Career Center AES Connect

Roger J. Porter, MD, D.Sc. (Hon), FAAN, FANS, FCCP, FAES

AES President 1975
NIH Service 1966-1979

Roger J. Porter

Roger John Porter (RJP) was born in Pittsburgh in 1942, moved to St. Petersburg in 1949, and joined the founding freshman class of Florida Presbyterian College (now Eckerd College) in 1960. Limited funds required him to commute as a "day student." He graduated in 1964 and from Duke Medical School in 1968, spending his entire junior year in the Research Training Program. In 1966, while serving as paid baritone soloist at Duke Chapel, he met Candace Leland, his wife of 57 years. 

While at Duke in 1967, he made a long-shot attempt to obtain a two-year NIH research appointment in the Commissioned Corps of the PHS (equivalent to military service). In an astonishingly lucky coincidence, a newly appointed Chief of the Epilepsy Section was seeking a fellow for 1969-71. This Chief was James Kiffin Penry, who would enormously alter not only RJP's life, but also transform epilepsy research and treatment in the 20th century—accomplishing this in a mere 1½ decades at NIH. 

 

He interned at UCSD (1968-69) with Eugene Braunwald and trained in neurology at UCSF (1971-74) with an incredible faculty assembled by Robert Fishman. As Chief Resident (1973-74), he assigned night call for a junior resident named Stanley Prusiner (yes, that Prusiner!). 

RJP returned to Penry and the Epilepsy Branch in 1974. When Penry left NIH in 1979, RJP took over the extramural Epilepsy Branch with 40 staff members (including James Cereghino) and the intramural Clinical Epilepsy Section (including William Theodore). In 1984, he created the new Medical Neurology Branch (built from scratch to 60 persons); in 1987 he became Deputy Director of the $0.5B NINDS. He retired in 1992 for personal financial reasons and became a VP at Wyeth, twice promoted, ending as Deputy Head of Clinical Research overseeing >300 persons worldwide in 2002. Since then, he has consulted on new antiseizure drug development. 

Every scientist seeks to make incremental contributions to knowledge. Rather than recite a litany from his CV, RJP chose to highlight the study with greatest impact on epilepsy clinical research and care: [Porter RJ, Penry JK, Lacy JR: Diagnostic and therapeutic reevaluation of patients with intractable epilepsy. Neurology (1977)]. Conducted at NIH's Clinical Center, this study introduced the concept of intensive monitoring of uncontrolled epilepsy patients. More than 450 epilepsy monitoring programs now exist worldwide. 

He was deeply involved in public policy of neurological research. He organized and moderated a 1987 Congressional Breakfast; the speakers were George Will (columnist), Fred Plum (neurologist), and Gerald Laubach (President of Pfizer). More significantly, James Wyngaarden (former NIH head) nominated him to create a White House committee on the Decade of the Brain through the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in the Old Executive Office Building. RJP reported to Alan Bromley (Head of OSTP, in regular contact with President Bush) and D.A. Henderson (credited with eliminating smallpox). He assembled 30 US Government departments to produce a report published by the US Government Printing Office. His book on research conflict of interest was published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 1992. 

He has lectured at more than 30 US universities, some on multiple occasions (8 times at UCSF from 1971 to 1991), and internationally in more than 25 countries across six continents, many repeatedly. 

He has received many awards, including the DOD Meritorious Service Award, USN Commendation Medal, USUHS Commendable Service Award, Fulbright Distinguished Professor Award, AES Service Award, EFA Lifetime Accelerator Award, Distinguished Alumnus Award (Duke), and DSc (hon) (Eckerd College).