Ron Carlson

Ron Carlson has been involved in health care planning and policy at the federal, state and local levels for many years.  He served as a senior director with the Center for Health Policy Studies, as a researcher for the National Academy of Public Administration and held several key public health and health care financing positions in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).   He is a charter member of the U.S. Senior Executive Service.

Since the passage of the Medicare and Medicaid legislation, Mr. Carlson has worked on a range of important public health and health care financing issues.  He played key roles in the development of several major national initiatives geared to improving access to health care services for the millions of uninsured and underserved people across the country.  While in the DHHS he directed the Presidential Healthy Start Initiative to reduce infant mortality throughout the nation, and later served on the White House Task Force on Health Care Reform.  He concurrently led initiatives to close the gap on primary care access and health disparities reduction by taking a leadership role in developing both the DHHS Healthy People 2000 and 2010 programs. 

Ron elevated County and State attention to community health improvement when he created the Institute for Community Health in 2000 focused on health and human service issues. The Institute’s work included community health needs assessments for hospitals, evaluating new program projects for the Maryland Health Care Foundation, and conducting training symposia on the topics of community health and community benefits in collaboration with the Health Services Cost Review Commission, the Maryland Hospital Association and others.  This work led to establishing the Maryland Partners for Community Health Improvement.
       
In addition to his professional endeavors, Mr. Carlson has volunteered time with a number of Howard County organizations.  He chaired both the Howard County General Hospital and Community College Boards of Trustees, served on the boards of the Horizon Foundation, the Columbia Cooperative Ministry, Vision Howard County, and the Maryland Community Health Charities.  

Ron was graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University with a major in political science. He continued his commitment to life long learning in public health and health care administration through graduate studies at George Washington, and Johns Hopkins Universities.  He has resided with his wife Priscilla in Howard County since 1968.