S7E4: Chief Insights: Dr. Aileen Johnson
From The WISER Podcast by Women In Surgery at the Emory Residencies
February 12, 2026 · 24 min · Season 7 · Episode 4
About this episode
Dr. Aileen Johnson shares her journey through surgery residency, the impact of mentorship, and insights on being a woman in surgery.
On this episode of the WISER Podcast, we continue Chief Insights , our mini-series highlighting the experiences of Emory’s female chief general surgery residents. Through these conversations, we explore their paths to surgery, the mentors who shaped them, and the lessons they’ve learned along the way. For this installment, WISER co-presidents Julia Byrnes and Rachel Holstein sat down with Dr. Aileen Johnson. Dr. Johnson attended MIT for undergraduate studies before earning her medical degree at Emory University School of Medicine and staying at Emory for general surgery residency. She is one of this year’s chief residents and will be pursuing a fellowship in abdominal transplant surgery at the University of Wisconsin next year. In this conversation, Dr. Johnson reflects on how her early experiences in EMS during college solidified her commitment to patient care, how mentorship shaped her journey into transplant surgery, and what she gained from taking three dedicated research years. She shares thoughtful advice on ownership in training, cultivating autonomy, and preparing for the responsibility of becoming “the surgeon.” We also discuss her experience as a woman in surgery, the…
People in this episode
Hosts: Julia Byrnes, Rachel Holstein, Amelia Fogle, Lily Kamat
Guest: Dr Aileen Johnson
Topics covered
- female surgeons
- mentorship
- surgery residency
- transplant surgery
- women in medicine
Keywords
- chief resident
- abdominal transplant surgery
- patient care
- research years
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Chief Insights
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- S7E1: Dr. Wendy Greene, on Inclusion, Equity, and Shaping the Future of Surgery · September 17, 2025 · 29 min
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