John H. J. Wokke, a renowned neurologist died on June 10, 2022 at the age of 69 after a short illness. Wokke, a professor of neurology, was a respected clinician, researcher, and educator. He spent his career at the University Medical Centre in Utrecht, the Netherlands, devoting his professional life to care for neuromuscular patients, to research and to the training of dozens of neurologists.

In 1978, he graduated from the Free University’s medical school in Amsterdam and trained in neurology at the Sint Lucas Ziekenhuis (Hospital) and the Academic Hospital of the Free University in Amsterdam. He became interested in neuromuscular diseases doing research on the neuromuscular junction under the supervision of Professors Frans Jennekens and Willem-Hendrik Gispen in Utrecht. In 1988, he obtained his Doctorate of Philosophy at the University of Utrecht after defending his thesis entitled ‘Remodelling of the human end plate. Histological observations in aging and disease’. He was appointed as consultant in neurology to the Academic Hospital in Utrecht and became a professor of neurology in 1993.

John Wokke was best known for his research on peripheral nerve disorders and motor neuron disease. In 2000, he was awarded the Winkler medal which is given to a Dutch scientist who in the 5 years prior to the award ceremony has made an outstanding contribution to neurological science.

In 2007, Wokke succeeded Professor Jan van Gijn as chair of the Department of Neurology at the University Medical Centre in Utrecht which enabled him to spend much time on training of residents, conveying his passion for neurology, and stimulating them to make their own choices in their areas of interest. As department chair, the training focused mainly on general neurology but neuromuscular diseases remained his favourite topic. This subspecialty was often considered a difficult area for diagnosis because of its heterogeneity. For that reason, he took the initiative to write a book entitled “Neuromuscular Disease: A Case-Based Approach”, richly illustrated with pictures and videos from his own clinical practice and that of his colleagues with whom he collaborated on this project.

John Wokke made major contributions to the neurological community in the Netherlands. In 1996, he was chair of the organising committee of the congress of the European Neurological Society which was held in the Hague, an extraordinary event for the Dutch neurological community. As a member of the Board of Directors and later as President of The Netherlands Society of Neurology, he was instrumental in formulating a new strategy and in establishing training requirements taking into account various developments in society and in neurology. He was a fellow of the American Academy of Neurology, corresponding member of the American Neurological Association, and an honorary member of the Netherlands Society of Neurology.

He retired in 2018 with a public lecture titled “Old school, new school” in which he discussed the role of the neurologist in the transition of health care during the last decades. After his retirement, John was keen on spending more time with his family, gardening, hiking in the mountains and reading history books. Unfortunately, he could only benefit shortly from his leisure time.