Carl Allamby, Emergency Medicine Physician: Most Interesting People 2026

Why He’s Interesting: After 25 years of running his own auto shop, Carl Allamby fulfilled his dream of becoming a doctor, graduating medical school at age 47. He now brings his steady hands and diagnostic instincts to healing people in Cleveland Clinic emergency rooms.

Driven to Heal: As a kid, Allamby was captivated by the medical drama St. Elsewhere. “Denzel Washington was the first Black doctor I had seen. There were no Black doctors that I knew of, certainly not in my community.” In his blue-collar East Cleveland neighborhood, medical school felt out of reach. During high school, he worked at an auto parts store at 19 years old, which led to his longstanding Advanced Auto Care business.  

Dr. Barnes’ Biology 101: Allamby attended Ursuline College to study business administration, and he procrastinated on taking the required biology course until his final year in the program. “When I took that biology class, it sparked something in my mind that I hadn’t felt for a long time.” With encouragement from the professor and the support of his wife, Kim, Allamby set out on a decade-long journey of selling his business to become a physician.  

Body Work: Fixing cars and treating human patients might seem like quite distinct skillsets, but just as people can be distraught over a major car breakdown — fretting about how it’ll affect their job, the financial cost, the impact on their family members — Allamby has seen that same dynamic in emergency medicine. “Every day I walk into the ER, I feel like I’m walking right back into my auto shop.” 

In the Spotlight: Allamby’s story has made national headlines and inspired people around the world. There’s even a TV series in the works based on his life. “I was thinking Michael B. Jordan would be a good actor to play me, or maybe Denzel’s son.” 

Meet the rest of the 2026 class of Most Interesting People >>

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