Kody H. Kinsley, North Carolina secretary of Health and Human Services, will address “Responding to and Recovering from a Global Pandemic” in the “Building Upon Excellence” Dean’s Lecture Series hosted by Duke University School of Nursing from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., on Thursday, March 3, via Zoom. The event will be held in English with simultaneous interpretation available in Spanish. Registration is required.

Kinsley will provide an update on the status of the COVID-19 pandemic, its impact on health care providers, and its outlook for the future. He will discuss the department’s strategic priorities going forward from the pandemic, including behavioral health and resilience, children and families, and a strong and inclusive workforce. He will discuss efforts to invest in whole-person health through key initiatives including Medicaid Transformation.

"While we remain focused on responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re also looking to the future and recovering stronger,” said Kinsley. “Our health care workforce has been on the front line of this pandemic for two years. It’s a top priority to invest in, and support, them. North Carolina is fortunate to have institutions like the Duke University School of Nursing educating our future health care heroes and helping address our state’s health challenges.”

“One of the reasons I came to Duke is because of what our university makes possible,” said Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, PhD, MPH, LCSW, RN, ANP-BC,  PMHNP-BC, FAAN, dean, Duke School of Nursing, and vice chancellor, nursing affairs, Duke University. “I’m inspired by the breadth of work that our faculty, staff, and students pursue across the state of North Carolina to help improve the health and wellbeing of our fellow residents. It’s an honor to host Secretary Kinsley as we continue to shape our work for and with the state.”

About the Speaker

Kinsley was appointed secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services by Gov. Roy Cooper and took the oath of office in January of 2022. He joined DHHS in 2018 and most recently served as the Chief Deputy Secretary for Health at DHHS and Operations Lead for North Carolina’s COVID-19 pandemic response.

Kinsley and his team strive to improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians. DHHS has nearly 18,000 employees and an annual budget of $26 billion with responsibility for the state’s public health, Medicaid program, mental health, disability supports, health service regulation, state-operated health care facilities, adult and child services, early childhood education, economic and employment services, and more.

Kinsley returned home to North Carolina after serving as the presidentially appointed assistant secretary for management for the United States Department of the Treasury under both the Obama and Trump Administrations. In that role, he functioned as the chief operating officer and chief financial officer with a broad scope of responsibility for the agency, its nine bureaus, and 100,000 employees.

His experience spans the public and private sectors, including positions at the White House and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and leading operations for a behavioral health care service provider in western North Carolina. Kinsley is a Fellow of the Civil Society Fellowship, a partnership of the Anti-Defamation League and the Aspen Institute, and is also an adjunct professor at the School of Government at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from Brevard College in Brevard, N.C., and his master’s degree in public policy from the University of California, Berkeley.

About the ‘Building Upon Excellence’ Dean’s Lecture Series

The 2021-22 "Building Upon Excellence" Dean's Lecture Series features speakers throughout the academic year, connecting the Duke School of Nursing community, alumni, school partners, and friends with experts and educators on topics that address the evolving role of nurses in health care, new models for nursing-driven health care delivery and future directions in nursing research and education.

Registration is required.