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Beth Dunlap, MD, is the Medical Director of Northern Illinois Recovery Center, where she leads the medical care behind every level of the program, from medically managed withdrawal through residential and outpatient treatment. She is board-certified in both Family Medicine (American Board of Family Medicine) and Addiction Medicine (American Board of Preventive Medicine), a dual certification that lets her treat the whole patient: the substance use disorder and the physical health around it.

Education & Board Certification

Dr. Dunlap earned her medical degree and completed her family medicine residency and fellowship at Northwestern University, where she served on the faculty of the Department of Family and Community Medicine until 2020. She holds board certification in Family Medicine (American Board of Family Medicine) and Addiction Medicine (American Board of Preventive Medicine).

Clinical Focus

Her clinical work centers on evidence-based addiction care, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), harm reduction, and the integration of primary care into recovery. As Medical Director, she oversees the medical services behind NIRC’s full continuum of care, coordinating physician oversight across the center’s levels of treatment.

Academic & Teaching Roles

Beyond direct patient care, Dr. Dunlap has spent much of her career training other clinicians to deliver evidence-based addiction and behavioral health care.

  • Course Director & Subject Matter Expert, Substance Use Disorders — ECHO-Chicago, University of Chicago (2026). Designed and led a grant-funded, 12-week case-based curriculum training medical and behavioral health professionals on the core concepts of substance use disorder care.
  • Course Director, Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care — ECHO-Chicago, University of Chicago (2017–2020). Designed and led a grant-funded, 12-week case-based curriculum on integrating complex behavioral health care into primary care settings, educating and mentoring 50+ physicians, APNs, and PAs through an interactive tele-mentoring network.
  • Subject Matter Expert — Illinois Project ECHO for the Judiciary, State of Illinois (2020–2021). Designed and co-led a grant-funded, 8-week medical-legal curriculum for Illinois State Judges to strengthen understanding of evidence-based medical treatments.
  • Subject Matter Expert & Medical Educator — BRIDGE HCV Initiative, State of Illinois (2020–2021). Developed and delivered a CME/CE-accredited series on hepatitis C (HCV) management, presenting 20+ live sessions to clinicians across the state.
  • Featured Instructor — Providers Clinical Support System (PCSS) MAT Waiver Training courses (2017–2019), teaching physicians to prescribe buprenorphine-based treatment for opioid use disorder.

Research & Scholarship

Dr. Dunlap has written on addiction medicine and primary care for national medical audiences, including a first-author article on opioid use disorder in JAMA.

Peer-Reviewed Publications

  • Dunlap B, Cifu AS. Clinical Management of Opioid Use Disorder. JAMA. 2016;316(3):338–339. View article (doi:10.1001/jama.2016.9795)
  • Dunlap B, Weyer GW. Pulmonary Hypertension: Diagnosis and Treatment. American Family Physician. 2016;94(6):463–469. View article
  • Weyer GW, Dunlap B, Shah S. Hypertension in Women: Evaluation and Management. Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America. 2016;43(2):287–306. View on PubMed
  • Dunlap B, Shelke K, Salem S, Keith L. Folic Acid and Human Reproduction—Ten Important Issues for Clinicians. Journal of Experimental & Clinical Assisted Reproduction. 2011;8:2.
  • Dunlap B, Paice JA. Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: A Need for Standardization in Measurement. Journal of Supportive Oncology. 2006;4(8):398–399. View on PubMed

Selected Presentations & Grand Rounds

  • Dunlap B. Medication-Assisted Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder: The Role of Buprenorphine-Based Treatment in Primary Care. Northwestern Lake Forest Case-Based CME Conference; October 28, 2016.
  • Shah A, Dunlap B. A Case of Heroin Overdose and Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnancy. Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital Grand Rounds; June 27, 2017.
  • Golden J, Dunlap B. Evidence-Based Management of Opioid Use Disorder in the Primary Care Setting. Family Medicine Midwest Conference; October 5, 2017.
  • Hamlish T, Dunlap B. Building Community Capacity to Screen, Treat, and Cure Hepatitis C. Alliance of Chicago Conference; April 27, 2016.
  • Benfer E, Dunlap B. Achieving Health Equity and Social Justice: Next Steps for MLP in Illinois. Chicago Bar Association; June 2015.

Additional Presentations

  • Golden J, Dunlap B. Primary Care Management of Heart Failure: A Case-Based Approach. Family Medicine Midwest Conference; October 8, 2016.
  • Chapman C, Zimmerman A, Dunlap B. Integrated Medical-Legal Partnerships for Special Populations. American Bar Association (ABA) Equal Justice Conference; May 13, 2016.
  • Dunlap B. Poverty, Justice, and Health Outcomes: A View From the Front Lines. Loyola University School of Law; September 2015.
  • Dunlap B, Dschida D. Asthma Synthesis and Assessment. Illinois Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) Annual Meeting; October 2015.
  • Dunlap B, Fleming M. CURAR: Chicago URban Agriculture Research — A Pilot Project. IAFP Resident Research Webinar; May 26, 2011.

Co-instructor, PCSS MAT Waiver Training sessions — University of Chicago (June 6, 2019), Advocate Christ Medical Center (September 26, 2019), and Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital (May 19 & December 6, 2019; and with E. Salisbury, June 6, 2017).

