Robert G. Carroll, PhD

Research Interests:
Robert G. Carroll earned his Ph.D. in 1981 under the direction of Dr. David F. Opdyke at the Department of Physiology of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Newark. Following a 3 year post-doc at University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS under the sponsorship of Drs. Thomas E. Lohmeier and Arthur C. Guyton, he moved to East Carolina University in 1984 as an Assistant Professor of Physiology. He is currently Professor of Physiology at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, and holds an administrative appointment as Associate Dean for Medical Student Education.

Back when he did the actual experiments, Rob’s dissertation examined blood pressure regulation in sharks. His postdoctoral work expanded his interests to cardio-renal integration, which remained a theme for 30 years. He has a passion for education, and now his scholarship focuses on the teaching and learning processes.

Rob currently chairs the Education Committee of the International Union of Physiological Sciences and served the American Physiological Society in a variety of roles, chairing the Education Committee and the Teaching Section and editing the journal “Advances in Physiology Education”. He also served on the USMLE Step I Physiology Test Material Development Committee of the National Board of Medical Examiners, and as Secretary for the International Association of Medical Science Educators. In 2002, he was recognized in the inaugural class of Master Educators at the Brody School of Medicine, and as the Arthur C. Guyton Physiology Educator of the Year from the American Physiological Society in 2004. He received the Outstanding Alumni Award from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in 2005, was recognized as a Master Teacher by the International Association of Medical Science Educators in 2013 and the Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges in 2018. His three children, and now three grandchildren, still question his sanity and judgment.

Education/Employment:
B.S. (1976), University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
Ph.D. Physiology (1981), College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ
University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi
Postgraduate Training (1981-1984)
Instructor (1981-1984)
East Carolina University School of Medicine, Greenville, NC
Assistant Professor of Physiology (1984-1990)
Associate Professor of Physiology (1990-1996)
Professor of Physiology (1996-date)
Interim Chair, Department of Comparative Medicine (2005-2006)
Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs in the Basic Sciences (2011-2015)
Associate Dean for Medical Student Education (2015-date)