He earned his bachelor's degree from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA and his medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD. Dr. Carstairs completed his emergency medicine residency at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego and his fellowship in medical toxicology at the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Carstairs has spent the last 20 years on active duty in the military and is currently a Commander in the United States Navy. He presently serves as the emergency medicine residency program director at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, CA.His research interests include psychoactive plants, substance abuse, and rattlesnake envenomations.