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Dr. Beth Dunlap, MD

Medical Director - Board-Certified in Addiction Medicine and Family Medicine

Beth Dunlap, MD, is the Medical Director of Northern Illinois Recovery Center, where she leads the medical care behind every level of the program, from medically managed withdrawal through residential and outpatient treatment. She is board-certified in both Family Medicine (American Board of Family Medicine) and Addiction Medicine (American Board of Preventive Medicine), a dual certification that lets her treat the whole patient: the substance use disorder and the physical health around it.

Education & Board Certification

Dr. Dunlap earned her medical degree and completed her family medicine residency and fellowship at Northwestern University, where she served on the faculty of the Department of Family and Community Medicine until 2020. She holds board certification in Family Medicine (American Board of Family Medicine) and Addiction Medicine (American Board of Preventive Medicine).

Clinical Focus

Her clinical work centers on evidence-based addiction care, medication-assisted treatment (MAT), harm reduction, and the integration of primary care into recovery. As Medical Director, she oversees the medical services behind NIRC's full continuum of care, coordinating physician oversight across the center's levels of treatment.

Academic & Teaching Roles

Beyond direct patient care, Dr. Dunlap has spent much of her career training other clinicians to deliver evidence-based addiction and behavioral health care.

  • Course Director & Subject Matter Expert, Substance Use Disorders — ECHO-Chicago, University of Chicago (2026). Designed and led a grant-funded, 12-week case-based curriculum training medical and behavioral health professionals on the core concepts of substance use disorder care.
  • Course Director, Opioid Use Disorder in Primary Care — ECHO-Chicago, University of Chicago (2017–2020). Designed and led a grant-funded, 12-week case-based curriculum on integrating complex behavioral health care into primary care settings, educating and mentoring 50+ physicians, APNs, and PAs through an interactive tele-mentoring network.
  • Subject Matter Expert — Illinois Project ECHO for the Judiciary, State of Illinois (2020–2021). Designed and co-led a grant-funded, 8-week medical-legal curriculum for Illinois State Judges to strengthen understanding of evidence-based medical treatments.
  • Subject Matter Expert & Medical Educator — BRIDGE HCV Initiative, State of Illinois (2020–2021). Developed and delivered a CME/CE-accredited series on hepatitis C (HCV) management, presenting 20+ live sessions to clinicians across the state.
  • Featured Instructor — Providers Clinical Support System (PCSS) MAT Waiver Training courses (2017–2019), teaching physicians to prescribe buprenorphine-based treatment for opioid use disorder.

Research & Scholarship

Dr. Dunlap has written on addiction medicine and primary care for national medical audiences, including a first-author article on opioid use disorder in JAMA.

Peer-Reviewed Publications

  • Dunlap B, Cifu AS. Clinical Management of Opioid Use Disorder. JAMA. 2016;316(3):338–339. View article (doi:10.1001/jama.2016.9795)
  • Dunlap B, Weyer GW. Pulmonary Hypertension: Diagnosis and Treatment. American Family Physician. 2016;94(6):463–469. View article
  • Weyer GW, Dunlap B, Shah S. Hypertension in Women: Evaluation and Management. Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinics of North America. 2016;43(2):287–306. View on PubMed
  • Dunlap B, Shelke K, Salem S, Keith L. Folic Acid and Human Reproduction—Ten Important Issues for Clinicians. Journal of Experimental & Clinical Assisted Reproduction. 2011;8:2.
  • Dunlap B, Paice JA. Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: A Need for Standardization in Measurement. Journal of Supportive Oncology. 2006;4(8):398–399. View on PubMed

Selected Presentations & Grand Rounds

  • Dunlap B. Medication-Assisted Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder: The Role of Buprenorphine-Based Treatment in Primary Care. Northwestern Lake Forest Case-Based CME Conference; October 28, 2016.
  • Shah A, Dunlap B. A Case of Heroin Overdose and Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder in Pregnancy. Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital Grand Rounds; June 27, 2017.
  • Golden J, Dunlap B. Evidence-Based Management of Opioid Use Disorder in the Primary Care Setting. Family Medicine Midwest Conference; October 5, 2017.
  • Hamlish T, Dunlap B. Building Community Capacity to Screen, Treat, and Cure Hepatitis C. Alliance of Chicago Conference; April 27, 2016.
  • Benfer E, Dunlap B. Achieving Health Equity and Social Justice: Next Steps for MLP in Illinois. Chicago Bar Association; June 2015.

Additional Presentations

  • Golden J, Dunlap B. Primary Care Management of Heart Failure: A Case-Based Approach. Family Medicine Midwest Conference; October 8, 2016.
  • Chapman C, Zimmerman A, Dunlap B. Integrated Medical-Legal Partnerships for Special Populations. American Bar Association (ABA) Equal Justice Conference; May 13, 2016.
  • Dunlap B. Poverty, Justice, and Health Outcomes: A View From the Front Lines. Loyola University School of Law; September 2015.
  • Dunlap B, Dschida D. Asthma Synthesis and Assessment. Illinois Academy of Family Physicians (IAFP) Annual Meeting; October 2015.
  • Dunlap B, Fleming M. CURAR: Chicago URban Agriculture Research — A Pilot Project. IAFP Resident Research Webinar; May 26, 2011.

Co-instructor, PCSS MAT Waiver Training sessions — University of Chicago (June 6, 2019), Advocate Christ Medical Center (September 26, 2019), and Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital (May 19 & December 6, 2019; and with E. Salisbury, June 6, 2017).

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