Voices of U of U Health
Leader Profile: Bob Carter Shares His Vision for the Future of Academic Health at the University of Utah
By Bob S. Carter, MD, PhD
This is an exciting time to be involved in academic health. It’s even more exciting to join the vibrant University of Utah Health community—known for its storied and continuing history of scientific firsts. That innovative energy solidified my decision to come here.
This is also a challenging time to be involved in academic health. As universities and academic health systems navigate proposed changes to federal and state levels of support, these potential shifts will require creative solutions. Your persistence in tackling tough problems with resilience and collegiality cemented my choice to be a part of this exceptional team.
I’m looking forward to working with all of you to shape the next chapter of growth and find solutions that will ensure our ability to improve life for Utah, the nation, and the world.
Reestablishing Roots in Utah
My family has been in Utah for several generations. My grandfather owned a dairy farm on the shores of Utah Lake. I was born in Provo, then spent the early part of my life in Ohio. I came back to Utah to attend Brigham Young University before heading off to Johns Hopkins University for medical school. I completed residency at Massachusetts General Hospital. Little did I know that would pave the way to an incredible 26-year career as neurosurgeon at Mass General and researcher and professor of neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School.
I had the opportunity to trade coasts for a while and serve as professor and chair of neurosurgery at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Seven years later, I returned to Mass General and Harvard. Now, things have come full circle, as I return to my “home” state to embark on a new journey with the exceptional teams at U of U Health.
Unified Institutional Vision
I’m passionate about combining patient care, cutting-edge research, and teaching to serve our communities. I’m motivated to bring teams together to accomplish these goals. Most recently, I helped launch the integration of academic and clinical teams at Mass General with Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
I’ve discovered that we can do so much more together—whether that’s in the operating room, as a team of researchers, or meeting the needs of our larger community. I’m grateful to join the University of Utah at this critical moment or “inflection point,” as President Taylor Randall likes to describe it. Our campus community and academic health system will work together to implement a new five-year strategic plan. This is an opportunity create a unifying vision and align our work across missions.
Core Leadership Values
I hope people are inspired and energized by the work they do. I like to lead with energy and optimism for the future. As I meet more of you, I’ll be interested to hear your thoughts on what inspires you in your work at U of U Health and your aspirations for the future. I consider myself to be a generative leader, looking for ways to grow our teams to accomplish our key missions in care delivery, research, and education. One of my favorite phrases is “Build to Last,” emphasizing long-term impact, culture-building, and empowering others.
My friend Kim Clark, PhD, former dean of Harvard Business School, recently authored a book I highly recommend: “Leading Through: Activating the Soul, Heart, and Mind of Leadership.” The book highlights that we are all leaders and notes that the power of leadership through teams creates energized communities. Clark’s book also emphasizes the importance of being caring leaders. As we work to address burnout and other challenges facing health care, knowing that leadership actually does care about us as people and as a community is fundamental to our success together.
University of Utah Health is exceptional at mobilizing teams to tackle tough problems. It’s one of the reasons I was so excited to join U of U Health. I’m inspired by President Randall’s vision to become a top public university with unsurpassed societal impact. And I intend to be a leader who “leads through” our teams, inspiring people to do their best work for the greater good.
Broadening Our Impact
As we set our sights on the future, I’m thinking about local impact, national influence, and global reach. We will have tremendous local influence as we continue expanding access to high-quality care for more Utahns and throughout the Mountain West. Top-notch research and innovation will strengthen our national influence. And preparing trainees to take their skills out into the world will expand our global impact.
As Utah’s population continues to grow, U of U Health also needs to grow. How do we connect with new communities? How do we build out our health system community so we can make those connections in a meaningful and sustainable way?
We need to attract more health care professionals to meet the demand. While we continue growing tertiary and quaternary care, we also need to expand our focus on multi-specialty care and population health. We want to approach the needs of populations in a preventive and proactive way and ensure that people across the region have access to the highest-quality care.
Keeping a Community and Patient-Centered Focus
While attending the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, I also completed a PhD in epidemiology at the School of Public Health. My background in epidemiology helps me maintain a broader perspective on the social determinants of health and unique needs of different patient populations.
Additionally, I obtained my medical license to continue practicing in Utah. I plan to remain clinically active, in focused areas, in the Department of Neurosurgery and at Huntsman Cancer Institute. I think it’s important to experience how our health system is working for all of us inside and out. I also have a number of existing patients who I promised I would continue being involved in their care. Remaining clinically active ensures I can be available to them and maintain those relationships.
A Sustainable Path Forward
Academic health centers are facing many pressures right now. Some organizations are cutting back on research and education because of economic pressures. Some are reducing the size of their care teams or growth plans. My goal is to ensure a sustainable path forward so we can thrive in all areas of our mission.
Our academic health system has a critical role to play during this “inflection point” for the University of Utah. Our work can accelerate the institutional goal to become a top public university with unsurpassed societal impact. Growing to meet the needs of our state and region will stretch us as a community. So long as we grow sustainably, it will make us stronger, more resilient, and ensure we provide better health for our patients and those outside our own walls impacted by our research and trainees.
Thank you, Dr. Good!
I want to recognize Michael Good, MD, FNAI, for all he accomplished over the last six and a half years as Senior Vice President for Health Sciences, CEO for U of U Heath, and executive dean for the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine. During his tenure, the health system nearly doubled its budget, added a hospital and community health center, and recruited nearly 8,000 new faculty, staff, and students. Patient visits increased by 25 percent, and U of U Health research funding grew from $356 million to $492 million.
Most notably, however, Dr. Good nurtured and modeled a culture of respect among his leadership teams that permeated the U of U Health community. I intend to honor that legacy to the best of my ability.
Thank you, Dr. Good, for laying the groundwork for a promising future ahead!
