A native of Nebraska, Dr. JOHN W. “JACK” GRIFFIN was a 1963 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Grinnell College in Iowa. He obtained his medical degree in 1968 from Stanford, where he spent two years as an intern and resident. Beginning as a neurology resident at Hopkins in 1970, Griffin spent his entire four-decade career in the School of Medicine.
Dr. Griffin was one of the world’s top experts, both as a clinician and researcher, on peripheral nerve disorders. He became a leading figure in studies of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a disease in which the immune system attacks nerves, leading to rapidly evolving paralysis of the legs, arms, face, and muscles used in breathing. He went on to play a central role in studying the mechanisms of nerve degeneration and regeneration, and his work led to numerous treatments for neuromuscular disorders.
Griffin was named head of the Department of Neurology and neurologist-in-chief of The Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1999. As head of neurology, he oversaw the expansion of what already was the country’s largest neurology critical care unit to a 22-bed facility for the treatment of patients.
He remained head of neurology until 2006, when ill health compelled him to step down. He recovered, however, and became the founding director of the Brain Science Institute in 2007. That same year, he received the Johns Hopkins Heritage Award for outstanding service to the university.
A prolific researcher, Dr. Griffin focused on understanding the mechanisms of degeneration and regeneration in peripheral nerves. He published more than 300 studies in scientific journals, edited major textbooks on peripheral neuropathies, and was editor of the neurological journal Nature Neurology.
