NCMS Member Dr. Lawrence Greenblatt Named by NCDHHS as State Health Director
Dr. Lawrence Greenblatt, a distinguished physician, professor and public health champion, has been appointed as State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and will begin his duties on Monday, June 2, 2025. He is widely recognized for his commitment to high-quality care for medically and socially complex patients, his leadership in medical education and his pioneering work to improve mental health and addiction services.
“Dr. Greenblatt is an innovator and public health advocate with a long track record of increasing access to mental and physical health care in North Carolina,” said NC Health and Human Services Secretary Dev Sangvai. “He has the vision and experience needed to lead our state’s public health efforts as we work to create a healthier North Carolina for all.”
Dr. Greenblatt served for three decades as a general internist, educator and leader in Medicaid policy with Duke University Health System, earning recognition for his work to integrate behavioral health and addiction services into primary care.
Since 2008, Dr. Greenblatt has led Duke’s Medicaid Network, first as Northern Piedmont Community Care, which was part of the statewide Community Care of North Carolina network. He continued as Medical Director of Duke’s Clinically Integrated Network under Medicaid transformation in 2021. This well-run network serves 100,000 Medicaid enrollees and supports dozens of practices.
“I am honored to be chosen for this important role in improving the health and well-being of the more than 11 million North Carolinians that call this great state home,” said Dr. Greenblatt. “As a physician and educator, I know the value of making sure every person has access to mental and physical health care when they need it and in the setting that is most appropriate for them.”
In 2012, he launched one of the nation’s first academic initiatives to promote safe opioid prescribing and expand treatment for opioid use disorder. He also served as Chair of the NC Medicaid Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Secretary of the NC Medicaid Physician Advisory Group. As a long-time advocate for improved mental health care, Dr. Greenblatt has co-led the Durham Crisis Collaborative and actively contributed to local substance use and mental health planning efforts.
Dr. Greenblatt has been involved with NCMS’s leadership programs under the Kanof Institute for Physician Leaders. He is a 2013 Leadership College(LC) graduate and later served as a co-chair of LC, and now co-chair of the renamed program, NCMS Academy for Advanced Healthcare Leaders..