The Legislative Health Policy Fellows Program brings together legislators from the NC Senate and NC House to dig deeper into the data, information, policy options, and knowledge necessary for effective health policy decision-making.
Policy Fellows will advance their understanding of the health issues facing the people of our state, examine the strengths and challenges of our systems of health care delivery, and explore innovative opportunities to improve the health of all North Carolinians.
This will be the fourth cohort of this program. See a list of previous Fellows below.
“Not only was the material we covered extremely helpful, but I was able to get to know more personally several members from across the aisle. The setting and activities were engaging and informal. It was both necessary and natural to be drawn into the subject at hand and forget about party.”
- Verla Insko, NC House District 56 – D-Orange, 2019 NCIOM Legislative Health Policy Fellow (now retired)
“The format was superb, bringing in experts and then facilitating discussion. Our legislators are responsible for health policy, so bringing in experts who are able to answer our questions, that is excellent.”
- Gregory Murphy, US Congress (formerly NC House District 9 – R-Pitt), 2018 NCIOM Legislative Health Policy Fellow
“The Legislative Health Policy Fellows program provides a fantastic opportunity to hear from subject matter experts on a variety of health-related topics. I was impressed by the breadth and depth of the information provided in the program.”
- Jim Perry, NC Senate District 2 – R-Beaufort, Craven, Lenoir), 2019 NCIOM Legislative Health Policy Fellow
“Participating in the NCIOM Legislative Health Policy Fellows program was the single best thing I did as a new legislator to learn about state health policy.”
-Donna McDowell White, NC House District 26 – R- Johnson, 2018 NCIOM Legislative Health Policy Fellow
Program sessions will include presentations and panels from health policy experts, policymakers, and renowned guest speakers. NCIOM staff will work with participating legislators to prioritize special topics of interest and to ensure a balance of formal presentations and informal discussion and networking time.
Session 1: January 8, 2024
10 am - 3 pm
Health Care Fundamentals
Health policy can quickly become overwhelmingly complex, and this session will help legislators enhance their knowledge of fundamental state health policy issues. Topics will include health care financing and payment models, underlying drivers of health, health care and public health workforce, and policy issues pertaining to healthy aging and maternal health.
Session 2: February 5, 2024
10 am - 3 pm
Mental Health
North Carolina is experiencing a growing need for mental health services and a strong and supported workforce to meet these needs. This session will address data on the rising rates of mental health diagnoses, substance use disorders, and the opioid epidemic, as well as suicide causes and prevention, and an overview of mental health care delivery and financing in our state.
Session 3: February 26, 2024
12 pm - 4:30 pm
Medicaid
This session will provide an overview of North Carolina Medicaid, including financing, eligibility, demographics of Medicaid recipients, and recent policy changes, including the implications of Medicaid expansion in our state. Legislative Health Policy Fellows from previous cohorts will be invited to join this session.
Following the February 26 session, there will be an evening reception from 5 pm - 6:30 pm to celebrate new insights and connections from the program and present certificates of completion to our 2024 Legislative Health Policy Fellows.
Session 4: March 11, 2024
10 am - 3 pm
Fellows' Choice: What's Important to You?
Throughout the program, participants will have the opportunity to share and discuss health policy issues and questions. For this final session, our NCIOM team will design an agenda based on these discussions, providing a more in-depth look at the issues most important to the participants and their constituents. This agenda will be informed by the needs of participants’ districts and upcoming legislative priorities. Previous cohorts have identified rural health, end of life care, environmental health, lessons learned from COVID-19, and the health care safety net as priority topic areas for this session.
The program is open to all legislators who want to learn more about health policy and resources, regardless of the amount of time they have served in the General Assembly.
There is no fee for enrollment in the Legislative Health Policy Fellows program.
Please note: Enrollment is limited to 20 legislators.
Enrollment for the 2024 cohort will begin in August 2023. To enroll, you can register here.
