Established Investigator

Meet a Colleague
Career Resources
Mentoring
Scientific Meetings &
   Societies
Awards Available
Minority Resources
Positions Available
Related Links

Robert Carter III was born in Lake Charles, LA. He first expressed an interest in science around the age of 8. He was fascinated with how things functioned and how the body worked. He was very curious about how animals communicated with humans, feelings of animals, etc. Although at that point he didn’t have a term or name to call it, he knows now it was physiology! His first interest was in studying veterinary medicine.

Deciding on a Career
Robert worked a summer with Dr. Dennis French, from Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. French practiced large animal medicine, in addition to conducting experimental studies related to supplemental minerals for growing Holstein heifers and animal parasitology. It was at this time that Robert realized his strong interest in experimental research and investigation. Dr. French influenced Robert’s dedication to study science and pursue graduate work in the biomedical sciences.

Getting Degrees
For his undergraduate degree, Robert decided to attend Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, LA, mainly because he was offered an academic scholarship, as well as a track scholarship. He graduated with majors in biology and chemistry in 1995.

He went on to take graduate-level courses in the Department of Biological Sciences at Southern University and at Louisiana State University, both in Baton Rouge, LA. Robert attended these schools to take courses until he decided where and which area of biomedical science he wanted to pursue for his doctorate degree. It was while he was at Southern University that Robert was selected to participate in a new bridge-to-doctorate program between Southern University and the University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTSHC) in Fort Worth, TX. After completing the bridge program and finishing his Master’s degree in biology at Southern University in 1997, Robert moved to Texas and began working toward his Ph.D. at UNTHSC.

Robert was awarded his Ph.D. in biomedical sciences (concentration in cardiovascular physiology) in 2001 and his Master degree in Public Health (MPH) in disease control epidemiology in 2003.  In 2004,  Dr. Carter completed additional graduate studies in epidemiology and was selected as a Alonso Yerby Fellow in the Department of Environmental Health at the Harvard School of Public Health. In 2003, Minority Access, Inc. through a corporative agreement with the National Institutes of Health Office of Minority Health recognized Dr. Carter as National Role Model in biomedical research.

Joining the Army
During the time he was in graduate school, Robert decided to join the US Army Reserves because of his patriotism and his interest in working as a military scientist after graduate school. He was commissioned as a 1^st Lieutenant in the US Army Reserves. After receiving his Ph.D. degree and completing his MPH, Dr. Carter was assigned to the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine (USARIEM) in Natick, MA, as a principal investigator. He arrived at USARIEM in January 2002 to complete a three-year initial assignment. Most uniform military Ph.D. scientists use their initial assignment as a postdoctoral fellowship, just like all other new Ph.D.s. However, there are other responsibilities that come with being a commissioned officer in the military, such as staff officer duties, equal opportunity officer responsibilities, having to wear a military uniform, continuing military education, etc.

In 2006, Major Carter was selected as the first US Army Medical Scientist assigned to France as part of a Department of Defense (DoD) effort to promote international cooperation in military research, development, and acquisition through the exchange of defense scientists and engineers. Major Carter was assigned to the premier laboratory regarding military health research, the Centre de Recherches du Service de Santé des Armées at La Tronche, France from 2006 to 2008.

Major Carter currently serves as the Assistant Director for Research & Technology and DASC, Medical Systems in the Medical Directorate within the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics, and Technology at the Pentagon in Washington, DC.  In addition to his duties at the Pentagon, Major Carter serves as a White House Social Aide. Social Aides provide military support for White House ceremonies and social events hosted by the President and First Lady and serve as an extension of the President and First Lady in their roles as official host and hostess of the United States.

Environmental Physiology Research
Dr. Carter’s current work involves investigating physiological responses and genetic pathways in skeletal muscle during heat stress and heat injury in a rodent model. The current research builds on the many years of research efforts of investigating the physiological and biochemical responses of exercise and heat stress in humans. Through ongoing collaborations in France and the United States, Robert is 1) examining toll-like receptor and heat shock protein responses at the mRNA and protein level during heat stress and exercise and 2) attempting to categorize better biomarkers of heat-related muscle injury.

Dr. Carter has several adjunct faculty positions, including at American International University (since 2006) and Northwestern State University (since 2002) where he currently teaches, via distance learning, courses in Biology, Physiology, Microbiology, and Human Anatomy.

Dr. Carter is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and member of the American Physiological Society and American College of Epidemiology. Dr. Carter also serves on the Scientific Editorial Board of the Sports Medicine Journal and as a scientific reviewer for 11 other scientific journals.

Recent Publications
1. Carter III, R. Exertional heat illnesses and hyponatremia: An epidemiological prospective. Current Sports Med. Rpt. 7(4), Suppl. 1.: S20-S27, 2008.

2. Carter III, R. and D.E. Watenpaugh. Obesity and obstructive sleep apnea: or is it OSA and obesity? J. Pathophysiol. 15(2):71-77, 2008.

3. Carter III, R., S.N. Cheuvront, and M.N. Sawka. Hypohydration and prior heat stress exacerbates decreases in cerebral blood flow velocity during standing. J. Appl. Physiol. 101(6):1744-1750, 2006.

4. Cheuvront, S.N., R. Carter III, M.A. Kolka, H.R. Lieberman, M.D. Kellogg, and M.N. Sawka. Branched-chain amino acid supplementation and human performance when hypohydrated in the heat.  J. Appl. Physiol. 97: 1275-1282, 2004.

5. Wilson, T.E., R. Carter III, M. Cutler, J. Cui, M.L. Smith, and C.G. Crandall. Central command modulates skin blood flow and sweat rate responses during recovery from exercise. J. Appl. Physiol. 96: 668-673, 2004.

6. Carter III, R., T. Wilson, D.E. Watenpaugh, M.L. Smith, and C.G. Crandall. Effects of mode of exercise recovery on cardiovascular and thermoregulatory responses. J. Appl. Physiol. 93: 1918-1924, 2002.

8. Carter III, R., D.E. Watenpaugh, and M.L. Smith. Genome and hormones: Gender differences in physiology selected contribution: gender differences in cardiovascular regulation during recovery from exercise. J. Appl. Physiol. 91: 1902-1907, 2001.

9. Carter III, R., D.E. Watenpaugh, S.L. Wasmund, W.L. Wasmund, and M.L. Smith. Central command and muscle pump during exercise recovery in humans. J. Appl. Physiol. 87: 1463-1469, 1999.