Dr. Carl Gelhaus ’94
Infectious Disease Scientist, Global Public Health Advocate, and Proud Spartan

Roger Bacon High School is proud to shine a spotlight on Dr. Carl Gelhaus ’94, a dedicated scientist whose career has placed him on the frontlines of some of the most significant infectious disease outbreaks of the past two decades. Currently the Director of Non-Clinical Research at Appili Therapeutics Inc. and CEO of Full Effect Biotech, Dr. Gelhaus has built an impressive career in microbiology and immunology, driven by a deep commitment to helping others—and a strong foundation laid right here at RB.

After graduating from Roger Bacon, Carl studied biology at the University of Cincinnati before earning his PhD at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Though he initially set out to research diabetes treatments, the anthrax attacks of the early 2000s shifted his focus. That pivot led him to a fellowship at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, where he worked in high-containment labs studying some of the world’s most dangerous pathogens, including anthrax, monkeypox, and plague.

Over the years, Dr. Gelhaus has contributed to public health responses during the Ebola and Zika outbreaks, played a pivotal role in COVID-19 safety protocols for dental professionals, and continues his work today addressing the impact of avian influenza. He also taught microbiology and biodefense at Wright State University and continues to teach at Kansas City University and the University of Missouri Kansas City, further extending his influence in the field of infectious diseases.

Carl credits his time at Roger Bacon with helping him develop both the academic discipline and moral foundation to thrive in a high-stakes scientific field. “Roger Bacon influenced my life in many ways,” he says. “Our motto, Mens sana in sano corpore—a sound mind in a sound body—taught me the importance of balancing intellectual pursuits with physical and spiritual well-being.” He fondly recalls being involved in football, wrestling, track, and the Academic Team, and names several faculty members who left a lasting impression, especially Coach Starkey, who “made us better people just by being around.”

Perhaps most profoundly, Carl appreciates the integration of faith and reason that Roger Bacon instilled in him. “When I was young, a friend once told me a Christian couldn’t be a scientist,” he shares. “Roger Bacon proved that wrong—after all, he was a Franciscan friar and a scientist.” That affirmation empowered Carl to pursue science as a vocation aligned with his Catholic values: “For me, that means using God’s gifts to help the sick, even in the direst circumstances.”

Today, Carl lives in Kansas City with his wife, Rachel “Gabbard” Gelhaus, and their five children: Jack, Grant, Paul, Luke, and Rose. Though his career has taken him far from Cincinnati, he still holds Roger Bacon close to his heart. “I’m sad that my children couldn’t attend RB, but I’m thrilled to have a niece who graduated and a nephew currently enrolled. The education at Roger Bacon is so good it should be handed down for generations.”

To current students and recent graduates, Carl offers this advice: “Keep Catholicism in your life. Follow Catholic social teaching. God made you for a purpose, and your life will be full if you strive to fulfill that purpose.”

Thank you, Dr. Gelhaus, for being a shining example of what it means to be a Roger Bacon Spartan—living with integrity, striving for excellence, and using your gifts in service to others.