Determined to make a positive difference in the world, Lisa Dunkle set her sights on the world of medicine. She particularly wanted to help kids with problems no one knew how to solve. In pursuit of her goals, Dr. Dunkle obtained a Bachelor of Arts from Wellesley College in 1968 and an MD from Johns Hopkins University in 1972. She also earned diplomas from the National Board of Medical Examiners, the American Board of Pediatrics, the American Board of Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases, and the Pediatrics Infectious Disease Society.
Degrees in hand, Dr. Dunkle set out to make her mark on the field. She started by garnering experience in roles like intern, resident in pediatrics, and fellow of infectious diseases at Washington University, after which she joined the staff of St. Louis University. During her time there, she served the institution as an assistant professor of pediatrics, associate professor of pediatrics, associate professor of microbiology, and professor of pediatrics. Dr. Dunkle left in 1989 to become the director of antiviral clinical research at Bristol-Myers Squibb. She really proved herself at the organization, so she was promoted to executive director of HIV clinical research in 1995 and executive director of antiviral clinical research in 1997. She then became the cofounder and senior vice president of drug development for Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., the executive director of global clinical research at Schering-Plough, and the executive director of ID Clinical Research. Today, Dr. Dunkle is lending her skills to her position as the chief medical officer of the Protein Science Corporation. She has been there since 2011.
Dr. Dunkle considers her greatest achievement to be the identification of the plasmid-mediated gene responsible for surface adhesion of S. aureus. She is also proud of receiving approval for her HIV antiviral drug, ZERIT, from the Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Evaluation Agency. To share her findings, Dr. Dunkle has published numerous articles in professional journals, and served as a member of the editorial board of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal for many years. Analyzing and writing up data is one of her favorite parts of the job; she finds it very rewarding.
When Dr. Dunkle isn’t working, she enjoys sailing and piano.