When facing a crisis, Rev. Brian Dunlop is just the friendly face you want to see. For more than 20 years, Dunlop worked as a public insurance adjuster, helping people struggling with damage wrought by hurricanes and fires rebuild their homes and restore their lives. As he became increasingly involved in his church, Dunlop felt his personal and professional experiences had prepared him for another path that would also allow him to accompany others through disaster and help them weather tragedy — chaplaincy.
After interning at Jefferson University Hospital and finishing a clinical pastoral education residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Dunlop began supporting the spiritual needs of Pennsylvania Hospital’s oncology patients through the Joan Karnell Supportive Care Program in October 2019. He then transitioned from a part-time position to full-time chaplain this spring to better meet the needs of patients and staff as COVID-19 swept through the community.
Q: What encouraged you to pursue chaplaincy?
A: The cocktail joke is that my wife invited me to church not knowing that I would never leave. I served as a deacon for eight years and went on a mission trip to South Africa that reaffirmed my commitment to meet people where they are and serve them as best as I can. When I came back, I entered a ministerial training program at my church and was licensed in 2014. After a few years, a friend said, “I see you with our congregants, and I really think you have a heart for chaplaincy.” It was good advice. I think my career as an insurance adjuster also prepared me to be a calming influence amidst chaos. As a chaplain, my aim is to help others get in touch with their own internal resources to endure struggle, or ultimately to die with dignity.
Q: What guides your conversations and relationship-building?
A: My ears are my most important tools. Rather than coming to conversations with set religious agendas or firm ideas of how I can be of help, my focus is on listening attentively and being responsive to each person’s needs, values, and situation. And this goes for patients and colleagues who may be traumatized by the daily suffering they see. Whether I’m witnessing their testimony, serving as an advocate, acting as a sounding board, or praying with them, my role is to accompany an individual along whatever road they’re on. A lot of things that happen in a hospital can make us feel like we’re not in control, and that can be really disorienting. However, by reaffirming a person's humanity in what can feel like a cold, sterile environment and helping them realize their own self-empowerment, they can better cope with their circumstances.
Q: During Pennsy’s anti-racism event in June, you spoke about the importance of overcoming discomfort in order to seek greater understanding and meet others with compassion. Can you talk more about your role in this work?
A: Working to eliminate racism in medicine is where much of my energy goes. My research is centered on systemic racism in health care and the impact of unconscious bias on health outcomes. During my residency, I conducted a survey among more than 100 chaplains assessing their understanding of their role in helping ethnic or racial minority patients navigate health care settings and encounters with systemic or individual racism. I am also collaborating with a chaplain at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles to develop a curriculum for chaplains and health care providers focused on the history of systemic racism of health care, the implications of that history, and how it impacts our patients today.