Richard Johnson, MD

"Dr. Richard Johnson, a board certified family physician, is a 35 year resident of Pacific Palisades and currently resides with his wife in the Highlands section of town.

He was raised on a small farm in rural northwest Washington State. After graduating from the University of Washington cum laude with a degree in physics, medical school was next at Washington University in St. Louis followed by a residency in family practice at the UCLA Medical Center. From 1980 through 2001, Dr. Johnson maintained a private practice at the UCLA Family Health Center and was involved in many of the clinical and academic affairs of the UCLA Department of Family Medicine, School of Medicine and Medical Center. He served as the Vice Chair of the Department of Family Medicine for 6 years and as the Director of Clinical Services for 19 years. He has supervised the training and development of more than 150 residents in family medicine over the past two decades.

In April of 2001, Dr. Johnson moved his practice to Pacific Palisades and joined Dr. Julie Ma in their current location. He is currently a Clinical Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and owns and practices at Pacific Palisades Medical Group, Inc., a exclusive concierge practice with his associate, Dr. Ma.

His current academic pursuits include frequent lectures to local, regional and national groups of physicians and other groups involving obesity, exercise, gynecology and sexually transmitted diseases. For 10 years he served as the associate editor of Clinical Cornerstone, a continuing educational journal for physicians, and has assisted the American Board of Family Practice with the development of appropriate test questions for certification and re-certification.

Always an avid sports enthusiast, Dr. Johnson has slowed a bit from being a highly competitive age-group runner, but has moved into the sport of triathlon and has maintained a competitive age-group standing. He finished 2nd and 3rd in his age group in the Los Angeles Triathlon in 2002 and 2003, respectively. He is an annual participant in the Malibu Triathlon, finishing atop the podium in 2010 in the 55 to 59 age group. Surfing is a constant challenge, yet to be mastered, and it along with an occasional mountain bike ride in the Santa Monica Mountains provides additional recreation."

"Pacific Palisades Medical Group, Inc. (PPMG) is a group of two experienced physicians; a board certified internist and a board certified family physician, dedicated to providing their patients the most up-to-date and scientifically validated health care available. Both are professors at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and have spoken and consulted at regional and national physician meetings.

The PPMG provides a full range of services for patients and their families with reasonable fees. The PPMG physicians will see patients with most all types of insurances and send claim forms to your insurance company on your behalf. Additionally, the PPMG physicians are PPO contracted providers with some insurance companies.

The physicians at the PPMG have a strong commitment to encouraging their patients to maintain healthy lifestyles through appropriate exercise, eating habits, rational personal habits, and stress reduction. Pharmacological intervention is also seen as an important component of remaining in good health for as long as possible, in those situations where there is good scientific data to support the intervention."