For more information, please contact Ivana Susic at Ivana_Susic@nciom.org
2021-22 Legislative Health Policy Fellows:
Representative Kristin Baker, R, District 82 - Cabarrus
Senator Sydney Batch, D, District 17 - Wake
Representative Becky Carney, D, District 102 - Mecklenburg
Representative Linda Cooper-Suggs, D, District 24 - Wilson
Senator Sarah Crawford, D, District 18 - Wake
Representative Susan Fisher, D, District 114 - Buncombe
Senator Amy Galey, R, District 24 - Alamance, Guilford
Representative Pricey Harrison, D, District 57 - Guilford
Representative Ricky Hurtado, D, District 63 - Alamance
Senator Steve Jarvis, R, District 29 - Davidson, Montgomery
Representative Grier Martin, D, District 34 - Wake
Senator Natalie Murdock, D, District 20 - Durham
Representative Mark Pless, R, District 118 - Haywood, Madison, Yancey
2019 Legislative Health Policy Fellows:
Representative Kelly Alexander, D, District 107- Mecklenburg
Senator Deanna Ballard, R, District 45 - Alleghany, Ashe, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes
Representative Lisa Barnes, R, District 7 - Franklin, Nash
Representative Mary Belk, D, District 88 - Mecklenburg
Senator Jim Burgin, R, District 12 - Harnett, Johnson
Representative Christy Clark, D, District 98 - Mecklenburg
Representative Zack Hawkins, D, District 31 - Durham
Representative Rachel Hunt, D, District 103 - Mecklenburg
Representative Verla Insko, D, District 56 - Orange
Representative Marcia Morey, D, District 30 - Durham
Senator Jim Perry, R, District 7 - Lenoir, Wayne
Representative Joe Sam Queen, D, District 119 - Haywood, Jackson
Senator Vickie Sawyer, R, District 34 - Iredell, Yadkin
Representative Wayne Sasser, R, District 67 - Cabarrus, Stanly
Senator Sam Searcy, D, District 17 - Wake
Representative Raymond Smith, D, District 21 - Sampson, Wayne
Representative Julie von Haefen, D, District 36 - Wake
Senator Joyce Waddell, D, District 40 - Mecklenburg
Representative Ashton Wheeler Clemmons, D, District 57 - Guilford
2018 Legislative Health Policy Fellows:
Representative Cynthia Ball, D, District 49- Wake
Representative MaryAnn Black, D, District 29 – Durham
Senator Angela R. Bryant, D, District 4 – Halifax, Nash, Vance, Warren, Wilson
Representative Deb Butler, D, District 18 – Brunswick, New Hanover
Representative Carla D. Cunningham, D, District 106 – Mecklenburg
Representative Josh Dobson, R, District 85 – Avery, McDowell, Mitchell
Senator Chuck Edwards, R, District 48 – Buncombe, Henderson, Transylvania
Senator Rick Horner, R, District 11 – Johnston, Nash, Wilson
Representative Pat B. Hurley, R, District 70 – Randolph
Senator Joyce Krawiec, R, District 31 – Forsyth, Yadkin
Senator Paul A. Lowe, Jr., D, District 42 – Forsyth
Representative Graig R. Meyer, D, District 50 – Durham, Orange
Representative Gregory F. Murphy, MD, FACS, R, District 9 – Pitt
Senator Paul Newton, R, District 36 – Cabarrus, Union
Senator Louis Pate, R, District 7 – Lenoir, Pitt, Wayne
Representative Larry W. Potts, R, District 81 – Davidson
Senator Jeff Tarte, R, District 41 – Mecklenburg
Representative Evelyn Terry, D, District 71 – Forsyth
Senator Terry Van Duyn, D, District 49 – Buncombe
Representative Donna McDowell White, R, District 26 – Johnston
Representative Shelly Willingham, D, District 23 – Edgecombe, Martin
Senator Mike Woodard, D, District 22 – Durham, Person, Caswell
2018 LHPF Issue Brief: Recruitment and Retention of the Rural Health Workforce
Shaping Policy for a Healthier North Carolina