Mark D. Gwynne, DO

I am a triple Tar Heel, having received my bachelor's, medical and public health degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to medical school, I worked as a counselor and teacher for troubled teenagers on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and then as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural health in the Amazon Jungle of Ecuador. I have wanted to be a physician since I was seven years old. Although I took a round-about pathway, my life as a doctor is amazing. I love nothing better than seeing patients, from birth to the end of life and everything in between. I consider it a true privilege to serve my community, and every day I thank my lucky stars for what I do. When I am not at work, I enjoy spending time with my wife, four children and rescue dog. I enjoy hiking, fishing, reading, movies, gardening, playing games and traveling.

I grew up in small town Alabama and ran track and cross country at the University of Alabama (Roll Tide!). I was able to participate in a rural family medicine exposure program my senior year of college and immediately knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I chose UNC because of the strong reputation as a rigorous training program, but I fell in love with the people in the program I worked with as well as my patient population and thus wanted to stay on as faculty here to launch my career. I found my true passion in teaching residents, inpatient medicine, as well as performing procedures. My love for procedures and teaching prompted me to pursue the Family Medicine Procedure Fellowship where I trained to do advanced outpatient procedures such as vasectomy, excisions with multilayer closures, etc. I still love caring for the family unit and the continuity of care that family medicine clinic provides. When not working you can always find me hiking the Appalachian Trail, running, playing basketball, watching football or back home visiting my family in Alabama.

I have always had an interest in serving others and being involved in my community. As a physician, I have the opportunity to work with families and their loved ones to improve their well being, provide support and be an advocate for them. I approach every patient interaction with the fundamentals of my osteopathic training in mind, and look at how the mind, body, and soul impact ones health. Outside of work, I can frequently be found running around the streets of Chapel Hill and enjoying UNC athletics. My wife and I enjoy traveling, trying new food and spending time with our dog.