Daniel B. Drachman

Daniel B. Drachman
Born	(1932-07-18)July 18, 1932 Brooklyn, New York
Died	October 24, 2022(2022-10-24)(aged 90) Baltimore, Maryland
Spouse	Jeptha Piatigorsky ​ ​ (m.1960; died 2019)​
Academic background
Education	BA, 1952,Columbia College MD, 1956,New York University Grossman School of Medicine
Academic work
Institutions	Johns Hopkins University Tufts University School of Medicine

Daniel B. Drachman(July 18, 1932 – October 24, 2022) was an American neurologist. He is one of the founding members of theJohns Hopkins University's Department of Neurology.

Early life and education

Drachman was born to teacher Julian Drachman alongside his twin brother Davidin 1932 in New York.Growing up, he played the soprano saxophone before switching to the clarinet on the advice of his music teacher.Drachman and his brother graduated with theirbachelor's degreefromColumbia Collegeand Drachman went on to earn hismedical degreefrom theNew York University Grossman School of Medicine.Following this, he completed an internship atBeth Israel Deaconess Medical CenterandresidencyatBoston City Hospital.

Career

Upon completing his residency and internship, Drachman worked as a clinical associate and research associate at the National Institute of Neurological Disease and served as a clinical instructor in neurology atGeorgetown University.He then spent six years atTufts University School of Medicinebefore joining the faculty atJohns Hopkins Universityto work underGuy McKhannin 1969. As a professor of neurology, Drachman focused his research on myasthenia gravis and became the first to describe the receptor effect in myasthenia gravis.In 1976, Drachman and Sam Shapiro conducted the first successful transfer of certain features of myasthenia gravis from human beings into laboratory mice.Following this, Drachman co-discovered the first effective treatment for the most severe form of muscular dystrophy. His research team injected steroid prednisone into 16 patients with muscular dystrophy to slow the progress of the disease.

As a result of his research, Drachman was named director of the Neuromuscular Clinic and received the 1999 Solomon A. Berson Medical Alumni Achievement Award in Basic Science from the New York University School of Medicine.The following year, the Department of Neurology celebrated its 2000 Kroc Neuroscience Symposium in his honor.In 2003, Drachman became the inaugural recipient of the W.W. Smith Charitable Trust Professorship in Neuroimmunology.In 2014, Drachman was elected a member of theNational Academy of Medicine(then referred to as the Institute of Medicine).

Personal life

Drachman married Jeptha Piatigorsky, daughter of cellistGregor Piatigorskyand chess playerJacqueline Piatigorsky,in 1960.Prior to her death in 2019, they had three sons together.He died in 2022.