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Neurology and Neurosurgery

Daniel B. Drachman Division of Neuromuscular Medicine

Neuromuscular Medicine at Johns Hopkins comprises a range of clinical care and research facilities and programs, where talented minds collaborate on exploring new avenues in diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular disorders.

Our mission is to provide exceptional patient care, advance research and train the next generation of clinicians and researchers in the field of neuromuscular medicine. We are committed to delivering personalized care to our patients. We strive to promote collaboration, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of our work, and to maintain the highest standards of professionalism, ethics and integrity.

Learn more about:

Specialty Centers | Clinical Labs | Team | Conditions We Treat | Research and Clinical Trials | Division History

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Schedule by phone

Adult Neurology: 410-955-9441
Pediatric Neurology: 410-955-4259
International Patients: +1-410-502-7683

Division Director

Daniel B. Drachman Division of Neuromuscular Medicine is led by Ahmet Hoke M.D., Ph.D.

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ahmet hoke

Our Specialty Centers

Find a Clinical Study for Your Condition

We created a database of all open and upcoming clinical studies conducted within our division for a variety of  neuromuscular disorders. 

View clinical studies

Clinical Laboratories

Make a Gift

Donate to The Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins

Donate to the Merkin Peripheral Neuropathy and Nerve Regeneration Center

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Request Funding

Merkin Peripheral Neuropathy and Nerve Regeneration Center grants

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Johns Hopkins Neuromuscular Medicine Fellowship

This 1-year clinical program trains neurologists in neuromuscular disorders. Fellows learn proper diagnosis and treatment of neuromuscular disorders, perform and read nerve and muscle biopsies, and learn to carry out electrodiagnostic evaluations with nerve conduction studies and electromyography.

Learn about the program

Conditions We Treat

Learn more about the neuromuscular conditions we treat:

Our Neuromuscular Experts

About Dr. Daniel B. Drachman

One of the founders of the Johns Hopkins Department of Neurology when it opened in 1969, Dr. Drachman was the first head of its neuromuscular laboratory and program, of which he was chief for 30 years. He trained more than 50 clinical scientists and basic researchers, many of whom became leaders in neuromuscular studies and patient care.

Dr. Drachman was a leading authority on myasthenia gravis and other neuromuscular diseases. His four decades of findings on myasthenia gravis, which he determined was an autoimmune illness in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerve receptors in muscles, has transformed it from a frequently fatal disease into a highly treatable one. Research he began on the botulinum toxin in the 1970s also led to the development of Botox as a clinical treatment for neuromuscular ailments.

Dr. Daniel B. Drachman

Our History

Dr. Jeffery Rothstein

Drs. Jeffery Rothstein and Ralph Kuncl in a lab.

Patient-oriented research has been a central focus of the Neuromuscular Division from the beginning. Dr. Drachman went on to establish a clinical laboratory for neuromuscular pathology, which to this day serves patients and provides important muscle, nerve, and immunological materials for research.

Some of the world’s best minds have come to Johns Hopkins to explore the science, improve diagnosis and transform management of muscular dystrophy, neuropathies and other disabling and life-threatening diseases.

  • The faculty’s interest in immunology has evolved to autoimmune diseases of peripheral nerves, including Guillain-Barre syndrome and identification of its subtypes as well as its treatment by plasmapheresis, with studies by the late Jack Griffin and Guy McKhann.
  • Research in both acquired and inherited neuropathies continues in the laboratories of Ahmet Hoke, Michael Polydefkis and Charlotte Sumner.
  • The Neuromuscular Division also leads research in ALS started by Ralph Kuncl and Jeffrey Rothstein, later joined by Nicholas Maragakis, Brett Morrison and Lyle Ostrow.

Daniel B. Drachman’s original drive and ingenuity are reflected in the division to this day, as the group continues to grow in leadership and international influence.