Convinced Pediatrician, Father, Professor, and Coalition Leader

As the Chief of Service of the Department of Pediatrics at Harborview Medical Center, Dr. Brian Johnston experiences first hand what happens to child victims of pedestrian–car crashes.  “Despite excellent medical care, kids don’t always do well.  We can’t always save them, particularly if a head injury is involved.”

Because even the best medicine cannot save many children and because of the toll these crashes take on the survivors, Dr. Johnston founded the Injury-Free Coalition for Kids of Seattle (IFCK) in 2002.  The organization focuses on reducing childhood injury in those neighborhoods disproportionately affected by pedestrian injuries.

Dr. Johnston’s work through IFCK focused on the relationship between physical activity and injury exposure. “The death rate of child pedestrians has decreased dramatically, but that’s because kids don’t walk anymore. I didn’t want to pay for an increase in walking with an increase in pedestrian injuries.”

This concern led to his involvement in Safe Routes to School programs and the Walking School Bus.  “It had the right message for Injury-Free.  Kids ten and under should walk with an adult.  With the Walking School Bus… kids are walking with adults.”

He also started to think about the issues of walkability and injury prevention more broadly.  “It was eye-opening.  [I started to think about] how we should structure our communities and model behavior for our kids.”

As a pediatrician, Dr. Johnston is excited about promoting Safe Routes to School because it addresses the issue of childhood obesity by encouraging children to be active commuters.  “For me it’s a nice overlap between the two worlds I work in.  I’m promoting physical activity but also building programs that will keep kids safe.”

On a personal level, he has taken the idea behind Safe Routes to School to heart.  “We’ve lost something in our communities when kids don’t get to interact with people in their neighborhoods.”  So he started walking his children to school three days a week.  “We’re hooked.  I get to spend 20 minutes with them every day. My kids are more focused, awake, and more interested in their neighborhood and community.  It’s good for them beyond the scope of health and injury prevention.”

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