Awards

School of Dentistry Distinguished Alumni Award - 2017

About Timothy J. Carlson

Timothy Carlson is a Professor of Operative Dentistry, and is one of the Comprehensive Care clinic directors at Indiana University School of Dentistry. He also teaches on the graduate faculty, and is the chair of the IUSD Committee on Community Engaged Scholarship.

Dr. Carlson began his lifelong passion for international dentistry when he and his wife worked at a mission clinic in Haiti during the summer before his senior year of dental school. After graduation, they served an additional 2 years at the Haiti clinic. Dr. Carlson's desire to bring other dental students to volunteer in Haiti was finally realized in 2001, when he and Dr. Martinez-Mier developed IUSD's initial service trips to Haiti and Mexico. These service trips have become annual events. They also now co-direct the IUSD intramural elective course in International Service Learning in dentistry. In 2010, one-third of all juniors and seniors were taking this course, serving in ten locations in eight countries. Dr. Carlson strongly believes that there is a significant benefit to the dentally under-served populations that are treated. Even more, experiences like these provide a life-long impact for the students, thus enabling them to appreciate other cultures, and to instill in them a desire to assist under-served populations.