11/15/2014    Richard T. Braver, DPM

The Passing of John Durkin, DPM

John Francis Durkin also known as “JD” was a
sports podiatrist in the suburbs of Chicago,
Illinois who recently passed away. He graduated
from the University of Illinois, where he ran
track and afterward graduated from the Illinois
College of Podiatric Medicine. He was Board
Certified by the American Board of Podiatric
Surgery and was a fellow of the American Academy
of Podiatric Sports Medicine.

Dr. Durkin was my mentor, with whom I completed a
podiatric sports medicine fellowship. While
working under him, we treated great athletes like
Sebastian Coe, Jim Spivey and Craig Virgin in
addition to taking care of many other fine
Olympic, Collegiate and High School runners.

Dr. Durkin always performed a thorough
biomechanical exam and taught me the value of
looking at the entire structure in treating the
patient’s condition. In fact, we performed
biomechanical studies at Michigan Technological
University in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan that
verified forefoot varus postings on orthotics
really help reduce shin pain in aerobic
activities. He was also a big advocate of
podiatric taping to control the foot thereby
reducing strain to the structures above.

Most importantly, he taught me to treat each
patient, as I would my own family member, as
ethically as possible, and in return, the rewards
will come. I still abide by his philosophy and I
am sure many of the other podiatric students and
colleagues who knew him were greatly influenced by
all of his brilliance, energy and skills. He truly
was the best sports podiatrist I have known.

Richard T. Braver, DPM, Fair Lawn, NJ

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