Faculty and Staff News
Current Student News
Optometry
General News
Chad Duncan, PhD, CRC, CPO, director of the Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) program at Salus University, has been named to the Fulbright Specialist Roster for a tenure of three years.
As a member of the roster, Dr. Duncan is now eligible to be matched with projects designed by host institutions in more than 150 countries globally during his tenure.
He anticipates his first assignment will be in Egypt in early 2024, where he will be a consultant at the New Cairo Technological University, working with the dean of Industry and Energy Technology to help that program achieve the educational standards and curriculum development guidelines of the International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics (ISPO).
“It’s very exciting. To me, it’s a confirmation of my skill set that I’ve been building on throughout my career to this point,” said Dr. Duncan. “I love challenges and this next challenge allows me to further build upon my skill set.”
Duncan was director of Northwestern University’s Prosthetics and Orthotics (P&O) program when he accepted the position as the inaugural director of the Salus O&P program from its inception in September 2021.
“Dr. Duncan is an expert in his field and we are honored he is a part of our Salus community. The Fulbright award signifies all that we know and see in his hard work, dedication and leadership,” said Lauren Sponseller, PhD ’18, OTD, MSOTR/L, MEd, CLA, interim dean of the University's College of Health Sciences, Education and Rehabilitation. “He and his excellent faculty have built a strong O&P program that is recognized internationally. We hope the Fulbright will continue to highlight our program as well.”
A native of Alabama, Dr. Duncan attended Auburn University where he graduated in 1995 with a degree in Rehabilitation Services. He completed a practicum in O&P while there, liked it, and started working as a technician while an undergraduate. After graduating, he went to Northwestern’s certificate program for his P&O training. And, then, after practicing for seven years, he enrolled at Auburn University, where he earned a Master of Science degree in 2006 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 2008. After completing his doctorate, he secured a teaching position at the University of Maine at Farmington. He left Maine to start a graduate P&O program at Alabama State University before arriving back at Northwestern.
Dr. Duncan has been a licensed prosthetist and orthotist in Alabama and is a certified prosthetist and orthotist, by the American Board Certification since 1998.
Dr. Duncan said the Fulbright placement will allow him to gain further knowledge in many areas that he can bring back to the student experience at Salus as well as create international partnerships that will help broaden the scope of the University's current O&P program.
The Fulbright Specialist program is a field-driven initiative in which host institutions abroad conceptualize and design projects of interest that represent a priority for their organizations. After developing their initial project design, the host institution submits a project proposal to the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy in their country through an online portal. The Fulbright Commission/U.S. Embassy in each country determines the general process for reviewing proposals and establishes its own selection criteria based upon country-specific priorities and goals for the program.
After a project is approved by the Fulbright Commission/U.S. Embassy for that country, it is then reviewed by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs for final approval. All questions related to the review and approval of a project should be directed to the Fulbright Commission/U.S. Embassy by the prospective host institution and no other individual. As each country only has a limited number of specialist projects that it can support each year, not all project proposals will be approved.
