Center for Bioethics

Dr. Aaron E. Carroll is Assistant Dean for Research Mentoring, Professor of Pediatrics, and Bicentennial Professor at Indiana University School of Medicine.  He is Vice President for Faculty Development at the Regenstrief Institute, Inc., and Director for Education and Workforce Development at the Indiana CTSI.  He writes about health policy and evidence-based medicine as a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times and hosts the popular YouTube series Healthcare Triage.

Dr. Carroll received his B.A in Chemistry from Amherst College and his M.D from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency in pediatrics at the University of Washington, where he also received his M.S. in Health Services Research where he was also a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar.

Dr. Carroll’s research focuses on information technology in pediatrics, cost-effectiveness analyses in medicine, and health policy. His writing about health policy, evidence based medicine, and health for the New York Times and other publications and his Healthcare Triage video series have educated and entertained millions of readers and viewers.  His blog, The Incidental Economist on heatlh policy is one of the most widely read health policy blogs in the world.  In addition to all that, he has written four book on medical myths, including Don't Swallow Your Gum: Myths, Half-Truths, and Outright Lies About Your Body and Health, and The Bad Food Bible. 

Public Communication and Discussion of Health Policy

Selected Media:

• The Incidental Economist
• The Upshot at the New York Times
• Healthcare Triage
• Reproducibility in Research

Selected Grants:                                                         

Using YouTube Infrastructure to Disseminate Evidence for Policy

• Role: PI
• Funder: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• Dates: February 2018 – September 2020
• Description: The overall goal of this project is to improve the ways in which the media covers science, by creating a series of videos in a number of domains.

Decision Support

Selected Publications:

• Hannon TS, Saha C, Downs SM, Carroll AE. “Computer Automation for the Diagnosis and Management of Childhood Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” JAMA Pediatr, 2017. 171(4): 327-334.
• Carroll AE, Bauer NS, Dugan TM, Anand V, Saha C, Downs SM. “Use of a Computerized Decision Aid for Developmental Surveillance and Screening: A Randomized Clinical Trial.” JAMA Pediatr, 2014 Sep;168(9):815-21.
• Carroll AE, Biondich PG, Anand V, Dugan DM, Downs SM. “A Randomized Controlled Trial of Screening for Maternal Depression with a Clinical Decision Support System.” JAMIA, 2013 Mar-Apr;20(2):311-6.

Selected Grants:

Automated Assessment of Pediatric Rome IV Criteria Using Computerized Decision Support

• Role: Co-PI
• Dates: April 2019 – March 2024
• Funder: NIDDK (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Description: The overall goal is to adapt Rome IV Criteria to a decision support system and then determine in an RCT if they improve outcomes.

Utility Measurement and Decision Analysis

Selected Publications:

• Carroll AE, Downs SD. “A comprehensive cost-utility analysis of newborn screening strategies.”  Pediatrics, 2006;117;287-295.
• Carroll AE, Downs SM. “Improving Decision Analyses: Parent Preferences (Utility Values) for Pediatric Health Outcomes
• Finnell SM, Carroll AE, Downs SM. “The Utility Assessment Method Order Influences Measurement of Parents’ Risk Attitude.” Value in Health, 2012. 15(6): 926-32.
• Carroll AE, Saha C, Ofner S, Downs SM. “Valuing health for oneself versus one's child or elderly parent.” J Health Psychol, 2017.

Medical Malpractice

Selected Publications:

• Carroll AE, Buddenbaum J. “Malpractice Claims involving Pediatricians: Epidemiology and Etiology.” Pediatrics, 2007; 120(4): 10-7.
• Carroll AE, Parikh PD, Buddenbaum JL. “The Impact of Defense Expenses in Medical Malpractice Claims.” Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 2012; 40(1): 135-42.
• Carroll AE, Buddenbaum JL. “High and low-risk specialties experience with the U.S. medical malpractice system.” BMC Health Serv Res, 13: 465.

Adolescent Diabetes

Selected Publications:

• Carroll AE, Marrero DG. “The Role of “Significant Others” in Adolescent Diabetes: A Qualitative Study.” Diabetes Educ, 2006;32(2):243-52.
• Carroll AE, Marrero DG. “How do Parents Perceive Their Adolescent’s Diabetes: A Qualitative Study.” Diabetic Medicine, 2006; 23: 1222-4.
• Carroll AE, DiMeglio LA, Stein S, Marrero DG. “Using a Cell Phone Based Glucose Monitoring System for Adolescent Diabetes Management.” Diabetes Educ, 2011 Jan-Feb; 37(1): 59-66.
• Hannon TS, Saha CK, Carroll AE, Palmer KN, O'Kelly Phillips E, Marrero DG. “The ENCOURAGE healthy families study: A comparative effectiveness trial to reduce risk for type 2 diabetes in mothers and children.” Pediatric diabetes. 2018.

Selected Grants:

Patient-Centered Decision Support to Improve Type 1 Diabetes Management in Pre-Teens and Adolescents

• Role: PI
• Dates: April 2017 – March 2021
• Funder: NIDDK
• Description: Goal is to implement ADA recommendations of care using a computer decision support system developed by our research group – the Child Health Improvement through Computer Automation (CHICA) system.

Selected Activities:

• Associate Director for Research, Children’s Health Services Research, Indiana University School of Medicine. 2009-2013
• Director, Interdisciplinary Research Core, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of medicine, 2010-2013