Dr. McCarthy graduated from Michigan State University with high honors and a Bachelor of Science Degree in human physiology. He received his Medical Degree from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan in 1999, graduating in the top twenty percent of his class. Dr. McCarthy continued his training at Tulane Medical Center by completing an orthopedic residency there in 2004. During residency, he received multiple distinguished awards, including the Sherman Award for outstanding second-year resident and the Thibodeaux Award for the senior resident that best exemplifies leadership and intelligence. He served as Administrative Chief Resident from July of 2003 to June of 2004.

Dr. McCarthy completed a fellowship in pediatric and adult spine surgery in 2005. He currently specializes in the treatment of all spinal disorders with a special emphasis on minimally invasive spine surgery, spinal deformity, and cervical spine procedures.