John Cawley grew up in Indiana, attending Indiana Area High School. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserves as a heavy vehicle operator, receiving and honorable discharge as an E4. Later, he graduated with honors from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. While in college, John completed training as an EMT and Paramedic. He was employed by Citizens' Ambulance Service prior to matriculating to medical school. John earned his medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC, where he was the recipent of the Michael A. Rolnick, MD Award, graduating as the top medical student in emergency medicine. Subsequently, John completed an internship in internal medicine at the Hospitals of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a residency in emergency medicine at UCLA in Los Angeles, California. He became board certified in emergency medicine by the American Board of Emergency Medicine. He also holds fellowship status in the American College of Emergency Medicine.

John returned to Pennsylvania to practice medicine at the Indiana Regional Medical Center, where he was employed as an attending physician in the emergency department. John then earned a master’s degree in health care management from Harvard University School of Public Health and was appointed as the Assistant Director of Emergency Services at IRMC, eventually becoming the Director of Emergency Services. While at IRMC, he attended the evening division of the Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, graduating with honors. While in law school, John was a member of the Duquesne University Law Review and published a case note on the constitutionality of Ketucky's process for lethal injection. He was also a co-author on a published article from the criminology department of IUP entitled, Seach Warrant Alert Medical Procedure (SWAMP): Police and Emergency Department Joint Response. After obtaining his law license, John became the In-house Counsel for IRMC. He was also the managing member of Cawley & Ludwig, LLC, a private practice law firm in Indiana.

John is currently completing his master's degree in finance at the Johns Hopkins University School of Business in Baltimore, MD. He recently joined the Ludwig, Cawley & Tomb as he returns to the practice of law, primarily focusing his practice in the areas of business, real property, wills, estates & trusts and elder law.

​