2003 Daniel Drake Award-John J. Hutton, MD

John J. Hutton, MD, is professor of pediatrics and internal medicine at the University of Cincinnati (UC).  He was recruited to UC in 1984 by Dr. William Schubert and was named Albert B. Sabin Professor of Pediatrics and Vice-Chairman for Basic

Science Research at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Research Foundation.  Dr. Hutton’s charge was to build strong laboratory-based research, particularly in molecular biology, to complement the excellent clinical programs of Children's Hospital. These initial efforts blossomed over the years as Children's and the UC Department of Pediatrics expanded to become internationally recognized as one of the world's leading centers for biomedical research and graduate education.

In 1987, Dr. Hutton was appointed Christian R. Holmes Professor and Dean of the UC College of Medicine, in addition to his appointment at Children's. Dramatic changes occurred during his 15 years of service. Faculty clinical practices joined together to form UC Physicians, now the largest medical group in the region with offices throughout metropolitan Cincinnati. Convenient, high quality care for patients at these sites is coupled with excellence in clinical education for medical students and residents.

During Dr. Hutton’s tenure, education of medical students changed to provide better integration of content with limits on hours of sit-down lectures and an increased emphasis on small group interactive learning experiences. A formal Clinical Skills Teaching Laboratory gives students the opportunity to master basic clinical skills quickly, and practice on simulation devices and models before caring for patients. A Center for Competency Development and Assessment permits systematic documentation of students' acquisition of clinical skills during their four years in medical school, thereby reassuring both the student and the patient of the high quality of UC’s graduates.  Generous funding of 23 new endowed chairs greatly strengthened academic programs.

In 2002, Dr. Hutton received the Lifetime Teaching Award from the UC College of Medicine in honor of his commitment to education. When he retired as dean, the Medical Alumni Association, his son and daughter-in-law, and the UC Medical Center spearheaded the successful drive to raise funds to endow a lectureship in ethics in his honor.

Sponsored funding of research, both at UC and at Children's Hospital, has grown tenfold over the past 10 years. Faculty of the UC College of Medicine in aggregate will receive nearly $200 million of external support of their research in 2003, largely from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This year, UC’s Physician Scientist Training Program was nationally recognized for its high quality and received peer-reviewed funding from the NIH. This achievement was one of Dr. Hutton's primary goals in research and education during his tenure. By any measure, the UC College of Medicine is now one of the nation's major centers of biomedical research and education. 

While Dean, Dr. Hutton served two four-year terms as a member of the Administrative Board of the Council of Deans of the Association of American Medical Colleges, a seven-year term on the Executive Council of the Association of American Medical Colleges, and a three- year term as a member of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the accrediting body for U.S. and Canadian medical schools. He was a member of national task forces on primary care, clinical research, and graduate education. In 2002, in recognition of his services to medical education, he was elected a Distinguished Service Member of the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Dr. Hutton returned to research and to Children's Hospital in July 2002, where he joined the Pediatric Informatics Division. He is focusing on bioinformatics, the application of computers to analyses of basic biological and clinical problems. He serves as the principal investigator of the research grant awarded to UC by the National Library of Medicine to develop Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems (the IAIMS award).  Dr. Hutton is the author of numerous research papers. He has served as a member and chair of the NIH Biochemistry Study Section, and has received awards for distinguished service from both the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the American Society of Hematology. Dr. Hutton is a graduate of Harvard College and the Harvard Medical School.  He completed his residency in internal medicine and his research training at Rockefeller University, the Massachusetts General Hospital, the University of Kentucky Medical Center, and the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute.

Dr. Hutton’s wife, Mary Ellyn, writes about classical music for the Cincinnati Post and other publications.  His daughter, Becky, graduated from the UC College of Nursing, married Thomas Fink, has 4 children, and lives in Tipp City, Ohio.  His son, John, graduated from Davidson College and the UC College of Medicine, married Sandra Gross, has 2 children, and lives in Mt. Adams.  His daughter, Elizabeth, graduated from Harvard in 2001, works in Boston, and will enter The Ohio State University College of Law in August 2003.