He graduated as an MD from the University of the West Indies in 1972, and further specialized in surgery at the Mount Sinai Hospital and Medical Center (Manhattan).

[3] He practiced and taught surgery for several years at the Bertie-County and Pitt-County Memorial Hospitals (Windsor, and Greenville, NC) before joining academia.

He returned to Greenville NC in 2008 to become Dean of The Brody School of Medicine and Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs of East Carolina University, positions he presently holds.

[5][11] When announcing his appointment as a Dean, ECU Chancellor Steve Ballard is quoted to have said:[5] "Paul Cunningham is exactly the right choice to lead the Brody School of Medicine.

He is familiar with the school's mission and with the health care challenges facing this region and state, and he is a former chief of staff of our teaching hospital.