is known as an excellent cosmetic surgeon with in-depth knowledge of all aspects of face, breast, and body procedures. She also enjoys working with breast cancer patients, helping them to achieve wholeness again after lumpectomy or mastectomy through breast reconstruction. She also very much enjoys pediatric plastic surgery. Throughout her career, Dr. Johnson has volunteered for surgical missions overseas. She travels to underdeveloped parts of the world, providing her surgical skills to patients who otherwise would never have access to reconstructive surgery. She also teaches local doctors how to perform these procedures, so that patients may have more access to care. Dr. Johnson divides her time between Sacramento and Napa, where she has a small vineyard. There she grows fruits and vegetables, makes olive oil and pinot noir wine, in anticipation of a sustainable retirement.