Former ETSU vice provost plays role in establishing NIH office
This years-long effort began in 2020 when Duncan was asked to serve on a committee
charged with providing a general overview of epidemiologic trends in autoimmune diseases.
Dr. William Duncan, who retired as East Tennessee State University’s vice provost for Research in 2021, continues to represent the university in retirement – playing a key role in helping to establish the Office of Autoimmune Disease Research (OADR) with the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
This years-long effort began in 2020 when Duncan was tabbed to serve on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) committee on Assessment of NIH Research on Autoimmune Diseases.
Duncan and the other committee members were charged with providing a general overview of epidemiologic trends in autoimmune diseases, with particular focus on research efforts by the NIH.
Duncan noted the NIH has more than a dozen institutes and offices that conduct research on autoimmune diseases, “and the concern was, ‘Is there good coordination across those entities?’”
In 2022, that committee completed its report and recommended establishing an office to elevate the visibility of autoimmune diseases and establish a clear focus for autoimmune disease research. After hearing their findings, in 2023 Congress agreed to establish the OADR within the Office of Research on Women’s Health.
While autoimmune diseases – conditions in which someone’s immune system mistakenly attacks itself – can affect everyone, they are more common in women.
After years of work, and months of waiting, the committee learned its work paid off earlier this year, with Congress setting aside $10 million to jumpstart the new office.
“This whole effort is to improve the quality of life for patients with autoimmune diseases,” said Duncan.
Offices, Duncan said, do not have the same resources and power as an institute, but they do have the ability to coordinate research across institutes. He likened it to the Office of AIDS Research, which was established to perform a similar role, coordinating research across institutes.
“That had an effect, and was helpful for us moving forward,” said Duncan, who served as associate director of the Therapeutics Research Program in the Division of AIDS at the NIH around that same time.
Prior to joining ETSU in 2008, Duncan was chief operating officer and chief scientific officer of the Baylor Research Institute. Before that, he spent nearly two decades with the NIH in a variety of roles related to autoimmune disease research.
For Duncan, being tabbed to serve on the committee – which was comprised of a dozen people from a variety of backgrounds – was rewarding.
“I’m grateful that I could contribute to this,” said Duncan. “To be selected, and being able to contribute – it’s a good feeling.”
East Tennessee State University was founded in 1911 with a singular mission: to improve the quality of life for people in the region and beyond. Through its world-class health sciences programs and interprofessional approach to health care education, ETSU is a highly respected leader in rural health research and practices. The university also boasts nationally ranked programs in the arts, technology, computing, and media studies. ETSU serves approximately 14,000 students each year and is ranked among the top 10 percent of colleges in the nation for students graduating with the least amount of debt.
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