A Hoosier by choice, Dr. Megan Carlson currently serves as the Director of Health Services for Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS). Recently named Indiana’s School Nurse Administer of the Year, Dr. Carlson was responsible for supporting the district through the COVID pandemic and has spent the last several years ensuring all schools within IPS have full time healthcare staffing, growing the team from seven to over 40 nurses. She is a staunch advocate for school nursing, immunization access, and school health, raising awareness of the political and social determinants of health that impact students’ ability to succeed academically and beyond.
Dr. Carlson’s leadership in immunization efforts has resulted in a more than 60% increase in vaccination rates across the district and the successful acquisition of grant funding to expand access to immunizations for IPS families. In recognition of these achievements, she was named the 2025 Immunization Champion by the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM), representing the state of Indiana. Beyond her work in immunizations, Dr. Carlson has been a prominent advocate for the role of school nurses, presenting at local, state, and national conferences. She is also the author of a nationally distributed toolkit supporting the transition of care for students with epilepsy.
Believing in the power of collaboration and networking, Dr. Carlson has served on several pediatric, public and school health related boards and committees including the Indiana School Health Network, Covering Kids and Families of Indiana Public Policy Committee, the Indiana Public Health Association and the Healthy Schools Action Team. She serves as the Indiana affiliate for the School-Based Health Alliance and was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar focused on secondary traumatic stress in teachers. Most recently Dr. Carlson is the co-chair for the Commission on Improving the Status of Children in Indiana (CISC) Educational Outcomes Committee.
Dr. Carlson is also a cofounder of The Indiana Good Trouble Coalition, a 501(c)4 service organization of grassroots Hoosier health care and public health stakeholders who educate, empower, and facilitate political advocacy in the areas of patient-centered care, public, and health equity. Through this group she has contributed published op-eds, legislative testimony and advocacy in the name of Hoosier health.
She graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Nursing and has a Doctorate in Global Public Health Leadership from Indiana University Fairbanks School of Public Health. Dr. Carlson lives in Indianapolis with her partner Andrew, and their two children, Lucas and Nathaniel.