Dr. William R. Carroll has been named to the John S. Odess Endowed Chair in Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.

The John S. Odess Chair was established on June 28, 1993 through the generosity of Dr. Odess after his retirement in 1981. Odess, a native of West Blocton, Ala., and a graduate of Vanderbilt University Medical School, was a clinical otolaryngologist on the volunteer faculty for many years at the Medical College of Alabama.

“Dr. Carroll’s compassion for patients and their care has always been his top concern, and he is most deserving of this honor,” said Dr. Selwyn Vickers, senior vice president for Medicine and dean of the UAB School of Medicine. “Providing funding for academic physicians to focus on the advancement of care in otolaryngology will allow the department to reach new levels of excellence in patient care and research.”

Previously titled the John S. Odess Professor and Division Director Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery Chair, the Board of Trustees granted approval to rename it on September 15, 2017 to accurately reflect the department status and the holder as the department chair. Carroll is the third holder of the Odess Endowed Chair succeeding Dr. Glenn Peters and Dr. Eben Rosenthal, but the first to hold the title as Department Chair – the ultimate fulfillment of Odess’ vision for Otolaryngology at UAB.

Carroll joined the UAB faculty in 1996. He 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. In October 2015, Carroll became the interim Chair for the Department of Otolaryngology and accepted the role as permanent Chair in 2017.

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 Veterans Affairs Hospital in Ann Arbor.