May 5, 2017
New Braunfels retired radiologist
Joel Dunnington, MD, is the 2017 Texas Medical Association (TMA) Young at Heart
Award recipient. Doctors from the TMA Young Physician Section presented the
award to him during TexMed, TMA’s annual conference, today in Houston.
The Young
Physician Section (YPS), a group of TMA physicians
under the age of 40 or in their first eight years of medical practice, chose
Dr. Dunnington for his commitment to helping young physicians become tomorrow’s
leaders in the association, and for inspiring them to speak out for the health
of all Texans.
“I am honored to accept
this award from the YPS,” said Dr. Dunnington, who together with fellow
physician James Rohack, MD, created the section and served on its inaugural
executive council. “We believed that the YPS could serve as a vehicle for two
groups of physicians to gain entry to organized medicine and TMA. They were
those Texas resident physicians who had not been active in TMA, and medical
students who had been active, but had left the state for residency and were now
coming back home. I believe we made a good decision. The YPS has produced many
leaders.”
Dr. Dunnington retired from
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where he was tenured
professor of diagnostic radiology in the Department of Radiology. In his 26
years at MD Anderson, Dr. Dunnington worked closely with the institution’s
Cancer Prevention Training Program and helped make MD Anderson one of the first
universities to prohibit receiving research funding from tobacco companies. An antitobacco
activist, Dr. Dunnington has forged a lifetime commitment to tobacco control
that includes developing tobacco-related policies for TMA and the American
Medical Association (AMA), chairing the Great American Smokeout for the Houston
metro area, and serving in American Cancer Society leadership positions at the local
and state level. Following his years of effort with the Houston and Fort Bend
County smoke-free coalitions, both Houston and Sugar Land became smoke-free
cities. Recently Dr. Dunnington helped pass a smoke-free ordinance in his
current hometown of New Braunfels.
“Dr. Dunnington is the
consummate advocate both for participation in organized medicine and advocacy,”
said Lindsay Botsford, MD, YPS member and the physician who nominated Dr. Dunnington.
“He has encouraged students, residents, and young physicians alike to get
involved with TMA and AMA throughout his career. Most importantly, his passion
for antitobacco issues and advocacy skills have been a model for young
physicians who continue to see public health issues and leading change as
essential for continued involvement in organized medicine.”
Dr. Dunnington has been
active in organized medicine at the local, state, and national levels since the
beginning of his career. He was the first student member on the TMA Board of
Trustees; served as a member of the TMA House of Delegates (the association’s
policymaking body); and was a member of numerous councils and committees,
including TMA’s Council on Public Health, Council on Constitution and Bylaws,
and Committee on Cancer. TMA and other organizations previously honored Dr. Dunnington
for mentoring young and aspiring physicians and for his work on tobacco control.
The TMA Medical Student Section awarded Dr. Dunnington the C. Frank Webber, MD,
Award in 1992 and again in 2010 for his commitment to mentoring medical
students. The TMA Foundation, TMA’s philanthropic arm, named Dr. Dunnington a
Health Leader honoree in 2011. He also received the Tobacco-Free Texas Award,
Lifetime Achievement, from the American Cancer Society in 2004, and the
Margaret and James A. Elkins Jr. Faculty Achievement Award in Cancer Prevention
from MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2003.
Dr. Dunnington has a bachelor
of science degree in chemistry/biology from Angelo State University and a
medical degree from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
(UT Health). He completed his internship at Texas Tech University Health
Sciences Center and residency at UT Health.
TMA is the largest state medical society in the nation,
representing more than 50,000 physician and medical student members. It is
located in Austin and has 110 component county medical societies around the
state. TMA’s key objective since 1853 is to improve the health of all Texans.
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Contact: Brent Annear (512) 370-1381; cell: (512) 656-7320; email: brent.annear[at]texmed[dot]org
Marcus Cooper (512)
370-1382; cell: (512) 650-5336; email: marcus.cooper[at]texmed[dot]org
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