John Phillips, MD, received his medical training from the University of Wisconsin and completed residency training in pediatrics at the University of New Mexico Children's Hospital, becoming board certified in pediatrics in 1990. After several years as a pediatrician, he completed fellowship training in pediatric neurology and is board certified in neurology with special competence in child neurology. He is currently Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at the University of New Mexico and Medical Director of the MIND (Mental Illness and Neuroscience Discovery) Institute. His expertise and research interests are in functional neuroimaging, pediatric neurorehabilitation, cerebral palsy, spasticity management, and the care of children with special needs in Eastern European orphanages.

Dr. Phillips served for several years on Firefly’s Board of Directors and has made a number of trips to Russia for Firefly to share medical knowledge with his Russian counterparts. His most recent trip was to Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, and St. Petersburg in 2011, where he lectured on modern methods of early intervention and rehabilitation for children with motor disabilities.

Below, John Phillips (second from left) consults with a family at April Rehabilitation Center in Kazan.