Joseph J. Carroll, PhD, associate professor of ophthalmology, biophysics, and of cell biology, neurobiology and anatomy at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), has been named the Richard O. Schultz, MD/Ruth Works Professor in Ophthalmology. Dr. Carroll, who is also the co-director of the Advanced Ocular Imaging Program at MCW, is a pioneer in the use of adaptive optics to study the eye at a cellular level.
Dr. Richard O. Schultz served as chairman of the ophthalmology department at MCW for 33 years, beginning in 1964. Under his leadership, the Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin Eye Institute was built; it continues to serve as a regional center of excellence for eye care, physician training, and vision research. Former residents, fellows, and patients of Dr. Schultz, along with foundations and corporations, contributed more than $250,000 towards the research professorship. Ruth Works, who was a patient of the Eye Institute, designated a large portion of her estate to establish the $1 million professorship.
Dr. Carroll takes a multi-disciplinary approach to the study of the human visual system and is interested in developing a better understanding of the relationship between structure and function in the visual system in both healthy and diseased eyes. His primary focus is on applying high-resolution imaging tools (adaptive optics and optical coherence tomography) to the study of the human retina.
Dr. Carroll has more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and is currently funded by the National Eye Institute. In addition, he is the course director for two graduate neuroscience courses and has mentored dozens of undergraduate and medical students. He is a current board member of the MCW/Marquette Alumni Association.
Dr. Carroll received his PhD in Cell & Developmental Biology from MCW in 2002. He served as a postdoctoral fellow in Cell & Developmental Biology at MCW and at the Center for Visual Science at the University of Rochester in New York. Dr. Carroll joined the MCW faculty in 2006; he also serves as adjunct associate professor in the department of Biomedical Engineering at Marquette University. In 2009, Dr. Carroll was appointed director of the Core Image Analysis Module, department of ophthalmology, and co-director of the Advanced Ocular Imaging Program.