The Johns Hopkins Medicine community is mourning the
untimely death of John Griffith, who was killed July 28
while bicycling in Rehoboth Beach, Del. Griffith, 44, was a
full-time assistant professor in the
School of Medicine and director of the Fibroid Center
for the Department of Gynecology and
Obstetrics.
Police reports say that Griffith, who was vacationing
with family, was riding southbound on the shoulder of
Coastal Highway about a mile north of the Indian River
Inlet Bridge when he stopped on the shoulder to repair a
broken chain and was struck by a car.
"The department faculty, postgraduate physicians,
nurses and staff are deeply shocked and saddened at John's
sudden and tragic death," said Harold Fox, director of
Gynecology and Obstetrics. "John was a rising star who has
fallen from the sky. Our thoughts today are with his loving
family."
"John will be greatly missed," said Edward D. Miller,
dean and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine. "Our thoughts and
prayers go out to his wife and children and the rest of his
family, whose ties to Hopkins are deep and long-standing."
His father, Lawrence S.C. Griffith, is a cardiologist and
professor of medicine at Hopkins.
A graduate of Haverford College, John Griffith
graduated from Case Western University School of Medicine
and earned a master's degree in public health from the UCLA
School of Public Health. He completed his residency
training in obstetrics and gynecology at the University
Hospitals of Cleveland, where he was the executive chief
resident.
In 2005, Griffith was named director of the new Johns
Hopkins Fibroid Center, a clinical and research center
within Johns Hopkins Medicine. At the center, he led a team
of one dozen faculty and 40 staff that includes
interventional radiologists, reproductive endocrinologists,
geneticists, nurses and public health experts.
"John was a true academic and leader, recognized
regionally and nationally as an authority in the
development and use of minimally invasive surgical
techniques to treat uterine and cervical disorders," Fox
said. "He developed not only the Fibroid Center but also a
superb endoscopic surgery training program for obstetrical
and gynecologic surgeons. John improved the lives of
countless women."
Colleagues noted that Griffith was dedicated to
linking clinical practice to research, considering this the
best way to find and rapidly apply new medical or surgical
approaches to the treatment of fibroids, mostly benign
growths in the lining of the womb that can cause severe
pain, bleeding and disability. His research also focused on
why some women are more prone to develop them, findings
that could shed light on what might prevent them.
Griffith's clinical interests also included the management
of abnormal Pap smears, ovarian cysts and abnormal
menstrual periods.
In addition to his parents, Griffith is survived by
his wife, Liz, and three children, Henry, Isabel and
Anna.
Funeral services were held Aug. 4 at Grace United
Methodist Church in Baltimore.
Contributions can be made to the John G. Griffith
Memorial Fund for Charitable Contributions, 2814 Adams
Mills Road N.W., Washington, DC 20009.
Liz Griffith encourages colleagues and friends to send
letters expressing their thoughts and feelings about her
husband to Connie Pennington at connie@jhmi.edu. The
letters will be used to create a collage for his children.
For more information, call Pennington at 410-614-4495.
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