Dr. James Kassolis was born and raised in the Baltimore Metropolitan area. He attended the University of Maryland for both his undergraduate degree and graduate training in dentistry. Dr. Kassolis practiced general dentistry for six years prior to attending the University of Illinois at the Medical Center of Chicago for his certification in periodontics, receiving Diplomate status in 1985.

He was a faculty member of the Department of Periodontics at the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, where he taught post-graduate periodontics and implant dentistry, from 1981 to 2018. Dr. Kassolis has numerous research publications and continues to foster his periodontic and implant research interests.