James Carlson, PhD, PA-C, CHSE-A

Dr. James Carlson, PhD, PA-C, CHSE-A, was appointed Interim Provost of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science on July 1, 2025. The Provost serves as the University’s chief academic officer. In his role as Interim Provost, Dr. Carlson reports directly to the President and plays a vital role in fostering collaboration across the academic community, promoting a shared purpose and unified direction in advancing interprofessional education throughout the University’s academic portfolio.

He provides leadership in academic and faculty affairs, including institutional research, accreditation and assessment, academic planning and regulatory oversight, faculty development, and online learning and instructional design. In addition, he oversees the University’s clinical partnerships, interprofessional education, and simulation initiatives.

In addition to serving as Interim Provost, Dr. Carlson is Vice President for Interprofessional Education and Simulation and a professor in the Physician Assistant and Medicine faculties. He oversees all simulation-based activities at RFU, the DeWitt C. Baldwin Institute for Interprofessional Education, and the Gross Anatomy Labs. Under his leadership, RFU earned accreditation from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare, placing the university among the top tier of simulation programs nationally and internationally.

Dr. Carlson earned his PhD in Interprofessional Health Care Studies from RFU in 2012 and his Master of Science in Physician Assistant Practice from RFU in 2001. In 2022, he completed the American Medical Association’s Health Systems Science Fellowship program and is recognized as an advanced Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator (CHSE-A) by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare.

As an educator, Dr. Carlson teaches across multiple RFU programs. His teaching and research interests include diagnostic reasoning and clinical decision-making, digital health and artificial intelligence in healthcare delivery, simulation-based performance assessment, healthcare team training, health systems improvement, and interprofessional education. In addition, he is a member of the Master Teachers Guild and was recently elevated to Master Teacher Guild Emeritus.