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. William Duniver spent four years as a combat medic. Now the UToledo pharmacy student researches how jet fuel, burn pits and heavy metals 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