Ronald Cranford

Ronald Eugene Cranford (1941 – May 31, 2006) was a neurologist and expert on comas and unconsciousness. He is best known for his work with families on public cases involving persons in a persistent vegetative state. He and three other doctors were responsible for introducing the "do not resuscitate" order. He worked with the families of such notable cases as the Karen Ann Quinlan case, Paul Brophy, Nancy Cruzan case and Terri Schiavo case.

Early and education Cranford was born in Peoria, Illinois. He earned a bachelor's degree in biology and his medical degree in 1965 from the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. He was a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War.