John Lawrence received his M.D. from the University of Virginia in 1921. After conducting his residency training at Massachusetts General Hospital, Lawrence became the second Chief Resident in Medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He later became Associate Professor and Chief of Hematology at the University of Rochester School of Medicine in 1929. In 1947, Dr. Lawrence was appointed Chair of Medicine at the new UCLA School of Medicine. From the time of his appointment until his assumption of emeritus status in 1963, Lawrence played a pivotal role in the development of the new UCLA medical school.