John A. Morren, MD, Receives AANEM's 2024 Advocacy Award

Published July 30, 2024

The AANEM Advocacy Award honors members or nonmembers who have made exceptional contributions in advocating to government entities or insurance companies on behalf of NM and EDX medicine in diagnosing and treating disorders. The 2024 AANEM Advocacy Award is presented to John A. Morren, MD, for his significant advocacy efforts in NM and EDX medicine.


Dr. Morren earned his medical degree at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, in his native Trinidad and Tobago. He completed his neurology residency at Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston, Florida, where he recognized the importance of impacting patients beyond those within his practice. Dr. Morren viewed advocacy work as a way to amplify impact. During his neurology residency, he actively sought opportunities to advocate, which led to his attendance at Neurology on the Hill with the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). This experience allowed him to meet the U.S. Congresswoman representing his district and earned him formal recognition from the mayor of his city for his advocacy work during his residency. He then completed a fellowship in NM medicine at Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. During this fellowship, and shortly after, he participated in the AAN’s Palatucci Advocacy Leadership Forum (PALF), first as an advocate and later as an advocate adviser. He has held other advocacy roles in several major organizations, including the National Stroke Association, The ALS Association, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America.


Certified by the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine (ABEM) and American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN), Dr. Morren is currently a staff neurologist at the Neuromuscular Center of the Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. He is the program director of the NM fellowship at Cleveland Clinic and appointed associate professor of neurology at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. As a member of the NM committee of the ABPN, chair of the Professional Practice Committee (PPC) of the AANEM, and a member of the Board of Directors of both the AANEM and the ANF, Dr. Morren demonstrates a multifaceted commitment to advancing the field. His interest in artificial intelligence (AI) is reflected in his advocacy work through clinical, medical research, and educational applications.


Dr. Morren is the recipient of an AI in Medicine grant to further ongoing research of AI in EDX medicine. His most recent advocacy efforts have focused on his work with the AANEM PPC where he has served as a member and, since 2018, as the chairperson. Through the PPC, he has advocated for patients and AANEM members by creating and updating numerous official AANEM position statements on professional standards, quality clinical care and testing, ethical coding and billing practices, and legal and regulatory issues, including measures to prevent fraud and abuse. He is particularly proud of leading the PPC’s AI working group in developing the AANEM’s “Role of AI in NM and EDX Medicine” position statement, released in February 2024. 

Dr. Morren notes the challenges of advocacy work, particularly in encouraging others to participate in efforts that significantly impact patients and providers in NM and EDX medicine, particularly as burnout rises among healthcare professionals. Despite this, he believes the cause is worth the effort and strongly encourages involvement. He advises those interested in advocacy work to, “leave personal interests aside and be motivated to help those who embody your cause, particularly patients who are woefully underserved by the status quo and need someone to fight with and for them.”

Grateful to be an AANEM member, Dr. Morren says he feels the value of advocacy is understood and tangibly supported by the organization and appreciates receiving the AANEM Advocacy Award. “I am most deeply honored to receive this award, especially since this is a recognition from my peers, many of whom are my inspiration for ongoing work in advocacy,” he states. Dr. Morren says this award affirms advocacy efforts, and the support of the many stakeholders in this effort encourages him to continue his work for the cause. He hopes to inspire a new generation of providers to integrate advocacy as an essential professional development component. He would like to see the creation and widespread implementation of formal advocacy curricula in training programs worldwide.