Dr. Michael Carroll was born in 1944 in Atlanta, George and grew up in Portland, Oregon. He first came to Alaska in 1968 when he was a student at the University of Oregon Medical School. After graduating medical school and completing his internship, he returned to Alaska and was a doctor at the US Public Health Service Native hospital in Tanana, Alaska from 1970 to 1972. He left the state for more specialized training with an oncology fellowship at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City and in 1977 settled in Fairbanks to practice medicine. In Tanana, he worked closely with community health aides in neighboring villages and enjoyed getting to know the local residents. As an oncologist in Fairbanks, he often continued to have contact with patients he knew from these villages. In recognition of his contributions to medicine in Interior Alaska, the cancer center at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital was named the "J. Michael Carroll Cancer Treatment Center."
He married his high school sweetheart, Ginger, in 1967 and they both were strong supporters of the Fairbanks Symphony Orchestra, the Fairbanks Concert Association and youth sports organizations. In 1985, Mike Carroll was honored by the governor for his work as a volunteer. He also taught wine classes at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and was a regular at the Alaska Goldpanners baseball games.
Dr. Carroll passed away on April 2, 2011. For more about Dr. Michael Carroll, see an article about him and his obituary in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner newspaper.