Gary L. Dunnington, MD

Gary Dunnington, MD, joined the IU School of Medicine faculty in August of 2012 where he served as chair for the Department of Surgery and as the Gary L. Jay L. Grosfeld Professor through 2021. He received his MD degree from IU School of Medicine and completed his surgical training at the University of Arizona. Dr. Dunnington came to IU School of Medicine after 15 years at the University of Southern Illinois where he served as both professor and chair of surgery. Prior to SIU, he was an associate professor of surgery and senior associate dean for academic affairs at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. 

Dr. Dunnington's area of clinical practice is surgical oncology with a focus in breast and endocrine disease. He has developed two multidisciplinary breast centers, first the University of Southern California Norris Breast Center and then The Breast Center at Southern Illinois University where he served as medical director for both. He has served as principle or co-investigator on research projects totaling more than $5.6 million, and has more than 125 peer-reviewed publications. 

Dr. Dunnington has received a total of 19 institutional teaching awards. He was named Outstanding Faculty Teacher of the Year nine times at four institutions, including the 2010 Outstanding Faculty Teacher of the Year award for the SIU School of Medicine and the 2011 Outstanding Faculty Teacher of the Year award at the university level. He also received the AOA Robert Glazer Distinguished Teacher award from the AAMC in 2010. 

Dr. Dunnington is a former president of the Association for Surgical Education and was honored with the 1999 Distinguished Educator award from the organization. He is one of five founding faculty of the ACS Surgeons as Educators course and served as a faculty member for 15 years. He has been a visiting professor of education to departments of surgery in nearly one-half of the medical schools across the United States.