Danielle Duncan, MD, has worked with countless athletes throughout her career in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine. One thing she's learned over the last 14 years at Saginaw Valley Bone and Joint Center, PC is that these athletes are not the only people who play on a team.
"Medicine is a team sport," Doctor Duncan said.
Doctor Duncan works everyday with three other orthopedic surgeons, a physician's assistant, two physical therapists, a sports medicine physician, a certified athletic trainer, nurses, receptionists and -- of course -- patients at Saginaw Valley Bone and Joint Center. While part of Doctor Duncan's immediate team, she's also part of an even greater team: The Mid-Michigan medicine team. Other physicians in the region are key players on this team, and as every athlete and player knows, the chemistry between players is crucial.
Doctor Duncan's membership in both the Michigan State Medical Society and Saginaw County Medical Society have allowed her to get to know her teammates, and foster team advancement and progress. Medical society membership and engagement, both at the local and state level, strengthens the doctors both individually and as team members through networking, professional development and other member resources.
She has recently followed in the footsteps of her mentor, Thomas Veverka, MD after being elected the 2015-2016 Saginaw County Medical Society president. The great potential she sees in the future of medicine guided her to advance from a player on the Mid-Michigan medicine team, to a captain.
When it came time to set presidential goals for the society and for herself, Doctor Duncan had the chance to reflect on the steps she took in her medical career -- beginning with her days as a medical student at Wayne State University Medical School and as a resident at McLaren Regional Medical Center in Flint, Mich.
Doctor Duncan holds her community to high regard and is passionate about growing the future of the field within the region. She envisions accomplishing this through advanced research and technology development.
"Universities in the region will play a pivotal role in taking these steps to grow and advance the field. Connection to the medical students and residents who hold the future of medicine is principal in my practice and experiences in the medical field," she says.
She has set a concrete goal to provide guidance and mentorship to students at Central Michigan University College of Medicine. With CMUCOM's inaugural class enrolling in Fall 2013, the timing of Doctor Duncan's presidency in SCMS perfectly aligns with the development of the program.
Doctor Duncan sees immense potential in medical students and residents within the Mid-Michigan community. One visionary tactic CMUCOM has put into action is to "promote inter-professionalism and team-based approaches in progressive health care."
Her expertise as a physician and leadership abilities will help develop the next generation of players on the Mid-Michigan medical team, at CMU and beyond. Doctor Duncan is committed to both advocating for and collaborating with students -- students who embrace the future of medicine.
While medical professionals dedicate the entirety of their professional lives to serving the well-being of patients, Doctor Duncan finds it equally important to encourage the well-being of medical students and residents.
"Students and residents hold the future of medicine, so supporting and ensuring their overall wellness is important to me as a mentor," she said.
Doctor Duncan's practice at Saginaw Valley Bone and Joint Center is built on "devotion to human motion," and she believes the current and future physicians in the region can create some motion in the medical industry. It's these cohesive teams with strong leaders that ensure health care in Mid-Michigan will advance.