O'Dell Johnson

Dr. O'Dell Johnson was the 2018 - 2019 Presidential Fellow of Saybrook University. He is a recipient of Saybrook's prestigious Dissertation of Distinction Award, 2017. Dr. Johnson was also selected as a Saybrook University Presidential Fellow for 2018 - 2019, in recognition of his community activism in social and criminal justice reform. He received his master's degree in Transpersonal Psychology with a specialization in Expressive Arts Therapy from Sofia University in Palo Alto, California, and a doctorate in Psychology with a specialization in Transformative Studies from Saybrook University in Pasadena, California.

Dr. Johnson maintains an academic appointment as Adjunct Faculty at Saybrook University, where he delivers graduate instruction in MBM5500 (Ethics in Healthcare) and MBM0505 (Mind-Body-Spirit Integration Seminar). His scholarly scientific publications include multiple peer-reviewed articles in health journals addressing opioid use disorder (OUD)/ medication use for opioid use disorder (MOUD), mental health, criminal justice health, COVID-19, and poverty. He also co-authored a chapter on "Multiculturalism and Mindfulness" in Case Formulation in Existential-Humanistic Therapy, collaborating with Dr. Donna Rockwell, Shea Brianna Scharding, and editor Dr. Louis Hoffman.

Additionally, he serves as a guest lecturer at the University of Washington-Tacoma, Washington, teaching courses in Developmental Psychology, Engaged Childhood Development, and Skepticism and Critical Thinking. Previously, he taught Community Psychology and Social Justice Psychology at Pacific Oaks College, Pasadena, California, as an adjunct professor. He is the founder and CEO of the Research Institute for Community Health, a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit entity whose mission is to reduce health disparities and improve health-seeking attitudes in under-resourced communities through action-based, innovative, cutting-edge research and community practice.

Dr. Johnson's scholarly contributions encompass postdoctoral research training at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in public health, where he has assumed leadership roles as principal investigator and co-investigator on several National Institutes of Health-funded investigations. His research program examines the efficacy of integrative health practices in addressing lifespan traumas and health disparities in under-resourced communities, thereby expanding the empirical foundation for cross-cultural, community-based health research initiatives.

Dr. Johnson holds three certifications in mind-body medicine, Vedic Mastery, in Meditation, Ayurveda, and Yoga, under the tutelage of Drs. Deepak Chopra and David Simon Chopra School of Mind-Body Medicine, formerly known as Chopra University. He is a Neuro-biofeedback practitioner specializing in closed-head injury, pain, stress, anxiety, addiction, resilience, and ADD/ADHD.

Through his pedagogical, research, and clinical contributions, Dr. Johnson advances the theoretical and practical integration of contemplative methodologies with evidence-based approaches in allophatic healthcare and psychological intervention paradigms.