Dr. Dewey and Bobbie Dunn Medical Missions Endowment

Belmont University announced the establishment of the Dr. Dewey and Bobbie Dunn Medical Missions Endowment this summer, thanks to gifts made by David and Debbie Gregory and their extended family. The endowment will provide funding for medical mission trips, with a preference for students in the Gordon E. Inman College of Nursing and Health Sciences and the College of Pharmacy.

Dr. David Gregory is the new Dean for Belmont’s College of Pharmacy. David and his wife Debbie were inspired to create this endowment by the incredible work of Debbie’s parents, Dewey and Bobbie Dunn. Dewey served over 55 years with the Veteran’s Administration as a gastroenterologist and retired this year on August 24th. Together, Dewey and Bobbie have participated in over 200 short-term medical mission trips, focusing on medical, dental, vision, nursing and pharmacy work.

Their family has a legacy of mission work. All of the Dunn’s four children and ten grandchildren have participated in international mission trips. David, a pharmacist, and Debbie, a registered nurse, have been on approximately 20-25 trips, dating back to Debbie’s 1983 work in Ghana. Their niece is currently in Haiti as she studies to become a physician. The Dunn family views their mission work as a way to heed God’s call to service.

David had long been considering establishing an endowment to honor the Dunn’s legacy. However, it wasn’t until he came to Belmont and learned about the We Believe campaign that he decided to set up the fund.  “We Believe was really impressive to me. It allowed us to do more because of Belmont’s matching and let us think greater.” Thanks to We Believe, the Gregory’s initial gift was matched by Belmont. Combined with generous gifts from family and friends, the fund is now valued at over $168,000.

The endowment will give a preference to nursing and pharmacy students, but David said he hopes it will give all students a heart for serving others. He said his father-in-law would say, “These are spiritual trips. This is about spiritual development.” The endowment is a combination of student educational opportunities and a commitment to serving God and serving others. 

Vice President of Development and External Relations Dr. Perry Moulds said, “The Dr. Dewey and Bobbie Dunn Medical Missions Endowment will provide life changing opportunities for generations of Belmont students and those communities in which they serve through their missionary work.  We are deeply grateful to the family for choosing to honor the Dunn’s legacy in this profound way.”