Romaine Fitzgerald Johnson, MD
Pediatric Otolaryngologist (ENT)
Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center
- Languages Spoken:
- English
Biography
Romaine F. Johnson, M.D., M.P.H., FACS is a pediatric otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat - ENT physician) who specializes in caring for patients with airway conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea, vocal cord paralysis and subglottic stenosis (narrowing of the airway).
At Children’s Health℠, Dr. Johnson uses minimally invasive procedures to treat airway conditions that affect a child’s ability to breathe, speak and eat. Dr. Johnson also performs advanced airway reconstruction for the most complex conditions.
“Airway reconstruction remains the workhorse of the care of the children with subglottic and tracheal stenosis, which occur in children who are born prematurely and have a tracheostomy tube,” Dr. Johnson says. “Using advanced techniques, I treat the scarring of the airway and allow for safe removal of a child's tracheostomy tube.”
Dr. Johnson is also a Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center and the director of the Pediatric Otolaryngology Fellowship program. He earned his medical degree at Drexel University School of Medicine (formerly MCP Hahnemann). He completed an otolaryngology residency at Baylor College of Medicine, as well as a pediatric fellowship at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Johnson also received a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Using advanced techniques, I treat the scarring of the airway and allow for safe removal of a child's tracheostomy tube.
Dr. Johnson is a Fellow of the American Laryngological, Rhinological, and Otological Society (The Triological Society); the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS); and the American College of Surgeons. He is an active member of the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology, the American Broncho-Esophagological Association, and the National Medical Association.
Dr. Johnson’s research focuses on the treatment of pediatric airway disorders as well as public health initiatives. He has authored nearly 60 scientific articles and book chapters and has delivered numerous national presentations, lectures, and professional courses.
Dr. Johnson has won several awards for his outstanding research, including the Herbert Silverstein Otology/Neurotology Research Award from the AAO-HNS, the J. Charles Dickson Award for Outstanding Research from the Kelsey Research Foundation, and the Dallas Otology Foundation Award for Resident Research. He also serves as an Associate Editor of Pediatric Otolaryngology for Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, as well as a reviewer for The Laryngoscope.
Dr. Johnson’s excellence in the treatment of patients, research activities and his academic distinction has earned him recognition amongst his peers as a Best Doctor in D Magazine.
Education and Training
- Medical School
- Drexel University College of Medicine (1999)
- Internship
- Baylor College of Medicine (2000), General Surgery
- Residency
- Baylor College of Medicine (2004), Otolaryngology
- Fellowship
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (2006), Pediatric Otolaryngology
- Graduate School
- Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health (2008)
- Board Certification
- American Board of Otolaryngology
Conditions
- Airway disorders
- Cerebral palsy (CP) in children
- Chronic aspiration
- Cleft palate patients and ear infections
- Dysphagia (swallowing disorder)
- Feeding disorder (PFD)
- Head and neck lumps
- Language delay
- Laryngeal papillomas
- Laryngeal stenosis
- Laryngeal webs
- Laryngotracheal cleft
- Macroglossia (large tongue)
- Neurogenic dysphonia
- Oral aversion
- Post airway reconstructive hoarseness
- Sleep disordered breathing (SDB)
- Subglottic stenosis
- Tracheal stenosis
- Tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF)
- Tracheomalacia
- Vocal cord nodules (singer's nodules)
- Vocal cord paralysis
- Vocal cord polyps
Treatments
Departments and Programs
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Research Interests
- Pediatric airway disorders
- Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea
- Pediatric tracheostomy
- Quality and safety
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Publications
- Congenital nasal pyriform aperture stenosis: Analysis of twenty cases at a single institution. Shah GB, Ordemann A, Daram S, Roman E, Booth T, Johnson R, Xi Y, Mitchell R, Int. J. Pediatr. Otorhinolaryngol. 2019 Nov 126 109608
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Children With Autism. Tomkies A, Johnson RF, Shah G, Caraballo M, Evans P, Mitchell RB, J Clin Sleep Med 2019 Oct 15 10 1469-1476
- Weight gain velocity as a predictor of severe obstructive sleep apnea among obese adolescents. Johnson RF, Hansen A, Narayanan A, Yogesh A, Shah GB, Mitchell RB, Laryngoscope 2019 Sep
- Tracheostomy in Extremely Preterm Neonates in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Analysis. Wang CS, Kou YF, Shah GB, Mitchell RB, Johnson RF, Laryngoscope 2019 Sep
- Survival analysis and decannulation outcomes of infants with tracheotomies. Salley J, Kou YF, Shah GB, Mitchell RB, Johnson RF, Laryngoscope 2019 Sep
- Perioperative outcomes after tracheoplasty: A NSQIP analysis 2014-2016. Johnson RF, Eaviz N, Truelson JM, Day AT, Laryngoscope 2019 Sep
- Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Children with Down Syndrome: Demographic, Clinical, and Polysomnographic Features. Chamseddin B, Johnson RF, Mitchell RB. Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. 2018. Accepted for publication.
