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Dobson Appointed to Key State Position

Dr. Allen Dobson has accepted the position of Assistant Secretary for Health Policy and Medical Assistance for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. In his new role, he will be responsible for health related agencies and will be Director of the NC Medicaid program. Dr. Dobson has most recently worked with the State on Community Care of North Carolina, as a health policy consultant, and as chair of the NC Physician’s Advisory Group which advices on Medicaid policy.

Dr. Dobson began what is now Cabarrus Family Medicine (CFM) in 1983 as  Mount Pleasant Family Physicians. That single practice location now includes seven practice sites, a residency program in affiliation with NorthEast Medical Center, and over 200 employees in Cabarrus and Stanly counties.

Secretary Hooker Odom announced in a recent statement, “Allen is exactly the kind of person that we can look to during these crucial times for our Medicaid program. He is the kind of leader who has always been able to inspire others to be the best they can be. So many young doctors have grown under his tutelage at CFM. Now he is going to bring that leadership and vision to this very important role.”

Dr. Dobson has a strong vision for the North Carolina Medicaid program. Over the next few months he will be articulating that plan, which includes a strong accountability program and the transformation of DMA from a solely regulatory and financing agency to a health management and healthcare planning agency.

Secretary Odom said, “Allen understands our Medicaid program better than most people at the state, or even national level. Most importantly, he recognizes from his own work with Community Care that we have one of the best managed Medicaid programs in the country – a message that he is going to work to deliver across this state. He also recognizes that Medicaid is not a stand-alone program; it is crucial to our mental health and public health efforts.”

Dr. Dobson will maintain his residence in Mt. Pleasant, along with his family. He will take a sabbatical from day-to-day management as President/ CEO of Cabarrus Family Medicine but will continue his clinical work on a limited basis as scheduling allows.

A native North Carolinian, Dr. Dobson received his undergraduate education at North Carolina State University. He attended medical school at Bowman Gray School of Medicine and completed his residency in family medicine at East Carolina University where he served as chief resident.

In 1992, Dr. Dobson was named the North Carolina Family Physician of the Year. In 1993, he was the recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine and a finalist for AAFP Family Physician of the Year. He has been actively involved in medical student and resident education for many years and holds faculty appointments at Duke University Medical Center and UNC-Chapel Hill.

Dr. Dobson has participated in many state and national activities. He is past-president of the North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians, past chair of the North Carolina Joint Committee on Medicaid, past president and chair of the Board of the North Carolina Physicians Advisory Group, sat on the boards of the Association of Family Practice Residency Directors and the North Carolina Licensing Board for Athletic Trainers and is currently on the Board of the North Carolina Institute of Medicine.