Oral History Interview, Ian Duncan (1610)

Abstract

In his 2017 interview with Bernard Easterday, Dr. Ian Duncan describes his time as a researcher and professor of neurology in the UW Veterinary Medicine department. He recounts his veterinary education in Glasgow, which was different than American vet school, and names mentors who were notable figures in the field. He then describes his career path in and focus on neurology, his PhD research, working in the Aguayo Lab, and eventually his settling in UW-Madison. He provides his opinions on how the department functions, including mentioning the performances of deans and chancellors, along with criticizing funding cuts in the department and imbalances between research and teaching. He describes his revolutionary research in the field of neurology, particularly dealing with myelin, and also how this led to public recognition in the movie “Lorenzo’s Oil.” This interview was conducted for inclusion into the UW-Madison Archives and Records Management oral history collection.