This week we are proud to introduce the second founder of Pulse of Perseverance, Dr. Pierre Johnson, Obstetrician-Gynecologist.
From a young age, God blessed Pierre with a vision for his life—one unwavering with absolute clarity.
Pierre grew up on the South Side of Chicago. One of his earliest memories was protecting his mother from his abusive father, this ignited in him a strong purpose to not only protect people who couldn’t protect themselves but more importantly protect women.
Pierre constantly looked for mentors outside his home life. He found strength in his grandfather, Otis, whose charity and generosity gave Pierre a passion for mentoring youth. He was rooted in love and appreciation from his grandmother, Eva, which also instilled in him a strong foundation of faith in himself. His Aunt Aileen helped put him on the path to becoming a doctor. She asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up. After refusing to accept pro basketball or baseball player as his only answers, she demanded a Plan B and wouldn’t give up until he thought about another goal.
When he was nine, Pierre’s mother became pregnant with his brother, Elliot, which fascinated Pierre. His mother’s OB-GYN was a black man, always eager to answer Pierre’s questions. He proved to Pierre that it was possible for someone like him to achieve success as a doctor; representation matters.
Although Pierre’s mother struggled with drug addiction she always wanted a better life for her son, She encouraged and nurtured his curiosity from a very early age and saw a good education as Pierre’s ticket to a better future.
Pierre breezed through high school however once at Xavier University of LA, he discovered he wasn’t at all prepared for the rigors of the college’s academic requirements. He then met Max and Joe his first semester of college, in that friendship Pierre found brothers who shared a similar background as him and the same commitment to succeed. The three began to study together every day. They’d drill each other before tests and held each other accountable. They didn’t accept failure!
After graduating from Xavier with a bachelor’s degree in biology, Pierre attended MEDPREP at Southern Illinois University. Although, Faced with setbacks, personal struggles, discrimination, and institutional racism throughout his time in medical school, Pierre refused to give up and completed his internship at Washington Hospital Center in General Surgery and residency at Southern Illinois University in obstetrics/gynecology. The trio still supporting each other all the way through.
Pierre was certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in 2015 and, a year later, recognized with the highest accreditation in his field—Fellow of The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Today, Pierre practices close to home in the Chicagoland area and is a proud father to his beautiful twins.
Pierre succeeded despite the many obstacles placed before him and wants his story to serve as a living testimony that circumstance and environment don’t have to dictate your future. Because of this, he founded Pulse of Perseverance so that black youths may create the same ecosystem he had through his years at Xavier but much sooner. The P3 app is designed to 1. Give kids an “Aunt Aileen” meaning a plan B. Additionally opening their world to all the opportunities out there. Opening up their world opens up possibilities, and having mentors that look like them gives them the representation needed. 2. Provide a support system of like-minded youths, 3. Provide mentors through every stage of their studies and eventually turn Mentees into Mentors. And lastly 4. Providing them black youths with tools needed to succeed such as goal setting, accountability partners, and access to scholarships, internships and so much more so that they can have the access that Pierre had to create for himself.