Biography
John K. Fink, MD, is a professor in the Department of Neurology and director of the Neurogenetic Disorders Program in the University of Michigan Medical School. He directs basic science laboratory research focused on identifying genes and mechanisms responsible for age-dependent neurologic degeneration; and on developing treatments for these conditions.
Dr. Fink has served as the Medical Advisor to the Spastic Paraplegia Foundation since its establishment (2002) and serves as an ad hoc reviewer for numerous journals and NIH study sections.
A member of the American Society of Human Genetics, American Academy of Neurology, American Neurological Association, and the American College of Genetics, Dr. Fink received the Derek Denny-Brown Neurological Scholar Award from the American Neurological Association in 2002. In addition, peers have elected him to Best Doctors in America annually since 2001.
Areas of Interest
Dr. Fink's laboratory investigates the molecular basis of inherited neurologic and psychiatric disorders. His clinical expertise focuses on inherited and degenerative disorders of the nervous system. Dr. Fink evaluates individuals of all ages, from infancy through senescence with these disorders, which include lysosomal storage disorders (such as Gaucher disease, Niemann-Pick disease and Fabry disease), ataxias (including Friedreich's ataxia), leukodystrophies (such as Krabbe, CADASIL and adrenoleukodystrophy), familial dystonia, primary lateral sclerosis, Wilson's disease, familial motor neuron disease (including familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), familial dementia, and a group of inherited spinal cord disorders known collectively as the Hereditary Spastic Paraplegias (HSPs).
Honors & Awards
- Member, American Society of Human Genetics
- Member, American Academy of Neurology
- Member, American Neurological Association (ANA)
- Member, American College of Genetics
- Derek Denny-Brown Neurological Scholar Award, ANA, 2002
- Best Doctors in America, annually since 2001
Credentials
- M.D., Medical College of Ohio in Toledo
- Residency, Neurology and Genetics, University of Virginia
- Postdoctoral fellowship in Developmental and Metabolic Neurology and Medical Genetics, National Institutes of Health
Published Articles or Reviews
- Early-Onset and Severe Complex Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia Caused by De Novo Variants in SPAST. Mo A, Saffari A, Kellner M, Döbler-Neumann M, Jordan C, Srivastava S, Zhang B, Sahin M, Fink JK, Smith L, Posey JE, Alter KE, Toro C, Blackstone C, Soldatos AG, Christie M, Schüle R, Ebrahimi-Fakhari D. Mov Disord, 2022 Dec; 37 (12): 2440 - 2446. DOI:10.1002/mds.29225
- Fever-Associated Seizures or Epilepsy: An Overview of Old and Recent Literature Acquisitions. Pavone P, Pappalardo XG, Parano E, Falsaperla R, Marino SD, Fink JK, Ruggieri M. Front Pediatr, 2022 10: 858945. DOI:10.3389/fped.2022.858945
- Hereditary Myelopathies. Fink JK. Continuum (Minneap Minn), 2021 Feb 1; 27 (1): 185 - 204. DOI:10.1212/CON.0000000000000934
- Primary lateral sclerosis: consensus diagnostic criteria. Turner MR, Barohn RJ, Corcia P, Fink JK, Harms MB, Kiernan MC, Ravits J, Silani V, Simmons Z, Statland J, van den Berg LH, Delegates of the 2nd International PLS Conference , Mitsumoto H. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 2020 Apr; 91 (4): 373 - 377. DOI:10.1136/jnnp-2019-322541