Alumni in Medicine: Jonathan Dunn, M.D. ’82

• Obstetrician and Gynecologist, Scripps Clinic Medical Group, San Diego, CA
• M.D. University of Southern California School of Medicine
• B.S. in Biology, Stanford University

Describe your responsibilities and day-to-day work.
A medicine mantra nowadays is ‘shared decision-making,’ which basically means I discuss options for solving medical problems. Tailoring that to each person is the art of medicine – minimally it involves her medical, family, social, financial, belief, and work contexts. My job mostly is to be a knowledgeable, patient counselor, with some technical skills thrown in. I have a varied schedule that, for me, provides a good mix of intellectual and physical work. Most days I am in clinic, and that involves talking with  people sandwiched by prep and follow-up – there is a lot of electronic paperwork. I also do surgeries, where on top of working with my hands I enjoy the collegiality of the OR. Once weekly I take 24-hour in-hospital call and do deliveries, care for non-laboring pregnant women, see gynecologic consults, evaluate ER patients, etc. – the spectrum of ob/gyn care in a kind of predictable (big picture) but also totally unpredictable (day-to-day) way.

What is the most rewarding part of your work?
Gratitude. At times I get to help vulnerable people through important life events and a heartfelt “thank you” makes my soul sing. I feel keenly the honor of sharing sorrow and joy with others which I get to do in a very personal way. It is especially sweet to celebrate good news with couples who previously have experienced heartache, and that is just downright awesome.

How did your passion for medicine/health care begin and were there any specific experiences that had an impact on you?
My course to MD was random, more like a pinball’s path than a passion. I had seven different majors in college and later different jobs in business and education. I decided to go to medical school after some serious soul-searching in my late 20’s – I was volunteering in an ER in Denver and the doc there said, “Don’t go into medicine unless you can’t see yourself doing anything else.” Years later as a medical student I walked out to my car at 10 a.m. after a crazy night on my ob/gyn rotation, thought “Hmm, I  could see myself doing this,” et voilá.

How has your Moorestown Friends education served you in your career and life?
It’s hard to differentiate lessons learned at MFS from principles of living life. MFS taught me that, deep inside, we all have the same needs and wants – an extraordinary knowledge when connecting with others of different sexes, races, religions, sexual  orientations, etc. Lessons learned at MFS have helped me with empathy and consensus-building. The human race faces vastly complex problems right now and to survive it is critical that we have young adults rooted in the values of tolerance, non-violence,  equality, and stewardship provided by a Quaker education. The mission and ethos of MFS give me hope for the future, and I need hope to get out of bed.

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