Carle Illinois College of Medicine has named seasoned medical educator, family physician, and academic leader Dr. Kristine Carpenter as its new associate dean for academic affairs. Carpenter brings extensive experience in curriculum development, student advising, clinical integration, and faculty development to the role, where she will lead the evolution and improvement of CI MED’s unique engineering-based medical curriculum.
Since joining CI MED at its inception, Dr. Carpenter has led multiple innovative educational programs, particularly in clinical skills training and longitudinal mentorship. She has helped build an integrated and applied medical curriculum by designing and leading the Clinical Integration/Introduction to Clinical Practice course from 2017–2023. She founded and served as director of the Family Medicine Continuity Clinic from 2018 until 2025, advising students on clinical development and helping them achieve success in the competitive medical residency match process. She has served as the interim associate dean for academic affairs since late 2024.
“Medical education, like medicine itself, is always changing. I firmly believe CI MED is at the forefront of a movement that will revolutionize how we educate and train the next generation of physicians,” Carpenter said. “I am committed to working closely with CI MED’s world-class faculty and our amazing students to grow innovative educational programs that develop highly skilled and compassionate physician-innovators who are prepared to meet the health care challenges of the future,” she said.
Known for her excellence in teaching, Dr. Carpenter is a multi-time recipient of the “Golden Apple” Award and is deeply committed to mentoring future physicians through a humanistic and systems-based approach to care.
Dr. Carpenter’s academic interests include competency-based education, early clinical immersion, wellness in medical training, and integrated curriculum models. She has made significant contributions to curricular reform, faculty development initiatives, and national presentations on systems thinking and medical education innovation.
Carpenter holds three degrees from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She earned her medical degree from Albany Medical College, completed her family medicine residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and followed with advanced fellowships in maternal-child health and faculty development.
Dr. Carpenter’s tenure in her new role begins December 1, 2025.