From Army Medic to Researcher, Veteran Studies Toxic Exposure

From Army Medic to Researcher, Veteran Studies Toxic Exposure

For Army veteran William Duniver, military service was more than a way to pay for college.

It gave him the discipline and perspective to pursue scientific research into how environmental exposures affect the brain.

When Duniver enlisted in the U.S. Army in June 2021, he knew he wanted a college education. As a first-generation student, though, he wasn't sure how to afford it. The military offered a way. What he didn't anticipate was how much the next four years would shape the researcher he would become.

Duniver served as a combat medic from June 2021 to June 2025, supporting the daily health and welfare of service members and assisting with trauma care. At 18, he had already learned to insert a chest tube.

The job took him around the world. Among his most memorable assignments was learning survival skills in the Thai jungle, where a venomous centipede left him with a scar he still carries.

But the operating room shaped him most. Assisting with invasive procedures and seeing the realities of trauma care taught him lessons that went well beyond medicine.

"The military taught me discipline and consistency, but it also gave me a positive growth mindset," Duniver said. "You learn not to focus on what went wrong, but instead to figure out how to fix it and move forward."

That mindset is what he brings to the classroom and the lab.

"One of the biggest things the military taught me was how to move on from moments of failure," he said. "You can't dwell on what happened. You have to learn from it, find a solution and keep going."

Turning experience into purpose

Duniver's interest in medicine started long before the Army.

Growing up in Sandusky, he watched doctors and nurses care for his father when he became ill. Seeing what medical professionals could do for someone's life pushed him toward a career helping others.

That interest has since turned toward toxicology, neuroscience and the long-term effects of environmental and occupational exposure.

Now enrolled in the Drug Discovery and Design Program in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Duniver works in the lab of Dr. Johnny Wise, an assistant professor in pharmacology, studying how hexavalent chromium, a toxic heavy metal and known carcinogen, affects the brain. He uses histological techniques, including silver staining and microscopy, to identify neurodegeneration in brain tissue.

The research traces directly back to his service. Duniver became aware during his enlistment of the long-term health risks of exposure to hazardous substances, particularly jet fuel and burn pits.

"I realized the military has high-risk exposure to jet fuel, JP-8, which is possibly carcinogenic," he said. "I'm interested in how it affects soldiers and civilians, how it affects people and how we can contain the risk."

He wants to understand how prolonged exposure to toxic chemicals and heavy metals may contribute to cancers, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease among veterans.

"It's about finding answers that could eventually help protect the people who serve and the communities where they live," he said.

A new mission

After leaving the Army in June 2025, Duniver enrolled at The University of Toledo, drawn by the program's affordability and his growing interest in research.

His years as a medic give him a different vantage point in the lab. Having seen the immediate consequences of serious injuries, he understands the value of asking what happens to the body over the following decades.

He plans to earn a Ph.D. and keep researching how heavy metals and environmental exposures affect the body and brain. The work is a continuation, not a departure: the role has changed from hands-on care to investigating the underlying science, but the motivation hasn't.

For Duniver, serving others doesn't end when military service does. It just takes a new form, one research question at a time.

The University of Toledo recognizes William Duniver and the many veterans whose experiences, dedication and perspectives continue to make a difference in their communities and beyond. The 22st annual Veterans Appreciation Breakfast and Resource Fair to support area veterans is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 11, in Savage Arena.