A graduate of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Anderson completed his residency in internal medicine and postgraduate training in gastroenterology at Vanderbilt University Hospital and the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. He was a member of the faculty at the Rockefeller University, Cornell University Medical College and New York Medical College before coming to UTMB in 1987.

He is a Professor in the Departments of Preventive Medicine and Community Health and Internal Medicine (Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology), and a Member of the Institute for Translational Sciences (ITS) and the Academy of Research Mentors. He is Director of the Clinical Science Program in the Graduate School for Biomedical Sciences. He is an active clinical investigator particularly on the ITS Clinical Research Center (CRC), where he is also Associate Director. His research if funded by NIH, FDA, foundations and industry, and focuses on the human porphyrias and their treatment.