Fords in Four: Aaron Carroll '90
How did you find yourself in health policy and research?
When I was in medical school and then in residency, I realized that so much of what we do in medicine is, at best, a good guess. So little is proven or “known.” This frustrated me to the point that I figured out I’d prefer to help answer the questions about how we can improve health rather than keep asking them. Later, I realized that I’d rather work on the health of the population, or things we can do to improve the system, than any one disease or issue. After residency, I was a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar for two years, during which I also earned my master’s degree in health services research. Since then, I’ve been working on ways we can improve the access, cost, and quality of the U.S. health care system.
What is the most exciting part of your job?
These days I seem to have amazing opportunities to talk to the public about health, research, and health policy. My columns for The Upshot in The New York Times often receive a lot of attention, as do many of the videos we make on our YouTube channel, Healthcare Triage. I absolutely love writing.
Note a memorable Haverford experience or faculty member.
I was quite fond of Dr. Jeffrey Erskine, who taught me in English and oversaw the yearbook when I was editor. Back in high school, I didn’t like writing much. I even avoided it when possible. But I guess the lessons sunk in, because it’s pretty much what I do for a living now. When I published my first book, I sent him a copy and told him that any good things in it were due to his efforts; the mistakes were mine alone.
What don't most people know about you?
I won a buffalo wing eating contest back in college. I was also on my college ski team, and raced slalom and giant slalom.
Aaron E. Carroll '90 is a professor of pediatrics, associate dean for research mentoring, and the director of the Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research and the Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Comparative Effectiveness Research at the Indiana University School of Medicine.
