I am pleased to announce that our Board of Directors has named Stephen W. Keene, JD, LLM, MBA as Chief Executive Officer of the North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) effective June 26, 2025. We are thankful for his leadership, dedication, and service to NCMS over the past three months as Interim CEO.
As many members know, Steve worked for NCMS for 27 years (1994-2021) before taking on a variety of roles at Carolina Complete Health Network (CCHN). Steve led the government affairs team at NCMS from 1994-2009. From 2013 until leaving NCMS in 2021, Steve worked with a team on the development of a joint venture between NCMS, the North Carolina Community Health Center Association (NCCHCA), and Centene which now owns Carolina Complete Health (CCH), the only Provider-Led Entity in North Carolina Medicaid.
Today, NCMS owns half of CCHN, a network services company that owns twenty percent of CCH and works exclusively to support the health services network for CCH’s product lines, including Medicaid, Tailored Plans, and the Ambetter Marketplace product. The partnership with Centene and NCCHCA is an important part of the NCMS enterprise and provides physicians—and others seeking to improve the health system— with an opportunity to accelerate positive change.
I want to share with you that we are also implementing changes to enhance our operational efficiency and create greater flexibility in how we serve our members and mission. This transformation combines a smaller core group of seasoned internal staff with experienced contractors and specialized service providers, allowing us to access expertise on-demand while maintaining financial flexibility.
More than anything, know that the Board and I value your membership, trust, and feedback. We look forward to working with you and our professional staff, under Steve’s leadership, to accelerate positive changes in the health system for our members and our patients. I welcome any questions, concerns, or suggestions you may have. Please feel free to reach out to me directly here.
NCMS Receives National Humanitarian Award for Disaster Relief Efforts
The North Carolina Medical Society (NCMS) has been awarded the2025 Humanitarian Award of Excellence by the Medical Professional Liability (MPL) Association. This national honor recognizes NCMS’s extraordinary response to Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of Western North Carolina. Through the NCMS Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund, the Society provided critical support to damaged community practices—raising over $550,000 to help physicians recover, rebuild, and remain in place for their patients.
The MPL Association praised NCMS for its rapid response, collaborative efforts, and long-standing commitment to improving the health of North Carolinians. NCMS Board Member Dr. Ronald B. Laney, Jr. accepted the award at the MPL Association’s annual meeting on May 22 in Austin, Texas.
NCMS Joins Medical Community in Response to ACIP Dismissals
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently dismissed all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), prompting strong opposition from the American Medical Association (AMA), California Medical Association (CMA), and other major medical organizations. These groups condemned the move as politically motivated, harmful to public health, and called for immediate reversal and oversight.
NCMS is among the organizations that signed on to a joint letter—led by the AMA—urging federal leaders to reinstate the dismissed members and protect the integrity of ACIP’s transparent, evidence-based process. The letter described the action as “disruptive and destabilizing,” warning of serious consequences for patient care, vaccine access, and trust in the system.
ACIP plays a vital role in shaping national vaccine policy, including coverage guidelines and public health recommendations. NCMS stands with our national partners in advocating for an approach to immunization policy that is driven by medical science and limits the spread of vaccine-preventable disease.
Upcoming NCMS Events
We hope you’ll join us at one of these upcoming events to connect with colleagues and NCMS leadership.
John Meier, IV, MD, MBA