Carey to retire in 2021
Timothy Carey, MD, MPH, the Sarah Graham Kenan Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Social Medicine, will retire in January after 35 years as a UNC faculty member. As a health services leader and researcher, active in both inpatient and outpatient care, Carey says serving UNC and the state’s residents has been his life’s work, and he will continue to be involved with several School of Medicine activities on a part-time basis.
“It has been a privilege to work with my colleagues in the University as well as trainees and patients,” said Carey. “As a state university, I have really enjoyed the perspective that our job is to care for and improve the health of all NC residents, with a special focus on people who may lack access to health care.”
“The University has also allowed me to take on a variety of roles over the years, from directing the division of general medicine to leading the Sheps Center to my most recent role as co-PI of the NC TraCS Institute here at UNC. “Identifying and trying to address new challenges is a great way to learn with colleagues. I’ve had a lot of fun as a Tar Heel.”
Carey first came to UNC in 1983 as a fellow in general medicine with the RWJ Clinical Scholars Program, and in 1991, he became chief of the division of general medicine and clinical epidemiology. From 2001-2016, he was director of the Sheps Center for Health Services Research and instrumental in the initial application to the NIH’s Clinical and Translational Science Awards Program (CTSA), which funded the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences (NC TraCS) Institute in 2008. With his help, the CTSA grant was successfully renewed in 2013 and again in 2018. Under his leadership, the Institute strengthened its relationship with UNC Health, enabling it to engage more patients in research that has the potential to make their lives better.
A Health Services Leader and Researcher
John Buse, MD, MPH, says Carey’s real impact through leadership is difficult to fully comprehend.
“From division chief, to center director, to co-PI of the CTSA, Tim has made UNC a better place for all of us to work as researchers, teachers and doctors,” said John Buse, MD, MPH, chief of the division of endocrinology and metabolism, and co-director of NC TraCS.
“From his role in developing the first clinical informatics platform at UNC in the 1980s, you can draw a straight line from his persistent effort and clear-eyed vision to the UNC today, having a leading role in national clinical informatics efforts. And even if his innovative ideas had not been so seminal, his unparalleled collegiality and willingness helped to define the culture at UNC. Tim is simply the best of what we all aspire for our University to be.”
Carey also served as co-chair of the national CTSA consortium Key Function Committee on Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER), directed the University’s AHRQ-funded T-32 Pre- and Post-Doctoral Training Program in Health Services Research, and received funding support for investigator-initiated research and training grants from AHRQ, NIAMS, NCMHD, HRSA, and foundations to conduct outcomes studies, secondary data analyses, and literature syntheses. He also served as associate director of UNC’s Program on Ethnicity, Culture and Health Outcomes, was consultant to the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) on research prioritization, and senior adviser to the RTI-UNC Evidence-Based Practice Center.
Driven By Core Value, Caring For the Patient
Darren DeWalt, MD, says few people have made as many contributions to UNC than Carey through leadership and work with students at all levels, driven by his internal core value of caring for the patient.
“He was not afraid to speak up when patients were not put first. He tirelessly worked to improve the care we deliver at UNC and around the country,” DeWalt said, chief of General Medicine and Clinical Epidemiology. “He also helped countless others succeed through mentorship, by working in the background. I knew when I arrived at UNC in 1997 for internship that Tim Carey would be my role-model. He was a great clinician, but he also conducted important health services research. Throughout my career, I’ve considered Tim my mentor, and I still look to him today for advice. I often ask myself, ‘how would Tim handle this situation?’ I am sorry to see him go, but also support his goal to do things outside of UNC.”
Jim Bryan, MD, patient and retired colleague, remembers when Carey came to UNC.
“Tim joined the division of general medicine and the Robert Woods Johnson program, and developed a huge presence, becoming chief of general medicine. He also developed the epidemiology curriculum for medical students, and worked in the department of social medicine and the Sheps Center, which he directed for many years.”
“He has been my physician for many years and is a wonderful colleague and friend. He is an outstanding clinician who reflects service to the people of North Carolina, as well as serving the research arm of the medical school through the statistical support his Sheps Center supplied.”
Carey has published more than 160 peer-reviewed articles related to evidence-based medicine, access to care, health disparities, and medical outcomes. Carey has been recognized with the John Eisenberg Award for mentoring from AHRQ, the American College of Physicians’ Laureate Award, and is past chair of AHRQ’s Health Care Effectiveness and Outcomes Research (HEOR) Study Section. He serves on several external advisory boards for training grants and research centers. He received his medical degree at the University of Vermont and completed residency in internal medicine Pacific Medicine Center in San Francisco.
“Dr. Carey is a tremendous physician who was instrumental in developing our information-based approach to patient care,” said Ron Falk, MD, chair of the department of medicine. “Even through his retirement, his legacy of great care will live on at UNC.”
