Angel C. Duncan, PhD

 

 

Angel C. Duncan, PhD, MFT, ATR, is a clinical gerontologist and art therapist with a background in marriage and family therapy, counseling psychology. She is a leader in the neurosciences industry. Over the course of more than two decades, she has helped to lead and advance support programs, policy initiatives, and Phase I–IV clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease, cardiac, oncology and psychiatric disorders, including rare disease. Her expertise spans from youth through geriatric and end-of-life care across pharmaceutical, hospital and clinical systems, nonprofit, aging continuum care, and academic settings. This multi-sector foundation provides an authentic understanding of public health impact and real-world needs of individuals, families, providers and communities. She is a proven leader in multifaceted operations from cross-functional team leadership, strategic partnerships, patient advocacy, policy, research site and vendor management, patient recruitment and retention, and mental health program development. Angel has secured multimillion-dollar grants and philanthropic gifts for advocacy, programs and research. She has established and strengthened strategic partnerships among key stakeholders, including investigative site networks, contract research organizations (CROs), healthcare providers, and patient advocacy groups, effectively bridging scientific research and community engagement to enhance care delivery and foster trust.

​

Dr. Duncan earned her PhD in Psychology with a specialization in Gerontology, graduating with distinction and in the top 2% of her class at NorthCentral University (now National University). Her dissertation research focused on abuse and neglect in residential dementia care placement with regard to identity and self-conscious awareness. She also holds a dual Master of Arts (MA) degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and Art Therapy from Notre Dame de Namur University (now Dominican University of California), where she was one out of two graduate student recipients to be awarded the President’s Graduate Scholarship. Her thesis research was conducted at Stanford University, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital with a quantitative focus on medical procedural anxiety in pediatric oncology patients.​

 

Angel has held a number of senior leadership positions, including director roles with the Alzheimer’s Association, Senior Helpers, the Neuropsychiatric Research Center of Southwest Florida, as well as academic executive leadership at Albertus Magnus College. She was appointed to serve on the San Francisco and San Mateo County Committees for Aging Adults and Adults with Disabilities and also held a state-level policy ambassador role at the Capitol in Sacramento.

 

In 2019, she founded and co-developed the Arts in Mind program at the Yale University Art Gallery, a program that she continues to co-facilitate. In 2021, she held the position of Program Manager, Clinical Trials and Education, at Life Molecular Imaging (now Lantheus), where she currently serves as Clinical Trial Manager within Clinical Operations R&D. In this capacity, she specializes in PET biomarker, phase III clinical research trials focused on neurodegenerative diseases, as well as patient advocacy, provider engagement, and the development of strategic business partnerships.

​

Dr. Duncan serves on the Board of Directors for the Cognitive Dynamics Foundation and from 2020-2026, with the Alzheimer’s Education Resource Services (AERS). She resides on the Advisory Council for the Area Agency on Aging- Central Illinois, and is a Dementia Friend Ambassador under Dementia Friendly Illinois. Angel also serves as a scientific peer reviewer for the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and the Journal of Behavioral Science, with contribution reviews across other publications. For eight years, she resided on the American Art Therapy Association's Research and Journal Peer Review Committees (Journal of the American Art Therapy Association). Her expertise has been featured on multiple podcasts and other diverse media including The Los Angeles Times, The Star Ledger, The San Jose Mercury News, CBS, NPR, Huffington Post, and Neurology Now (Brain & Life). Widely published in academic and professional journals, she is also a sought-after speaker and consultant, working with global leading organizations in brain health, dementia and youth care, policy and aging-in-place initiatives.