Hunter Spotts, M.D., assistant professor, is a provider at Duke Student Health seeing patients at the Student Wellness Center, located in the heart of Duke University’s West Campus. He graduated from the Medical University of South Carolina in 1995 and completed family medicine residency at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1998.
- Years at Duke: 4
- Board Certifications: Family Medicine
- Where you can see him next: Completing the AAAHC accreditation process for the Student Wellness Center
"I used to see patients of all ages, but I got into the student health business because I enjoyed working with this age range the most. I really like interacting with students and getting to know them throughout their undergraduate and/or graduate experiences."
After 17 years in urgent and primary care practice, Spotts was ready for a change of pace. He’d always enjoyed working with adolescents and young adults, so college health seemed like a logical next step in his career. Around that time, Duke was looking to expand its student health staff, and Spotts jumped at the opportunity.
Since arriving in 2015, Spotts has become increasingly involved within the department. In addition to seeing patients, he provides clinical training to residents in family medicine, general internal medicine-pediatrics, and pediatrics who rotate through the Student Wellness Center. With a background in urgent and primary care, he has also worked with Duke’s club sports teams.
In 2017, Spotts helped establish Duke Neurodiversity Connections, a committee composed of faculty, staff, and administrators aimed at making Duke more inclusive.
“We work with students who have autism spectrum disorders and other neurological differences to ensure that their experiences are not hindered by these differences,” Spotts says. “Our primary goals are to increase awareness about neurodiversity on campus and promote inclusion. We’re a relatively new group, but we are quickly finding our niche by hosting events and providing resources.”
In addition to these activities, Spotts has developed an AAAHC accreditation initiative for the Student Wellness Center. To become accredited, the Student Wellness Center must participate in ongoing self-evaluation, peer review, and education. This process includes substantial policy and procedure creation in the areas of administration, quality of care management, and infection prevention/control, among others.
“Developing the policies and procedures to enable us to apply for accreditation is an ongoing effort,” Spotts says. “This initiative has been very important to me since AAAHC accreditation really drives home our commitment to the highest quality of care, service, and safety for the Duke student population.”
Since Spotts recently joined the American College Health Association, he also plans to get more involved with its activities, specifically national conferences, in 2019.