Winter 2008

A job well done

Leaving a legacy that includes significant growth in research productivity and reputation, Michael J. Dunn, MD, will bid farewell to the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Office of the Dean in May.

Michael J. Dunn, MD '62, receives the dean's medallion from College President and CEO T. Michael Bolger, JD, after being installed as dean in 1995. His 13-year tenure is one of the longest in the nation of current medical school deans.

Class represented in this story: '62

When Michael J. Dunn, MD ’62, announced last January that he would step down as dean and executive vice president once a successor was found, the Medical College of Wisconsin community concerned itself with two pressing questions: 1) Who will the College find to replace a dean of Dr. Dunn’s caliber? 2) Will Dr. Dunn still choose the wine for Medical College social events?

The first question has been answered. Jonathan I. Ravdin, MD, will join the Medical College on May 5 as dean and executive vice president (see page 4). The second remains to be seen, but his talented palate is just one of the many qualities Dr. Dunn brought to the College as a first-time dean more than a decade ago.

Often wearing a calm, yet determined, expression above his signature bow ties, Dr. Dunn has steadily enhanced the national reputation and productivity of the Medical College during 13 years in the dean’s office. He has provided consistent leadership as the campus has grown in both stature and size. Throughout, he has maintained the sense of urgency that nourishes excellence in a highly competitive national environment and has positioned the institution for future success through creative and strategic pursuit of the College’s missions.

“Dr. Dunn’s vision, insights and knowledge of academic medicine and biomedical research have guided the Medical College for more than a decade,” said President and CEO T. Michael Bolger, JD, who appointed Dr. Dunn as dean in 1995 following a national search and committee recommendation. “His positive impact on this institution will be felt for many years to come.”

With a tenure marked by significant programmatic and physical growth, Dr. Dunn wrought some changes immediately, while other efforts carry on through this day. Nearly upon joining the institution, he determined that the former combined Clinical Practice Group for the College and affiliate hospitals was not viable. He overhauled it, creating two divisions within a single group – the Medical College Physicians for the adult practice and the Children’s Specialty Group for the Pediatric practice, both of which continue to grow annually in personnel and revenue.

This change helped drive growth in the College’s primary commitment of medical and graduate education as well as one of Dr. Dunn’s major priorities throughout this era – biomedical research. He notes that the health of the medical school is inextricably linked to the health of the clinical practices.
“The rapid growth of the clinical practices has cemented the realization that the most profitable thing we do is practice medicine, and that profit, when plowed back into the academic exercise, fuels the educational process and the research process,” he said.

Michael J. Dunn, MD ’62, (left) participates in the January 2007 ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Medical College’s Translational and Biomedical Research Center, a signature event in Dr. Dunn’s tenure as dean. Also involved (L-R) are College Board Chairman Steven J. Smith; Trustee and Assistant Adjunct Professor of Bioethics and Pediatrics Julia A. Uihlein, MA ’99;  and College President and CEO T. Michael Bolger, JD

While growth has abounded on campus, two extremely significant facilities have been constructed during Dr. Dunn’s leadership that have played enormous roles in the expansion of the Medical College’s research infrastructure. The Health Research Center opened in 1998, and the Translational and Biomedical Research Center opened in 2007.

“It has been my goal to advance the school in its academic standing nationwide, and there’s only one really good way to do that, and that is to expand the research, expand the publications that are seen nationally, and to expand the research support from the National Institutes of Health,” Dr. Dunn said.

In his acceptance speech following his appointment, Dr. Dunn set the goal of the College moving into the top third of U.S. medical schools in research productivity. At the time, the College was ranked in the mid to upper 50s of 125 schools. Reaching the upper third today would require a ranking of 41st or 42nd. As it stands, the College has maintained stable rankings in recent years in the mid-40s, showing significant improvement with room remaining to advance and set even more ambitious goals. Research is currently about $130 million of the College’s budget, the second-largest item after clinical practice, and Dr. Dunn believes in the school’s thorough commitment to research.

“Research success is the national currency on which you build your reputation,” he said. “In Cleveland or Baltimore or Boston or San Francisco, they don’t know how well we educate our students, and there’s no way of measuring that. They don’t know how good we are in the clinical practice. They know precisely how much research money we have and what our NIH ranking is.”

Another aspect of Dr. Dunn’s legacy as dean must be his emphasis on the concept of centers, especially pertaining to research. Many of the investments he made on behalf of the Medical College have been through the collaborative enterprise of centers, which cultivate intellectual synergy by virtue of faculty with like interests pooling their knowledge toward common goals.

“Historically, schools have operated through departments, and their research has been departmental. We’ve emphasized centers, not to fly in the face of departments or to compete with them, but to provide a home for departmental faculty when they do their research,” said Dr. Dunn, who has overseen establishment of many interdisciplinary centers, including the Human and Molecular Genetics Center, the Biotechnology & Bioengineering Center and the Center for Biopreparedness and Infectious Diseases.

This approach has proven prescient as clinical providers begin to embrace a similar philosophy, including Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin, which opens its clinical cancer center this year.

Neither centers nor departments are significant without talented people in charge, and Dr. Dunn counts among his most rewarding moments as dean the opportunity to recruit quality chairmen, center directors and senior associate deans. He is also proud of the College’s mission of community engagement and the greater involvement the school now has with projects in the community. Through the first three funding cycles of the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin endowment, the College has committed $17 million to its Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program to fund 78 public and community health projects.

As Dr. Dunn leaves behind the rigors of deaning, of moments both gratifying and stressful, he does so with full confidence that he gave his maximum effort to bettering the Medical College.

“I think that the school has benefited from my ideas, and I’m pretty much out of ideas, and it’s time for the school to participate in the self-renewal that comes with a change in leadership,” he said. “I think 13 years is enough, and I couldn’t achieve much more staying any longer. Realistically, though I like the job, I don’t think I’m going to miss it. I’m ready for the next phase. I am leaving voluntarily, and so it feels good.”

The next phase does not involve riding off into the sunset, though Dr. Dunn may have the chance to soak in a few more during beach vacations. On most days, however, he will remain at the College full time as Distinguished Professor of Medicine and of Physiology. He expects to be active in clinical research and perhaps in teaching.

For certain, he will lead the Translational Research and Resource Office for the College’s new Clinical and Translational Science Institute (See Dean’s Message, page 2). In this role, Dr. Dunn will work with young clinical-scientists as they start their research careers. He will help them navigate the regulatory maze for approval of human research, approval of animal research, identification of collaborators and the search for funding. He may also explore his interest in intellectual property and technology transfer.

The additional personal time he will gain by retiring the dean post may be spent in pursuit of any number of his interests, including biking, international travel, or taking time with his wife, Pat, to visit their children spread across the country. Even the opportunity to read will be a welcome novelty.

“Intellectual life is circumscribed as dean by the administrative detail,” Dr. Dunn said. “I look forward to having that time.”

Interview podcast
Listen to Dr. Dunn discuss his career as dean in his own words.