Robert H. Carter is an American rheumatologist and physician-scientist serving as the deputy director of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) since 2008.

In 1978, Carter completed a bachelor’s degree in biology from Williams College, magna cum laude.

[1] Carter was professor of medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and served as director of the division of clinical immunology and rheumatology.

[1] He leads the Accelerating Medicines Partnership in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus, a public-private partnership between government, industry, advocacy organizations and academic centers focused on tissues with active disease from patients.

[2] Carter led the development of the back pain consortium as part of National Institutes of Health's Helping to End Addiction Long-term® (HEAL) Initiative.