Gan Dunnington, B.A. 1996

St Helena Hospital – St Helena, CA

1996 Major: History and Biology; minor in Chemistry

How has being a History graduate from Duke helped shape you personally and/or professionally?

"I am a father and husband, a heart surgeon, a dog breeder, a vintner, a peloton rider, a reader, and hopefully a student of life."

What advice would you give students in Duke's History programs? 

"Learn it all….stay broad, stay open, stay curious. There’s more history that’s never been written nor studied than the micro-level already in existence. It is our job to reveal the past and draw lessons for our present. Don’t reject what’s been classically taught, but don’t accept it wholesale either. Don’t cancel, but understand history as a story that happened, judgements aside. We can always do better, but only if we understand history with all of its complexitues."

Gan Dunnington