The Distinguished Alumnus Award is presented to a graduate who has achieved special recognition in his or her professional career. We are proud this year to honor:

Dr. Harvey Bunce is a 1966 graduate of the University of Texas, where he received his B.A. in mathematics and then his M.B.A. in operations research and statistics in 1969. He continued his studies at UTMB Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences where he earned his Ph.D. in the preventive medicine and community health program in 1978. 

Dr. Bunce joined the staff of UTMB in 1969, and was appointed assistant professor in the Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in 1978. He currently serves as chairman of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health and as senior associate dean for administration in the School of Medicine. Dr. Bunce has served in these two leadership positions with such distinction as to serve the fourth administration in the School of Medicine. He is one of the most trusted and well-respected administrators on the UTMB campus. He has served as the institutional ethics officer since 1992 and was a driving force behind institutional strategic planning process, drafting the document each year from 1990 to 2000. 

Dr. Bunce has been an effective chairman of the Department to Preventive  Medicine and Community Health since 1991. Under his leadership the department has planned and developed the only preventive medicine residency program in the United States in all three of the specialties areas of aerospace, occupational and general preventive medicine. He also has led the development of the Master of Public Health Program that is fully accredited by the Council on Education in Public Health. His leadership has brought forth the new Division of Clinical Preventive Medicine which provides for the Employee Health and Wellness Clinics

Harvey Bunce, III, Ph.D.

Professor and Chair, Preventive Medicine and Community Health
Senior Associate Dean for Administration, School of Medicine

and UTMB’s nationally recognized employee wellness and fitness programs. Research expenditures grew from $2 million in 1998 to more than $4 million in 2004, with a near doubling of number of funded investigators. In the Galveston community, the department has been recognized for leading the founding efforts of the Jesse Tree, an agency that coordinates voluntary social services for Galveston, as well as the creation of the Galveston Partnership for Better Living. The department also continues to guide the St. Vincent’s House Clinic, which it founded. 

Dr. Bunce has brought great honor to this institution, as a valued and respected leader and as a proud graduate.