M.D., M.S.
Hematologist Oncologist; Associate Clinical Professor of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
The experience of being diagnosed with any type of blood disorder, including blood cancer, is really difficult. I try to approach each visit as I would want for myself or my family – with compassion and preparedness.
University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, KS
Internal Medicine – Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH
Hematology – National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Center, Bethesda, MD
Master of Science in Clinical Research – Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC
Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation
Hematology – American Board of Internal Medicine
Neil Dunavin, MD, MS, is an Associate Clinical Professor of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation at City of Hope® Cancer Center Chicago. A board-certified hematologist, Dr. Dunavin has expertise in diagnosing and treating blood cancers and non-cancer blood disorders, including leukemia, myelodysplastic syndromes, aplastic anemia, lymphoma and myeloma, as well as in performing stem cell transplants and cellular therapies.
“I try to go into every patient visit fully prepared and to push to get things done for my patients,” Dr. Dunavin says. “Blood cancer care changes every year, so we are always incorporating new advances, from upfront immunotherapy for leukemias to new drugs based on molecular markers.”
Inspired to pursue a career in medicine in part by his mother’s role as a nurse, Dr. Dunavin himself started working in hospitals at the age of 16. After college, he earned his medical degree from the University of Kansas School of Medicine, then completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at The Ohio State University (OSU) Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, where he served as chief resident. He completed his training with a fellowship in hematology at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Research Center in Bethesda, Maryland, where he was chief fellow, and also earned a master’s in science in clinical research from Duke University School of Medicine.
At the hospital, Dr. Dunavin diagnoses and treats a wide range of hematologic malignancies, including acute and chronic leukemias, myeloproliferative neoplasms, myelodysplastic syndromes, bone marrow failure syndromes and rare blood diseases, and he has expertise in performing stem cell transplantation and other cellular therapies for blood disorders.
Dr. Dunavin is a member of and has served on committees for organizations including the American Society of Hematology and the American Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation. He has received awards for his teaching, has published multiple peer-reviewed articles in his field and has given lectures on his research and work across the country.
Outside of City of Hope, Dr. Dunavin has participated in multiple international outreach efforts, including medical missions in Kenya. In his free time, he enjoys reading, cooking, spending time with his family and swimming.