Michael Cunningham MD

Education

United States Naval Academy, Bachelors of Science, Quantitative Economics, Graduated with Distinction, Class of 2001.
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Medical Doctorate, Class of 2009.

Biography

Michael E. A. Cunningham, MD is a Pediatric Cardiologist stationed at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Virginia, providing clinical care for active duty dependents in the Tidewater area. He came aboard NMCP in July 2016 after completing Pediatric Cardiology Fellowship in Washington D. C. at Children’s National Medical Center. He is the Vice President of the Medical Executive Committee and the Command Medical Corps Career Development Board Coordinator. Prior leadership positions on the Command’s Medical Executive Committee include Chair of the Credentials Review Committee, Professional Practice Evaluation Committee, Chair of the Anticoagulation Committee, Chair of the Cardiac Arrest Committee, and Chair of the Impaired Healthcare Provider Program, as well as the Assistant Director of Medical Services.

CDR Cunningham was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He was initially commissioned as a Navy Supply Corps Officer after graduating with distinction from the Naval Academy with a Bachelor’s of Science in Quantitative Economics in 2001. He graduated with honors from Supply School in Athens, Georgia, in 2002 and was hand selected by Admiral Frank Bowman for duty at the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program Headquarters in Washington D. C., where he assisted with the management of a $1.3 billion annual budget for naval nuclear work. While in Washington D. C., he attended the University of Maryland at night to complete his medical school prerequisite requirements.

Dr. Cunningham matriculated to the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 2005 and graduated in 2009. While at USU, he became a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and served as the USU Chapter President his 4th year. He completed his Pediatric Residency in 2012 from the National Capital Consortium at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Prior to starting pediatric cardiology fellowship in 2013 at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington D. C., Dr. Cunningham served on the outpatient pediatric clinical staff, as well as one of Walter Reed’s initial inpatient pediatric hospitalists. He was the Assistant Pediatric 3rd year Clerkship Director at USU, helping transition to the new academic curriculum.

CDR Cunningham is actively involved in resident education at NMCP, annually serving as an academic advisor and a sought out lecturer for the Department of Pediatrics. He has been recognized by the Command as a Master Clinician for his expertise and contributions to medical education, and was appointed to the academic rank of Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Uniformed Services University in 2020. His Navy awards include a Navy Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, and Navy Achievement Medal.

CDR Cunningham resides in Chesapeake with his wife, CDR Bridget Cunningham, the Officer in Charge of the Medical Readiness Division Norfolk, and their daughters. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Cardiology, and a member of the local Tidewater Pediatric Society. He enjoys traveling with his family, attending his daughters’ frequent equestrian activities, and a quiet night at home watching a movie with his family.

Career Highlights: Positions, Projects, Deployements, Awards and Additional Publications

Pediatric Cardiology Attending, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, 2016-present

General Pediatrician and Assistant Site Director, National Capital Area, Pediatric 3rd Year Clerkship; WRNMMC and USUHS, July 2012-June 2013

Cunningham M, Guardiani E, Kim HJ, Brook I. Otitis media. Future Microbiology. 2012; 7 (6): 733-53.

Cunningham M, Georgekutty J, Grant E, Kanter J, Nair A. Image illustrator for the handbook. In: Jones M, Klugman D, Fitzgerald R, Kohr L, Berger J, Costello J, Bronicki R. Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Handbook. Washington DC, DC: Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Books, LLC; 2015.

Cunningham ME, Berger JT. Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertensive Crisis Medications: A Stepping Stone for the Future. Pediatric Critical Care Medicine: a Journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine and the World Federation of Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care Societies. 2016; 17 (5); 465-6.

Cunningham ME, Donofrio MT, Peer SM, Zurakowski D, Jonas R, Sinha P. Influence of Age and Weight on Technical Repair of Tetralogy of Fallot. The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. 2016; 102(3); 864-9.

Clark B, Cunningham M, Sinha P, Kanter J, Donofrio M. Anomalous Origin of the Left Coronary Artery: Late Pediatric Presentation of a Rare Disease. Open Journal of Clinical and Medical Case Reports. 2016; 2 (10); 1119.

Cunningham M, Burns K. Index of Suspicion: Hypotonia, Respiratory Distress, and Cardiomegaly in a 3-Month-Old Boy. Pediatrics in Review. 2017; 38(4); 184-185.

Cunningham ME, Donofrio MT, Peer SM, Zurakowski D, Jonas R, Sinha P. Optimal Timing for Elective Early Primary Repair of Tetralogy of Fallot- Analysis of

Cunningham M, Doroshow D, Olivieri L, Moak M. Junctional Ectopic Tachycardia Secondary to Myocarditis Associated with Sudden Cardiac Arrest. HeartRhythm Case Reports. 2017; 2(3); 124-8.