‘Beloved’ Dr. Ray Dunkelberg Announces Retirement
BREVARD, N.C., Feb. 17, 2010 – After 34 years of serving patients in Transylvania County, Dr. Ray Dunkelberg has announced he plans to retire on June 1.
"It’s time for me to hang up my stethoscope and enjoy full-time—along with my family—all the benefits that our special community has to offer,” said Dunkelberg, who is 68. “It has been an honor and a pleasure to be a physician to many of you over all these years. I wish each of you excellent health.”
Dunkelberg, who is board-certified in internal medicine and nephrology, moved to Brevard in November 1975 to join the staff of Medical Associates of Transylvania, the oldest medical practice in Transylvania County. He had just finished up his extensive medical training at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston.
Over more than three decades, Dunkelberg has touched the lives of thousands of Transylvania County residents, including multiple generations of the same family. At the same time he has served in leadership roles in the community and helped shape and expand healthcare in the county while serving many years on boards and committees of Transylvania Regional Hospital. Dunkelberg continues to serve on the TRH Foundation board.
“With his soft-spoken, kind manner, Ray Dunkelberg represents the professionalism and caring nature that every patient wants to see in their primary-care doctor,” said Bob Bednarek, president and CEO of Transylvania Regional Hospital. “Ray has truly served this community well with an excellent medical mind and a caring heart over all these years. He is beloved by his patients. I’m thankful for the wisdom and leadership that Ray brought to both our hospital boards and our medical community over many years as we worked together to expand medical care and services for residents of Transylvania County.”
“I do not plan to be a stranger in Brevard and I hope that you will not be either,” Dunkelberg said. “Thank you again for trusting me with your care over all these years.”
Transylvania Regional Hospital is planning a public event this summer to celebrate Dr. Dunkelberg’s retirement and his long medical career serving patients in Transylvania County.
About Transylvania Regional Hospital
Transylvania Regional Hospital is a nationally ranked 5-Star Hospital and a leading provider of quality healthcare services in Transylvania and surrounding counties. Based in Brevard, N.C., it is a not-for-profit hospital founded in 1933 and is the largest employer in Transylvania County.
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