Casey Johnson, PhD

Dr. Casey Johnson is a medical imaging scientist focused on advancing human and animal health through development and application of advanced imaging technologies. His primary expertise is in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). He is working with his colleagues to develop new MRI technologies to improve clinical management of a variety of conditions, for both humans and animals, by advancing imaging diagnostic capabilities, research tools, and evaluation of novel therapies. He is also working to advance research, education, and clinical care in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the greater UMN Health Sciences. He is helping to build medical imaging infrastructure in the college, including the recent installation of a state-of-the-art 3T MRI scanner to advance preclinical and clinical research and clinical care of companion animals. He teaches courses and mentor research projects on medical imaging topics to graduate and veterinary students, postdocs, and residents. As section head of medical imaging, he is working to continue to make our college's medical imaging service one of the top in the nation for advancing veterinary research, teaching, and clinical care. He is driven by his passions for interdisciplinary research, helping trainees advance their careers, and promoting a positive, supportive, and inclusive workplace.

• 2025: McKnight Presidential Fellow, University of Minnesota
• 2024: Academy for Excellence in Team Science, University of Minnesota
• 2023: Grantee, NIH R01 Research Project Grant
• 2022: Early Career Award, Journal of Orthopaedic Research
• 2021: Grantee, NIH R56 High Priority, Short-Term Project Award
• 2019: University of Minnesota CTSI K-R01 Scholar
• 2017: Grantee, NIH K01 Mentored Research Scientist Development Award
• 2015: ISMRM Junior Fellow
• 2013: Grantee, NARSAD Young Investigator Award

He is broadly interested in the development and application of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technologies to advance clinical management of diseases, including those afflicting the musculoskeletal, nervous, and vascular systems. His research laboratory (the “Comparative MRI Research Lab”) is primarily investigating the development and translation of MRI techniques to improve clinical management and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. His lab also supports collaborative research projects across a variety of application areas, including brain disorders and cancer. Details of my research activities and links to UMN MRI research resources can be found on my lab’s website: https://z.umn.edu/comparativeMRI

• 3/1/2023-1/31/2028, NIH R01AR081877, Early Detection and Monitoring of Osteonecrosis of the Femoral Head, PI
• 7/1/2023-6/30/2026, CVM Internal Grant, Quantitative MRI of Canine Patients with Intervertebral Disc Disease, PI
• 8/9/2024-5/31/2029, NIH R01AR082864, The Role of Vascular Failure and Biomechanical Stress in the Development, Progression and Healing of Osteochondritis Dissecans Lesions, Co-I (PI: Toth)
• 9/3/2024-6/30/2029, NIH R01AR083365, Epigenetic Drivers of Chronic Low Back Pain, Co-I (PI: Stone)

• Buko EO, Armstrong AR, Laine JC, Tóth F, Johnson CP. Detection of early metaphyseal changes in a piglet model of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease using quantitative mapping of MRI relaxation times. J Orthop Res. 2024;42(10):2277-2286.
• Buko EO, Bhave S, Moeller S, Laine JC, Tóth F, Johnson CP. Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) detects femoral head ischemia in a piglet model of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. J Orthop Res. 2024;42(4):855-863.
• Armstrong AR, Bhave S, Buko EO, Chase KL, Tóth F, Carlson CS, Ellermann JM, Kim HKW, Johnson CP. Quantitative T2 and T1ρ mapping are sensitive to ischemic injury to the epiphyseal cartilage in an in vivo piglet model of Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2022 Sep;30(9):1244-1253.
• Johnson CP, Wang L, Tóth F, Aruwajoye O, Kirkham B, Carlson CS, Kim HKW, Ellermann JM. Quantitative susceptibility mapping detects neovascularization of the epiphyseal cartilage after ischemic injury in a piglet model of legg-calvé-perthes disease. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2019 Jul;50(1):106-113.
• Johnson CP, Wang L, Tóth F, Aruwajoye O, Carlson CS, Kim HKW, Ellermann JM. Quantitative MRI Helps to Detect Hip Ischemia: Preclinical Model of Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease. Radiology. 2018;289(2):386-395.
• Johnson CP, Follmer RL, Oguz I, Warren LA, Christensen GE, Fiedorowicz JG, Magnotta VA, Wemmie JA. Brain abnormalities in bipolar disorder detected by quantitative T1ρ mapping. Mol Psychiatry. 2015;20(2):201-6.
• Johnson CP, Weavers PT, Borisch EA, Grimm RC, Hulshizer TC, LaPlante CC, Rossman PJ, Glockner JF, Young PM, Riederer SJ. Three-station three-dimensional bolus-chase MR angiography with real-time fluoroscopic tracking. Radiology. 2014;272(1):241-51.