Dr. Paulson is the retired chief medical officer for the Oregon State Penitentiary, in charge of the state's primary infirmary and largest medical staff. He studied medicine at the Creighton University School of Medicine, residency at Harbor/UCLA Medical Center, and obtained a Master of Public Health from the University of California at Berkeley. He achieved board certification in sports medicine in 1992. Dr. Paulson had a 25-year career in emergency medicine and sports medicine in rural, small town, suburban, and urban settings. He practiced for the past 13 years with the Oregon Department of Corrections, and retired in September 2022. He has direct-care experience in men's and women's maximum, medium, and minimum security, death row, intake, mental health infirmary, segregation, medical infirmary, and hospice.