Allen Dobson

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, retired ([email protected])

L. Allen Dobson, Jr., M.D.  was an early leader and developer of the nationally recognized “Community Care of North Carolina” Medicaid managed care program. This program received the Annie E. Casey award for Innovations in Government, presented by Harvard’ Kennedy School of Government. In 2005 he was appointed assistant secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services by North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley, where he was responsible for the health divisions of the department as well as serving as the state Medicaid director. He currently serves as vice president for clinical practice development for Carolinas Healthcare System and return as president of Cabarrus Family Medicine.

Dobson attended medical school at Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University and completed his residency in family medicine at East Carolina University, where he served as chief resident. He founded Mt. Pleasant Family Physicians and served as president until assuming the role of director for Cabarrus Family Medicine Residency in 1995 and president/CEO of Cabarrus Family Medicine. He also serves as professor of family medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Dobson was named the 1992 North Carolina Family Physician of the Year. In 1993, he was the recipient of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine presented by Gov. James Martin and a finalist for AAFP Family Physician of the Year. In 2006 Dr. Dobson was presented the Lifetime Achievement Award by the NCAFP and the Harvey Estes Community Service Award by the North Carolina Medical Society.  In 2006 he was presented the 7^th Annual Curtis Award for Education by the UNC Department of Family Medicine. In 2007, the AAFP presented Dobson with its National Public Health Award for contribution to the public health of North Carolina citizens.