At their July 2021 meeting, the North Carolina Institute of Medicine Board of Directors honored fellow NCIOM Board member and State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer Betsey Tilson, MD, MPH, for her extraordinary efforts to protect the public’s health and prevent human suffering during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020-2021.

In remarks to the Board of Directors, Board Chair David Sousa, JD, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel for Curi, praised Dr. Tilson for “the dedication that (she has) exemplified and the leadership (she has) brought to the impossible task” of pandemic response.

Sousa acknowledged Tilson’s service to North Carolina with a plaque, stating, “your great-great grandchildren, who’ve read about this crazy pandemic in their history books, will continue to display this as a testament to the legacy of excellence by you, in their family and in our state.”

NCIOM President and CEO Kathy Colville says of Dr. Tilson’s perseverance and fortitude, “There is no perfect pandemic response, but there is courage, dedication, and commitment, and Dr. Tilson has shown these qualities and inspired them in others… At a time when our state needed strong and courageous leadership, Dr. Tilson answered the call.”