Michael V. Johnston, M.D.

Pediatric Neurology

Dr. Johnston holds titles of Senior Vice President, Chief Medical Officer, Director, Division of Neurology and Developmental Medicine and Director, Neuroscience Laboratory of the Kennedy Krieger Institute. He is also a Research Scientist at Kennedy Krieger Institute and a professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Much of Dr. Johnston’s time is devoted to research, focused on developing therapies to reduce brain injury in infants and children. This research has led to a broader understanding of the relationship between injury and brain plasticity that can be applied to further research into such neurodevelopmental disabilities as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, lead poisoning, and many others.

Additionally, Dr. Johnston and his research team have done extensive research on the role of glutamate in normal brain development and how the brain responds to injury; namely, how glutamate affects plasticity. He was able to pair these findings with his research on injury to make a correlation between glutamate, synaptic connections and X-linked mental retardation.

Dr. Johnston received his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh, graduating cum laude in 1971. His did postdoctoral training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Pediatrics, Neurology, Pharmacology, and Pediatric Neurology. He taught and participated in research at the University of Michigan Hospitals before returning to Baltimore to join the Kennedy Krieger Institute.

Profile

Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland:

• Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer
• Director, Division of Neurology and Developmental Medicine
• Director, Neuroscience Laboratory
• Research Scientist
• Attending Physician

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

• Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics
• Attending Physician

Education

M.D., University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1971

Residency

Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland

Fellowship

Pediatric Neurology, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland

Certifications

• American Board of Pediatrics
• American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology

Hospital Affiliations & Admitting Privileges

• Johns Hopkins Hospital
• Kennedy Krieger Institute