Overview

The Deans Office

Richard McCarty

Richard McCarty earned both his B.S. and his M.S. degrees from Old Dominion University and received his Ph.D. in pathobiology from The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health.

He began his career in 1976 at the National Institute of Mental Health as a research associate in pharmacology and a Lt. Commander in the U.S. Public Health Service. From 1978 to 1984 he was assistant professor of psychology at the University of Virginia, where he rose through the academic ranks. He became associate professor of psychology, professor of psychology, and he served as chair of the department from 1990 to 1998. In addition to his positions at the University of Virginia, he was Senior Fellow in the Section on Biochemical Pharmacology at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute from 1984-1985 and was a visiting scientist at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke from 1994-1995. From 1998-2001, he was Executive Director for Science at the American Psychological Association in Washington, D.C. He came to Vanderbilt University in July 2001 as Professor of Psychology and Dean of the College of Arts and Science. He also has a secondary appointment as Professor of Pharmacology in the School of Medicine.

For much of his career, McCarty has had two primary research interests--physiological and behavioral adaptations to stress and factors contributing to the development of hypertension. He has published more than 150 articles and 30 chapters in edited volumes. In addition, he has edited 8 volumes relating to his research interests. He contributes to the teaching mission of the Department of Psychology by offering a freshman seminar, Stress, Health and Behavior, during the fall semester.

Dean McCarty sits on the Editorial Advisory Board of Physiology and Behavior and has served as editor of American Psychologist and as founding editor-in-chief of Stress. He is a member of the board of directors of The Catecholamine Foundation. He is a fellow of several scientific societies, including the American Psychological Association, the American Psychological Society,the Council for High Blood Pressure Research of the American Heart Association, the Society of Behavioral Medicine, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

He and his wife, Sheila, have four children and four grandchildren.