WALTHAM – Dr. Ronald W. Dunlap, a Norwell resident, has been honored by the Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) with its 2021 Award for Distinguished Service.
The honor, one of the most prestigious given by the Society to one of its members, is awarded each year to a member of the Society who has made significant contributions to the goals of the organization through demonstrated leadership, member recruitment,
and committee work.
A renowned cardiologist and member of MMS since 2000, Dunlap served as the organization’s president in 2013-2014 and provided leadership to the organization as the nation began to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Dunlap previously chaired the medical society’s Committee on Diversity in Medicine, is a former member of the Board of Trustees, a long-time member of its House of Delegates and served on the organization’s Committee on Information technology for nine
years.
“As I think about Dr. Dunlap and the tremendous impact that he has had on physician practices, with his work as MMS President-Elect and President, I appreciate that his efforts and hard work is driven by his overwhelming commitment to patients,” said
Dr. Alice A. Tolbert Coombs, past President of the MMS. “We have witnessed his advocacy both nationally and locally, moving policy in the direction that promotes improved access, better patient quality and optimization of efficiency.”
Dunlap is a graduate of Brown University. He earned his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1973, when he was one of five Black graduates in the class of 1973.
A fellow of the American College of Cardiology, (ACC), Dunlap was a physician with South Shore Cardiology in Weymouth. He also practiced at South Shore Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He was an attending cardiologist at West
Roxbury VA for 13 years, while also doing critical care and emergency department work for multiple Metrowest area hospitals. Dr. Dunlap was an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School for 40 years.
Dr. Dunlap’s career ran concurrent with some major advances in medicine. He was able to participate as a biomedical engineer in research developing the first wireless transmission of EKGs as well as early infant apnea monitors used to assess sudden infant
death syndrome.
He was also the South Shore Hospital’s representative to the American Medical Association’s (AMA) Organized Medical Staff Section. He is the chair of the Massachusetts Medical Society’s Organized Medical Section delegation at the AMA and an AMA delegate.
He served on the AMA’s Commission to End Health Care Disparities for several years. He has been on the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission’s Advisory Council since 2013.
The Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) is the statewide professional association for physicians and medical students, supporting 25,000 members. We are dedicated to educating and advocating for the physicians of Massachusetts and patients locally and nationally. A leadership voice in health care, the MMS contributes physician and patient perspectives to influence health-related legislation at the state and federal levels, works in support of public health, provides expert advice on physician practice management, and addresses issues of physician well-being. Under the auspices of the NEJM Group, the MMS extends our mission globally by advancing medical knowledge from research to patient care through the New England Journal of Medicine, NEJM Catalyst, and the NEJM Journal Watch family of specialty publications, and through our education products for health care professionals: NEJM Knowledge+, NEJM Resident 360, and our accredited and comprehensive continuing medical education programs.
