UH Beachwood’s Chief Medical Officer Draws on Diverse Experiences in Her Role

UH Clinical Update | February 2025

Medical school presents one of the greatest challenges – academically, physically and emotionally – that a 20-something college graduate can encounter.

Anne Carrol, MD

But Anne Carrol, MD, took it on at age 34, as the single mother of a young daughter. She had been a biochemistry major at John Carroll University, and for her, this was the springboard to becoming a physician.

She had waited until her daughter was in pre-school to pursue becoming a physician. Adding a little pressure was that her divorce agreement required her to live in Cuyahoga County, which meant there was only one school to apply to – the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, a competitive top 10 school.  When she interviewed with the dean, he asked her what she would do if she wasn’t accepted.

“Either way, as a student or as someone who is re-applying, I’ll be here next year,” she said. He divulged that she was already in.

“CWRU had always been very progressive, and I loved medical school,” she says. “I had wonderful mentors, and while it was competitive, it wasn’t cut-throat, and from there I decided to go to UH.”

She did her residency training at UH in internal medicine, alongside another young physician who was doing an ENT residency – Dr. Cliff Megerian.

Dr. Carrol has been with UH ever since, in a variety of physician roles.  A few months ago, she was one of 11 physicians recognized with a “Cliff Appreciates/Dinner with the Doc” honor, bestowed by Dr. Megerian.

Today, Dr. Carrol is both a hospitalist and Chief Medical Officer at UH Beachwood Medical Center.  Her previous positions included being medical director at the world headquarters of TRW, the former Fortune 500 company in Lyndhurst; and as a solo practitioner and then an ED physician at Lake West Hospital, before heading to UH Geauga Medical Center as a hospitalist.

“I’ve been given wonderful opportunities,” she says. “As they say, it’s good to be good, but it’s better to feel lucky, and I feel very lucky. I loved working at UH Geauga and I realized how much I had missed patient contact.

“I liked talking to people, especially patients, and the people there were so warm and kind.”

From there she went on to join UH Beachwood Medical Center.

Not that her life has only been about medical work. Dr. Carrol has a strong sense of curiosity, and a love of exploration. “There’s a whole world out there waiting to be discovered,” she says, noting that her most fascinating trip was to Antarctica. “You have to be there to understand the pristine beauty, to see the whales. It is the quietest place I’ve ever been.”

In 1995, Dr. Carrol got a pilot’s license and began to study aviation medicine. That led to her becoming an FAA-certified aviation medical examiner and an HIMS-AME, one of only two in Ohio. She continues in that role, ensuring that pilots meet the health criteria required to fly a plane.  

After 30 years in the UH system, working with patients is still what drives her.

Recently, a patient at UH Beachwood wrote a letter commending her and several other physicians, noting, “When I went into this ER facility, Dr. Carrol immediately came to see me (to discern) the source of my unrelenting pain and within an hour or less she had already diagnosed me… Since Dr. Carroll was also the hospitalist along with being the ER doctor, she is also the one who followed me when I was discharged two days later,” wrote the patient, citing both her technical skills and bedside manner.

“Medicine has become so complex since I first graduated,” says Dr. Carrol. “We didn’t have CTs yet, or MRIs or PET scans. And those have added so much to our diagnostic acumen.

“But the one strength we should never lose is that bedside human touch. I believe that can be the most healing tool we have to offer our patients.”

To nominate a physician for this honor, click here for the Dinner with the Doc Nomination Form.