Modeling Excellence: Dr. Michael Dunlap named 2026 recipient of Jon Daniel Teaching Award
Introduction
When Dr. Michael Dunlap, ’92 first joined the UIC College of Dentistry faculty ranks in 1993, he held a straightforward, yet ambitious goal: to serve as a positive role model for the college’s students.
“Somone who could teach them how to be a dental professional as well as a person showing genuine empathy for others,” said Dunlap, clinical assistant professor and managing partner in restorative dentistry.
Across multiple decades, Dunlap has remained committed to that precise goal – never wavering, never reversing course and never shrinking from the challenge.
“People always tell me times change,” Dunlap said, “but I’ve remained who I am.”
Dunlap’s steadfast commitment to pairing competent care with an earnest willingness to connect with others has positioned scores of UIC dental students to enter the profession with the necessary skills and perspectives to succeed. It also earned Dunlap the college’s highest teaching honor.
In April, the UIC College of Dentistry named Dunlap the 2026 recipient of the Jon Daniel Teaching Award. Honoring the life and career of Dr. Jon C. Daniel, a longtime Department of Oral Biology faculty member who passed away in 2009, the Jon Daniel Teaching Award is presented to one college faculty member each year for exemplary contributions to the learning of UIC dental students.
“It’s extraordinary to receive an award bearing Dr. Daniel’s name because I placed him on the highest pedestal,” said Dunlap, who was a student of Daniel’s before the two became faculty colleagues at UIC. “He was a supremely intelligent, wonderful instructor who was always pushing students to better.”
Borrowing from his mentors
A longtime clinical instructor at the college who also operated a private practice on the city’s South Side until 2019, Dunlap has served as the managing partner of the Pre-Doctoral Group Practice Bach Clinic since 2013.
In his work with students, Dunlap borrows heavily from UIC teachers who inspired him. Dr. Mohammad H. Mohammadi from the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, for instance, openly discussed his early struggles with humility and how that shaped a more compassionate chairside manner. Meanwhile, Dr. Mario Alves, a professor in periodontics who played an instrumental role in launching and operating the Ryan White Clinic to serve individuals with HIV/AIDS, provided Dunlap an example of a dentist deeply committed to treating patients with respect and dignity.
“I had so many teachers who touched my life, but Dr. Mohammadi and Dr. Alves were just two at UIC who influenced the way I wanted to interact with students and what I wanted students to see in me,” said Dunlap, who also led the college’s Urban Health Program from 1994-2000.
To be certain, Dunlap follows the lead of Mohammadi and Alves in his work with students at the Bach Clinic. In addition to teaching students evidence-based oral care, Dunlap encourages students to be open and honest with patients, so many of whom arrive in the chair afraid or anxious. Dunlap models how to be a calming presence and offers students pragmatic guidance on how to forge sincere connections with patients.
“People are putting their trust in you, so if you show concern and share straightforward information, they will appreciate you. It’s what I encourage the students to do and what I try to display myself, too,” said Dunlap, who received the Department of Restorative Dentistry’s James W. Buckman Faculty Award in 2023. That honor is presented annually to a department faculty member demonstrating inspirational excellence, caring and long-term commitment.
A positive force for students
Former students celebrate Dunlap’s composed demeanor and his supportive ways.
Dr. Ruchi Naik DMD ’24, an endodontic resident who will be returning after graduation to teach part-time in the college’s undergraduate urgent care clinic, spent her final two years of dental school working in the Bach Clinic under Dunlap’s charge. Naik said Dunlap’s emotional intelligence and lighthearted nature created a comfortable environment for students to ask questions and learn.
“Dr. Dunlap never put himself above students and he allowed you to be vulnerable talking about challenges or struggles you were encountering as a student,” Naik said. “In talking with Dr. Dunlap, I always felt like I was with a friend or colleague. He was accessible, approachable and kind.”
Like Naik, Dr. LaFonte’ Krushall DMD ’26 similarly spent her final two years of dental school training in the Bach Clinic. She described Dunlap as a warm, energetic teacher invested in shaping the next generation of professional dentists.
“Dr. Dunlap will hold you to the highest standard and he brings so much joy and encouragement into the clinic,” Krushall said. “He is someone I look up to and someone who inspires me to be my very best.”
In the Bach Clinic, Dunlap promotes smiles and humor and actively talks to students about matters beyond dentistry, so they feel seen and valued. With intention and sincerity, he works to create an environment in which students sharpen their technical skills but also understand the value of personal connection, which he considers vital to practice and patient care.
“I love taking raw material and molding the students into competent and caring dental clinicians,” Dunlap said. “It’s what drives me every day as a teacher.”
