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Alumnus Focuses on Preventative Medicine in the “Third Act” of Professional Career

Robert “Bob” Carr, M.D. ’81, MPH
Robert “Bob” Carr, M.D. ’81, MPH

As president of the American College of Preventative Medicine (ACPM), Robert “Bob” Carr, M.D. ’81, MPH, is borrowing a page from the tech world to help stimulate new ideas and investments in solutions to our country’s pressing health needs.

Carr helped to organize and support the ACPM’s first-ever Preventive Medicine DesignHack 2019. Where similar ‘hack-a-thons’ have required skill in computer coding, this event is geared solely to preventative medicine physicians and other professionals who are interested in designing innovative ideas for improving preventive medicine, public health, and health care systems.

The multiround competition will award monetary prizes to finalists in May to help kick start ideas into actionable interventions and business ventures.

“People can take the awards to stimulate greater building of their idea to a more credible concept, and maybe get funding for it,” said Carr, who initiated the design hack-a-thon with a $100,000 challenge/matching grant from his Family Humanity Foundation to other sponsors.

Carr says preventative medicine is a small, but essential specialty nationwide.

“Preventive medicine plays an important role in value-based care,” said Carr. “Not waiting for someone to get sick, but rather moving upstream to identify the risks that would lead them to illness or injury and intervening earlier.”

Heading up the ACPM is just the latest step in a long and distinguished career for Carr, who is renowned as a physician leader, educator, consultant and board member with extensive experience in health care, pharmaceutical, and consumer products businesses.

He began his career in medicine as a flight surgeon in the United States Air Force.

He moved to his second career in public health with GlaxoSmithKline, where he worked for 25 years in several leadership roles including HIV research and clinical diagnostics.

Since his retirement from GSK in 2014, Carr led and taught in an executive master’s program in health system administration at Georgetown University.

He has most recently taken on the role as chief medical officer of JOOLHealth, a purpose driven digital coaching platform that supports individuals in achieving lasting, positive life and health changes. Carr says he is especially interest-ed in the potential of the JOOLHealth AI (Augmented Intelligence) platform for burnout prevention in health systems.

Carr lives in Alexandria, VA with his wife Eiko, where they love to spoil their 18-month old granddaughter, Sahana. The Miller School tradition extends deep into his family. His son, Devon, is a graduate of the Miller School Class of 2013, as is his daughter-in-law Malini. Daughter, Malique, is a psychologist.

He received his AB /BS degrees from the University of Miami in 1977 and his Masters in International Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 1985. He also a recipient of the Medical Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

He encourages his fellow alumni, particularly those just starting out, to make their career choice about the connection of your heart and mind.

“Follow your passion and what resonates with you,” he said.

For more information on alumni events and news, visit http://www.alumni.med.miami.edu/.

Tags: Dr. Robert Carr, preventive care, Preventive Medicine DesignHack 2019