- Nationwide Estimation of Tracheal Stenosis due Tracheostomies. Johnson RF, Saadeh C. The Laryngoscope, in submission, major revisions. 2018
- Validating Peritonsillar Abscess Drainage Rates using the Pediatric Hospital Information System Data. Ordemann AG, Little B, Johnson RF. The Laryngoscope, in submission, minor revisions. 2018
- Tracheostomy Demographics and Outcomes Among Pediatric Patients, Age 18 Years or Younger – United States 2012. Sakai M, Kou YF, Shah GB, Johnson RF. The Laryngoscope, accepted, in press, 2018
- Postoperative Respiratory Complications and Racial Disparities following Inpatient Tonsillectomy: A Cross-sectional Study. Kou YF, Sakai M, Shah GB, Mitchell RB, Johnson RF. The Laryngoscope, Accepted, in press 2018
- Laryngeal Stenosis Among Hospitalized Children: Results from a nationwide cross-sectional survey. Johnson RF, Isaiah A. Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology. Accepted, in press 2018.
- Nationwide Readmissions after Tonsillectomy in Children - United States. Johnson RF, Chang A, Mitchell RB. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology. 2018 Apr;107:10-13
- Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations, and Readmission of Peritonsillar Abscess Patients in the United States. Johnson RF. Laryngoscope. 2017 Oct;127 Suppl 5:S1-S9. doi: 10.1002/lary.26777. Epub 2017 Aug 7.
- Prognostic Significance of Fetal MRI on Airway Outcomes Affected by Venolymphatic Malformations. Santiago-Munoz P, Johnson RF, Twickler D, Frost N, Walsh D, Shindel D. Journal of Surgical Research. 2017 September (2017) 187-190
- Severe OSA in Children. Isaiah A, Hamden H, Johnson RF, Navqi K, Mitchell RB. Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery. 2017 Jul;157(1):128-134
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Professional Activities
- American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (2004)
- American Broncho-Esophagological Association (2018)
- American College of Surgeons (2012)
- American Laryngological Association (2018)
- American Society of Pediatric Otolarygology (2012)
- National Medical Association (2012)
- Triological Society (2017)
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Awards and Honors
- Distinguished Service Award - American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (2022-2022)
- Senior Examiner - American Board of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (2020-2023)
- D Magazine Best Doctors - Let's make Dallas even better (2010-2022)
- Herbert Silverstein Otology/Neurotology Research Award - Research grant to study genetic mutations in patients with hearing loss (2005-2005)
- J. Charles Dickson Award for Outstanding Research - Awarded for research in Peritonsillar abscess treatment (2003-2003)
- Dallas Otology Foundation for Resident Research - Awarded for research in Peritonsillar abscess treatment (2002-2002)