Dr. Nancy E. Dunlap
Reflecting on her diverse and accomplished career as a pulmonologist, scientist, health care administrator, and policy advisor, Nancy E. Dunlap, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., traces the foundations of her success to the guidance, inspiration, and support she received from faculty mentors during her postgraduate medical education at UAB.
“These mentors took the time and interest to teach and inspire the next generation of clinicians and scientists,” she says. “My gift to the Alumni Campaign is a way to give back to UAB while honoring their commitment.”
In acknowledgement of the contributions of four faculty members whose dedication and mentoring roles helped to shape her career, Dr. Dunlap and her husband, John D. Johns, have made a significant gift commitment to the Pulmonary Faculty Development Endowment in the UAB Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine. The gift is made in honor of her most influential mentors: Ben V. Branscomb, M.D.; J. Durwood Bradley, M.D.; William C. Bailey, M.D.; and Dick D. Briggs Jr., M.D.
“I completed my internship, residency, and fellowship at UAB, so it’s home to me,” says Dr. Dunlap. “UAB gave me tremendous opportunities through the faculty mentors I was privileged to have. Each of these individuals contributed something unique that helped to lay the foundation for success and fulfillment in my career.”
In a career marked with distinction, Dr. Dunlap has provided expertise in diverse areas ranging from pulmonary medicine and epidemiology to health care administration and national health care policy. A former dean of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, she previously worked with the National Governors Association as Physician-in-Residence and on the Committee on Energy and Commerce in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellow, where she worked on the reauthorization of FDA legislation and issues related to Medicare, Medicaid, public health, and insurance.
Dr. Dunlap also served for 10 years as the medical director for the Alabama Department of Public Health Tuberculosis Program and previously held positions as chief of staff, vice president for Ambulatory Services, and chief operating officer of The Kirklin Clinic at UAB. In addition to holding current faculty positions at UVA in Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health Sciences, Dr. Dunlap continues her work in health policy with the National Governors Association and the Institute of Medicine in Washington, D.C.
When considering the most meaningful type of gift for the Alumni Campaign, she says discussions with medical faculty during her career served as a guidepost. “In talks with other faculty members throughout the years, they often expressed a feeling of being ‘stuck’ once their clinical training had ended. While patient care was rewarding, they had a desire for opportunities to continue growing and developing as clinicians, researchers, and scientists.”
Dr. Dunlap adds that providing funds for the Pulmonary Faculty Development Endowment is an important way to give faculty members an opportunity for career enrichment, which might include sponsoring speakers and educational symposia as well as assisting with the cost to obtain advanced degrees or other continuing education. “Patient care is demanding, and providing faculty with an outlet for continued learning and career development helps to increase their fulfillment and overall job satisfaction—helping us to retain the best and brightest at UAB.”
She views her gift as not only an acknowledgement of her mentors’ contributions, but also as a way to ensure that upcoming generations of medical leaders continue to benefit from the same type of faculty support and dedication that made such a difference for her. “Philanthropic giving to the School of Medicine gives you an opportunity to invest in the future,” she says. “Being able to specify where your gift is used allows you to be thoughtful about the area in which you want to make an impact.”