Brody’s Dr. Robert Carroll selected for prestigious teaching award
A professor at ECU’s Brody School of Medicine has been awarded a distinguished international award for his outstanding contributions to medical education.
Dr. Robert G. Carroll, a physiology professor and Brody’s associate dean for medical education, was selected to receive the 2018 Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Dr. Robert Carroll was selected to receive the 2018 Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award from the Association of American Medical Colleges. (Photos by Rhett Butler)
Carroll is one of four recipients from across the United States to receive the award. It will be presented on Nov. 4 at the AAMC’s annual meeting in Austin, Texas, where Carroll has been invited to also help lead a discussion about the future of medical education.
Carroll will also receive a cash prize of $10,000 and two grants – $2,500 for teaching purposes and $1,000 for Brody’s AOA chapter.
Carroll said he’s “very honored and humbled” to be recognized for his achievements in teaching.
“I know some of the people who have won this award in the past, and they are truly national and international leaders in the field,” he said.
Carroll leads a group discussion.
According to the AAMC, Carroll has traveled to more than 20 countries – such as Sri Lanka, Grenada, Nigeria, Bangladesh and Rwanda – in his efforts to improve medical education standards worldwide.
“His journey from the classroom to the global community reflects his dedication to enhancing medical education,” said Dr. Mark Stacy, dean of the Brody School of Medicine.
Carroll has witnessed many changes during his 34-year tenure at ECU’s medical school, the biggest of which is a shift in teaching methods.
He said that today medical education “is no longer about the content. It’s about motivating students and coaching, encouraging, showing them how to approach the information.
“The students are very adept at mastering a huge volume of information, particularly for a huge examination; but then one month later when you ask them, they’ve purged it. They don’t remember,” Carroll said. “So mostly the changes have been more student-centered learning and helping students with how they can learn best, as opposed to teaching them the material.”
Reflecting on his career, Carroll said the most telling piece of advice he received from a mentor was about professionalism.
Carroll speaks with students outside the Brody School of Medicine.
“One of my mentors said, ‘Look at what you’re doing on nights and weekends and find a way to make that more of your 8-5 job, because that’s where your interests lie,’” he recalled. “When I was a young faculty member working late nights or on weekends, generally it was on education related things. So over the years, I’ve gotten a chance to make education more of my 8-5 job.”
For Carroll, this award demonstrates the quality and service that is embedded in the medical school.
“Brody – both the school and the students – has a strong commitment to service and to making the world a better place,” he said. “This is an opportunity to more broadly tell people what’s going on here.”
-by Ashley Beagley, University Communications