Jon Johnson, currently an education IT architect at UCSF, and “without a title,” as he puts it, has been pivotal in developing Ilios, a curriculum management tool used by UCSF’s School of Medicine. Johnson and his team recently won the UC Tech Awards 2024 Larry L. Sautter Golden Award for Innovation in Information Technology. In this UC Tech News interview, Johnson shares insights into his career, the value he and his team place on the UC Tech community and UC Tech Awards program, along with the Ilios’ project and the management practices that have allowed it to succeed. He explains how working toward leadership trust, and the team members culture of kindness and curiosity keeps them ahead of the curve when it comes to customer service and technical excellence.
Johnson’s career journey – and the value of UC Tech – a unique community for tech collaboration
After earning a master’s degree in Student Life from the University of the Pacific, Jon Johnson began his career at UCSF as a Student Progression coordinator, processing dissertations and ensuring academic progression for UCSF students. After early wins in technology, including collaborating with renowned faculty like MacArthur Genius Award recipient Joseph DeRisi, he discovered a passion for building software, noting its limitless adaptability and the opportunity for continuous improvement. Over the years, he began specializing in creating large-scale, multi-campus applications, including a graduate application system and Ilios, thanks to his work with diverse teams and leaders. Nearly 20 years later, his dedication to innovation and his impact on academic technology remain integral to his career at UCSF.
Johnson describes the UC Tech conference as the “single greatest catalyst for career growth.” Initially introduced to the conference by Eric Wieland at UCSF, who encouraged participation over a dinner, the conference became a turning point in his career. The event revealed a network of developers and collaborators from across campuses, previously unknown to him. Connections formed with individuals like Emily Weaver, from the Office of the President, and Seth from UC Irvine, who share a passion for building innovative solutions. These relationships, nurtured year after year at UC Tech, underscore its value as a unique community for collaboration. Always an advocate for participation, they have encouraged others to attend, noting the supportive role UCSF played in covering costs for award winners, which streamlined the process and made the experience even more impactful for the team in 2024.
“These are people that build stuff, and it’s hard to find people like that, but I find them at UC tech. This is why I love it. I always get anyone I can to go as well. It’s an easy sell for me. UCSF also agreed to pay for award winners to go, which was nice of them, and made the process a lot smoother.”
Jon Johnson, UCSF
From Vision to Reality: The story of Ilios
Named after the Greek word for “sun,” Ilios supports competency-based medical curricula, enabling students to complete complex learning sequences. Originally a UCSF collaboration, it is now open-source and widely adopted by institutions like Stanford and UC Irvine. Johnson attributes Ilios’s longevity to automated testing and modern frameworks, which ensure agility and security.
Johnson emphasized that sustaining software like Ilios in a university setting requires overcoming technical debt and budget constraints. His team’s commitment to robust testing and agile practices has kept Ilios at the forefront of curriculum management for over a decade.
Keys to success from a technical standpoint and culatural standpoint
Technical highlight: automation and accessibility
The Ilios team thrives on user-focused, agile development, supported by leadership trust in continuous improvement vs ever being “done.” Testing is embedded in every system update, drastically reducing the challenge of remaining current on security and usability challenges. Johnson emphasizes that automatio is also key to success. On the day of the UC Tech News interview, a Monday, the team had already merged six updates to ensure it is as current as possible.
“It takes a really good, automated testing – that is the number one thing, because a human cannot possibly keep up with the pace of change this week.”
Jon Johnson, UCSF
Further, Johnson emphasizes, the application prioritizes accessibility, usability, and adaptability, serving diverse user needs, even on older hardware or low-bandwidth networks.
Cultural highlight: leadership trust + team member kindness and curiosity
In addition to automation, Johnson emphasizes leadership trust and strong team dynamics, driven by kindness and curiosity. He considers these qualities more important than buzz words like “Scrum” or “Agile,” and that they have been central to the project’s success. Johnson praises members of his team for their level of intelligence as expressed by the openness to new ideas and being able to openly unpack complex issues together. This allows them to innovate. Further, he values UCSF leadership for their vision in funding Ilios. He also highlights the critical nature of trust – their understanding that these projects are never “done,” and that entrusting the team to make continual improvements, vs reacting impulsively to bring in new resources or make changes in the process.
Personal values: teaching and goal-setting and caring for dogs
Johnson finds satisfaction in solving meaningful problems, such as developing a COVID-19 screening tool for UCSF. Beyond work, he and his wife are active with the SF SPCA (San Francisco Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and practice yoga, emphasizing discipline and regular improvement—principles he applies to his professional life.
Thank you, Jon Johnson, for sharing your journey and inspiring others with your leadership and dedication.
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