John Barr, M.D.

Biography

John Barr, M.D., FACR, is a Professor of Radiology at UT Southwestern Medical Center and a member of its Neuroradiology Division, with a secondary appointment as a Professor of Neurological Surgery. He serves as Chief Radiology Officer at Parkland Hospital. His clinical interests include neuro-interventional radiology.

Dr. Barr began studying chemistry at Northwestern University in Chicago before earning his bachelor’s degree in engineering science at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He remained to earn both his medical degree, and to complete his residency in radiology training at the University of Virginia Hospital. He received advanced training through fellowship programs in vascular and interventional radiology, as well as in in diagnostic and interventional neuroradiology, at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. 

Prior to joining the UT Southwestern faculty in 2014, Dr. Barr served as Chief of Neuroradiology at Pennsylvania State University in Hershey, Pennsylvania; as Chief of Interventional Neuroradiology at Baptist Memorial Hospitals in Memphis; and as Medical Director of Neurointerventional Surgery at Scripps Health in San Diego. He also served as the Director of Interventional Neuroradiology at LIR Neurointerventional Medical Group and as President and Co-founder of the California Center for Neurointerventional Surgery.

A career marked by service

Dr. Barr focuses his research on endovascular treatment of stroke and other cerebrovascular disorders, image-guided percutaneous spinal surgeries, and development of novel infection prevention systems. He pioneered the treatment of ischemic stroke using catheters to directly remove blood clots from the brain. The technique revolutionized not only the treatment of ischemic stroke, but also the treatment of cerebral aneurysms, vascular malformations, and arteriovenous fistulae.

His work has resulted in more than 80 original research articles, and more than 300 presentations throughout the United States and around the world.

Dr. Barr is a member of numerous UT Southwestern committees, including the Comprehensive Spine Center Committee, the Stroke Center Committee and the Stroke Treatment Protocol Committee. At Parkland, he chairs the Radiology Performance Improvement Committee and is a member of the Quality of Care and Patient Safety Committee. At the national level, he chairs the Clinical Practice Committee of the American Society of Spine Radiology (ASSR), for which he also serves as a member of the Executive Committee. 

In addition to his active participation in the ASSR, Dr. Barr is also a member of national and international professional organizations including the Radiological Society of North America, the American Society of Neuroradiology, the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Neurovascular Coalition, the Charles W. Kerber Society, the Texas Medical Association, and the Dallas County Medical Society. He is also a Fellow of the American Heart Association, the American College of Radiology, and the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery, for which he serves as a member of the Clinical Practice Committee, Standards of Practice Committee, and the Technology Assessment Committee. Since 2000, he has served as a member of the Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves for the American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

Dr. Barr is a reviewer for scientific journals including the American Journal of Neuroradiology, Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery, Neurographics, Stroke, Circulation, British Medical Journal, and the World Journal of Surgical Oncology.