By Rebecca Billman
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Mr. Dunn

FLORENCE, Ind. - Derek Dunn, acting associate director for science for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and captain in the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) died Friday from complications of surgery. The Florence, Ind., resident was 56.

During his 23 years with the USPHS, Capt. Dunn, a Cincinnati native, made outstanding contributions to the prevention of occupational hearing loss as well as to the development of other scientists through his mentoring.

Capt. Dunn wrote several publications on the etiology of noise-induced hearing loss and prevention of occupational hearing loss. In addition to serving as acting associate director of NIOSH, he served as section and branch chief, division associate director for science and division director.

In 1998, he moved to Washington to serve as executive assistant, working in the office of the U.S. Surgeon General. He received more than 20 awards for his work, including the USPHS Meritorious Service Medal, the Surgeon General's Exemplary Service Medal and NIOSH-Cincinnati Supervisor of the Year award.

Capt. Dunn was a two-term member of the Scientist Professional Advisory Committee and served as its chairman in 1991. He was named scientist category chief professional officer by the Surgeon General in 1995. In that capacity, he was instrumental in developing the Scientist Handbook, the Centers for Disease Control mentoring program, mentor and leadership training seminars and the USPHS bicentennial calendar.

In 2001 he was selected USPHS career scientist of the year.

Capt. Dunn was on several committees of the Commissioned Officer Association (COA) and on the national board of directors. Last August, he was given the 2002 Robert Brutsche Award, the highest COA service award.

One of Capt. Dunn's passions was mentoring students, scientists and officers. For the past several years, he was the primary liaison to the IMHOTEP program, personally overseeing recruitment and matching of minority students to summer organizations in Cincinnati.

He was a past organization head for the Boy Scouts of America Explorer Unit, served on the Cincinnati Memorial Center Board of Directors and was past president of the Cincinnati Chapter of the Acoustical Society of America.

Capt. Dunn held bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Cincinnati. In 1972 he was the first recipient of a doctorate in UC's new speech and hearing program. He later completed a postdoctoral fellowship in electron microscopy and cochlear morphology at Ohio State University and was a guest researcher at Sweden's University of Lund.

He was an organizer of the UC College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Association, serving on its first board, its executive council and as president. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the department of communication sciences and disorders in 1989 and from the College of Arts and Sciences in 1992.

Capt. Dunn served as an adjunct professor at UC and Miami University and developed collaborative programs between UC and NIOSH. The University of Cincinnati Alumni Association gave him the Award for Distinguished Service in 2001.

He was an avid collector of jazz recordings, held a pilot's license and was an excellent marksman.

Survivors include: Jean Callahan, his companion of 34 years; a sister, Melody Sparks; and two brothers, Kenneth and Philip Dunn.

A private funeral was held. Arrangements for memorial service in Cincinnati in January are pending.

E-mail rbillman@enuqirer.com