Dr. Carlson completed his Bachelor of Arts in biology at Southern University in Tennessee. He attended medical school at Loma Linda University graduating with Alpha Omega Alpha Honors. His residency and first year of Spine Fellowship were performed at the University of California, San Diego. His second Spine Fellowship was completed at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio where he accepted an invitation to remain on faculty as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery for four years. Dr. Carlson was recruited to the University of California, Irvine Department of Orthopaedic Surgery to head up the Spine Surgery program where he served until joining Orthopaedic Specialty Institute in 2000.

Dr. Carlson has published numerous scientific articles on both basic science and clinical topics, and lectured extensively on spinal reconstructive topics. He continues to teach residents and orthopaedic surgeons locally and abroad.

He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the North American Spine Society, the Cervical Spine Research Society, and the American Spinal Injury Association. He serves on the Board of the Western Orthopaedic Association and the Editorial Advisory Board for the Journal Spine. He is also a reviewer for a variety of peer reviewed journals and Grant agencies such as the Reeve - Irvine Spinal Cord Injury Center at University of California, Irvine. He has received research funding for clinical and basic research projects resulting in award winning paper presentations at a number of spine society meetings.