Skip Navigation
Return to All Schools

The Sheldon B. Bearman, M.D. Professorship in Radiology

School of Medicine

Established in 2020 by the Herbert Bearman Foundation

The Sheldon B. Bearman, M.D. Professorship in Radiology is funded by THE HERBERT BEARMAN FOUNDATION, a Baltimore-based philanthropic organization that provides funding for projects that seek to improve the lives of individuals living in greater Baltimore, South Florida, and Israel.

Sheldon B. Bearman, M.D., F.A.C.R. is a retired diagnostic radiologist who trained at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science for his residency. While a resident at Johns Hopkins, he published several pioneering clinical papers pertaining to his work in ultrasound. Over the course of his career in medicine, he served as president of the medical staff of Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore, chairman of the department of imaging of Northwest Hospital Center, president of the Baltimore County Medical Society, and treasurer of the Maryland Medical and Chirurgical Faculty. During his years as a physician in private practice at Advanced Radiology, he continued his relationship with the Department as a part-time faculty member until his retirement.

Dr. Bearman also held a faculty appointment at the University of Maryland and was elected a fellow of the American College of Radiology. He has served on the boards of multiple nonprofit organizations in Maryland and Florida. He is the President and Treasurer of the Herbert Bearman Foundation, named in honor of Dr. Bearman’s uncle and the Foundation’s founding donor, Herbert Bearman.

Dr. Bearman is married to Arlene Bearman, Ph.D., a retired Economics professor and former Chair of the Administrative Sciences Program at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and current Vice President and Secretary of the Herbert Bearman Foundation. Their son, Mark Bearman, serves as the Chief Operating Officer for the Foundation, as well as the boards of the Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Held by Pamela T. Johnson

Photo of Dr. Pamela T Johnson, M.D.

The inaugural recipient of The Sheldon B. Bearman, M.D. Professorship in Radiology, PAMELA T. JOHNSON, M.D., F.A.C.R., is Vice Chair of Quality and Safety and a Professor in the Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, and Vice President of Care Transformation for the Johns Hopkins Health System.

Dr. Johnson graduated cum laude from Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, and earned her medical degree as a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society from Thomas Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA. She completed her radiology residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she was elected Chief Resident, followed by a fellowship in ultrasound, CT and MRI at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Dr. Johnson has spent most of her medical career at Johns Hopkins, where she has served as Radiology Residency Director and Vice Chair of Education prior to her appointment as Vice Chair of Quality and Safety in 2017.

Dr. Johnson’s clinical expertise is in body CT, with a widely recognized commitment to clinical excellence. Her research focus is CT imaging protocol design and interpretation in oncology and vascular disease, and her scholarship in these areas has been achieved through 180 publications, more than 100 presentations at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and other national meetings, and 18 RSNA awards over the years.

In keeping with Dr. Bearman’s dedication to trainee mentoring, Dr. Johnson is one of the most active resident mentors in the Department. She has been ranked by the Johns Hopkins radiology residents as a leading educator in the department multiple years and recognized by the international Aunt Minnie organization as the Most Effective Educator in the world in 2017.  During her term as residency director, the Radiology Residency Program at Johns Hopkins was also selected as the best in the country.

Pamela is now at the top of the field in advancing the Value in Medicine initiative in American healthcare. She created the High Value Practice Academic Alliance, a coalition of over 100 institutions working to advance value-based quality improvement on a national scale by opening channels of communication. This work has been recognized by the Johns Hopkins Hospital 2017 Innovations in Clinical Care award and the Society of Hospital Medicine 2018 Excellence in Quality Improvement Teamwork award.

As a vital member of our Department and Johns Hopkins Medicine, Pamela contributes in many ways to the success of the education program, the department as a whole, as well as the quality and safety of care delivered to patients across our health system.