William R. Carroll, M.D., the George W. Barber Jr. Endowed Professor and widely-recognized leader in the field of head and neck oncology, has been named the chair of the Department of Otolaryngology in the UAB School of Medicine. Carroll has served the department as its interim chair since the Department was established by the UA System Board of Trustees in October 2015. He took the role in a permanent basis on February 15, 2017.
“Dr. Carroll’s steadfast leadership during this time has been instrumental in establishing the new department and guiding it through its transition from division to department. During his tenure as interim department chair, Dr. Carroll has worked diligently to drive the clinical growth of the department through the continued development of niche services, collaborations with other disciplines, and overall case volume growth,” said Selwyn M. Vickers, M.D., F.A.C.S., senior vice president for Medicine and dean of the UAB School of Medicine. “His expertise will be crucial as the department continues to reach new levels of excellence in patient care and research.”
The Department of Otolaryngology at UAB is a world-class practice, with 15 full-time faculty performing more than 3,600 surgeries per year. The program’s clinical services include head and neck oncology, otology/neurotology, sinus and skull base disorders, facial plastics and reconstruction, laryngology, salivary gland disorders and sleep apnea.
Otolaryngology is also home to a growing residency program to train future physicians through five years of comprehensive surgical training, as well as specialized fellowship programs in rhinology and head and neck oncology.
“I am honored to be appointed to this position and to work with outstanding colleagues in our department and the broader UAB community,” Carroll said. “Our primary goal is delivering the best for each patient through outstanding clinical care research and education.”
Carroll joined the UAB faculty in 1996, was named section director for head and neck oncology in 2004 and became director of the Head and Neck Oncology Fellowship Training Program in 2008. Prior to his role as interim department chair, he served as interim division director. Dr. Carroll has published more than 150 manuscripts in scientific journals, authored 14 book chapters, served in numerous leadership positions in national and regional professional societies and committees, and often participates in national academic/clinical meetings as a featured presenter.
He began his career at Medical College of Georgia where he earned his medical degree before beginning his postdoctoral training in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining the UAB faculty as an associate professor of surgery, Carroll served as assistant professor of surgery at the University of Michigan Hospitals and as section chief of otolaryngology at the VA Hospital in Ann Arbor.