Dr. John Eng, Vice Chair for Faculty Academic Development, was recently installed as the inaugural recipient of the Bronwyn Jones, M.D. Professorship during a ceremony held at Johns Hopkins University. 

Leadership and faculty from Johns Hopkins University, the School of Medicine, and the Department of Radiology, gathered to recognize the contributions of both radiologists. 

Family members of Dr. Eng were also on hand to celebrate the occasion. Several family members of Dr. Jones, including her niece Joanne Carson and several family members of Dr. Jones’ late husband, Dr. Warwick Morison, including Kim Morison, also attended virtually from Australia.  

Among members of leadership present for the ceremony were Dr. Landon King, Executive Vice Dean of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; Ron Daniels, president of Johns Hopkins University; Dr. Karen Horton, chair of the Department of Radiology; and Dr. Jonathan Lewin, former chair of the Department of Radiology. 

Dr. Landon King, Executive Vice Dean of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, reflected on Dr. Jones’ legacy.

Endowed professorships are among the highest honors a faculty member can receive. In addition to recognizing exemplary careers, endowed professorships play a pivotal role in advancing knowledge and innovation. They are instrumental in supporting trailblazing research into lifesaving methods and treatments.

Trailblazing is something Bronwyn Jones did well. Born in Australia, she came to Johns Hopkins in 1981. She quickly established herself as one of the preeminent gastrointestinal radiologists in a largely male-dominated field, eventually becoming the first female full professor of radiology (and 28th female professor) at Johns Hopkins.  

In addition to breaking new ground as a female radiologist, Dr. Jones was a well-known expert in swallowing disorders, authoring more than 120 peer-reviewed articles and offering scientific presentations worldwide. She worked to further promote research into swallowing disorders by founding and leading the Dysphasia Research Society (and its accompanying journal). During her career, she earned many awards, including the 2007 Society of GI Radiology Canon Medal. In 2010, the American Board of Radiology honored her with the Distinguished Service Award. In 2015, the American Board of Radiology presented her with its Lifetime Service Award, and in 2016 she received the Dysphasia Research Society Gold Medal.

Dr. Jones’ commitment to her work and Johns Hopkins continued even after her 2015 retirement with the establishment of the Bronwyn Jones, M.D. Professorship. As befits her pioneering nature, it is the first professorship named for a female radiology faculty member. 

Dr. Karen Horton, chair of the Department of Radiology, recalled Dr. Jones in her remarks during the event.  


Dr. Jonathan Lewin, former chair of the Department of Radiology, delivered remarks.

“She was a valued faculty member and a colleague, and also my personal mentor. Several years ago, Dr. Jones and I discussed establishing this professorship, and she and I looked forward to the day when we could celebrate it together,” Dr. Horton said, her voice heavy with emotion. “Unfortunately, Bronwyn passed away unexpectedly in 2022. I'm just heartbroken that she couldn't be here today to celebrate.” In his remarks, Dr. King reflected on Dr. Jones’ legacy, noting, “Dr. Jones was a mentor and role model to many women trailblazing their own paths in historically male-dominated fields, as well as a source of guidance and counsel to many in the department.” 

Dr. Lewin echoed this sentiment while adding, “She did serve as a role model, certainly for women in the department and aspiring women radiologists and academics, but also for the men in the department because she was such an expert, such a rigorous scientist.” 

Many of the speakers noted that Dr. Eng shares this spirit of intellectual curiosity and scientific rigor.  

“Like Bronwyn, John made his mark here the moment he arrived at Hopkins more than 30 years ago,” Daniels reflected.  

Dr. Eng began his career at Johns Hopkins as a resident before going on to fellowship and, eventually, joining the faculty. An expert in the statistical analysis of diagnostic radiology tests and clinical informatics, Dr. Eng works with departments across Johns Hopkins and has published work on topics including pulmonary embolism, contrast-inducted nephropathy, cardiac MRI and more.

“Underlying each of these groundbreaking Innovations is a similarly rigorous attention to detail and ability to bring disparate pieces together into a complex yet cohesive infrastructure,” Daniels noted. 

“Like Bronwyn, John draws on these attributes to convene experts from disparate disciplines as they chart new frontiers,” he said. Turning to Dr. Eng, he added, “John, we're delighted for you to carry forward Bron's legacy of systematic research mentorship and Innovation with joy and zeal.” 

In his remarks, Dr. Eng reflected on Dr. Jones’ impact on his own career. Dr. Jones was among the first faculty members Dr. Eng worked with a resident. Now, he carries on her legacy through her endowed professorship.  

“It's sort of a completion of a full circle,” he said.  

“My first rotation as a first-year Hopkins Radiology resident was GI [Gastroenterology], and she was my attending the first day,” he recalled, continuing, “Today most of my resident teaching is with first-year residents, so I'm among the first attendings that they work with when they get here.” 

 Dr. Eng also expressed how seriously he takes his role as the inaugural recipient. 

“Professorships are often associated with the word ‘legacy,’ but the weird part is that the legacy is not defined by the professorship; it's defined by the recipient,” he said. “The recipient is trusted to define the legacy, so it's extremely humbling and daunting to think that I am responsible for starting the legacy of the Bronwyn Jones Professorship.” 

Part of that legacy will include supporting Dr. Eng’s work studying the generalizability of artificial intelligence algorithms in radiology – a fitting tribute to a trailblazing scientist. 

“The professorship is going to support work that was essentially unimaginable when Bronwyn thought about the professorship,” Dr. Eng expressed, concluding, “Who knows what incredible unimaginable thing the 15th or 20th Jones Professor will be doing 100 years from now.”