By The People’s Paper MS Staff
For many physicians, earning a medical degree is the finish line. For Dr. Will Carter, a native of Magee, Mississippi, it was only the beginning of a broader mission.
He earned his MD in May 2021 and recently completed a PhD in 2026, deepening a career path focused on bridging clinical medicine with healthcare leadership and systems reform.
After years of treating patients, listening to families, and working inside healthcare systems, he made a decision that surprised some. He went back to pursue a PhD in healthcare administration.
The reason, he says, became impossible to ignore.
“Seeing how disconnected some healthcare administrators are from actual patient care inspired me to pursue an additional professional degree,” he said.
He explained that many of the people making major operational decisions in healthcare have never worked directly on the clinical side of medicine. Over time, he said he watched those gaps create real consequences for patients, providers, and entire communities.
“While many may have good intentions, knowledge gaps at the administrative level can directly impact patient care, provider morale, and healthcare outcomes,” he said.
What began as a passion for medicine slowly evolved into something larger. He said witnessing poor leadership practices and structural inequities strengthened his desire to step into leadership, not for prestige, but for impact.
Ironically, administration was never part of the original plan.
“My passion was simply helping people get better through compassionate care, patient education, and meaningful human connection,” he said.
That connection still drives his work.
He describes patients as his “why,” saying every policy, decision, and healthcare agenda should begin with the people being served.
“Healthcare is personal,” he said. “Leadership is not just data points on a spreadsheet. These decisions affect real people, real families, and real outcomes.”
A growing body of work in medicine, research, and public health
Even as he trained clinically, Dr. Carter maintained an active research and publication record spanning ophthalmology, psychiatry, addiction science, public health, and medical education.
His early academic work includes presentations at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, along with published research in neuroscience and vascular biology, including:
- Poster presentation at NIH (2011): 7-Ketocholesterol Induced Angiogenesis: A model of oxidized lipid toxicity
- Oral presentation at LSU Health Sciences Center (2010): Choroidal Neovascularization and topical treatments
- Published in FASEB Journal (2011): Visual orientation behavior of gypsy moth larvae to emissive colors
In more recent years, his scholarship has focused on healthcare systems, policy, and mental health:
- Tweaking Neurochemistry: A Newer Wave of Addiction Forecasted, Capital Psychiatry, Washington Psychiatric Society Magazine (January 2021)
- Physician Shortage: Another Health Emergency Mounting Unless the Social Efficacy and Fairness of the U.S. Medical Educational System is Addressed, World Social Psychiatry (in review)
His work has also moved into national policy and health systems dialogue.
He was invited as a guest lecturer for Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health through the NIH IMPROVE Initiative Postdoctoral and Early Career Investigator Program in January 2026, presenting:
“So Now What? A Historical, Contemporary, and Forward-Looking Analysis of Maternal and Child Health in the Mississippi Delta,” a lecture examining maternal morbidity and mortality, structural drivers of health disparities, and system-level strategies for underserved communities.
He also served as an invited panelist with the National Association of Community Health Centers during its Community Health Institute & Expo, where he spoke on civic engagement as a structural driver of health equity.
SEEING THE SYSTEM FROM BOTH SIDES
Working in underserved communities, he said, shaped how he views leadership and accountability in healthcare systems.
He believes medical training prepares doctors to treat patients, but not always to understand how healthcare systems are built, funded, and managed behind the scenes.
“Medical school teaches physiology, pathology, and how to care for patients, but it does not fully teach you how healthcare systems are built, managed, or at times mismanaged,” he said.
The PhD, he explained, strengthened his understanding of healthcare administration, policy, and organizational leadership. More importantly, it positioned him to help bridge the gap between clinical care and system-level decision-making.
“One of the biggest motivators is watching healthcare become too business-focused and not patient-centered enough,” he said.
He pointed to growing concerns over systems prioritizing metrics and funding over patient outcomes, especially in rural and underserved areas.
“That disconnect motivated me to better understand the administrative side so I could help create systems rooted in accountability, transparency, and measurable impact,” he said.
LOOKING AHEAD
Dr. Carter hopes his work contributes to lasting change, particularly in communities where access and outcomes continue to lag behind.
“My ultimate goal is to help create and influence sustainable healthcare systems that prioritize accountability, transparency, and equitable care while remaining genuinely centered around the people they are charged to serve,” he said.
For him, the mission is not about titles or credentials.
It is about building systems that do not lose sight of the patient.
“I want my legacy to reflect leadership that never loses sight of the patient while building structures that improve healthcare outcomes for generations to come,” he said.
That’s Dr. Carter’s why.
Dr. Carter, thank for you ambition to attack the issues that has been stagnant in our under privileged communities and uneducated generation of people concerning their healthcare system. Often time educational opportunities are limited to certain groups. Therefore we thank God for your drive and dedication to assist us in this process, my pray is that you continue to bridge the gaps and help us to become healthy in all aspects!!!!