Lamson awarded for impact, excellence in public service
RALEIGH — Dr. Angela Lamson had a natural and definitive response to the phone call she received informing her she won the 2024 Governor James E. Holshouser, Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service.
“Almost immediately, my mind went to the thousands of patients who have trusted our medical family therapy and marriage and family therapy students to care for their mental health needs,” Lamson said.
Lamson, who co-created the first medical family therapy doctoral program in the nation at East Carolina University in 2005, was formally recognized with the UNC System award for commitment to service and community engagement during the University of North Carolina Board of Governors meeting Thursday.
A video highlighted Lamson’s longtime commitment to integrated care and her mentorship to students and leadership roles held at ECU, which two weeks earlier earned Research 1 (R1) status as a national top-tier research university.
Lamson received a standing ovation as she walked to the podium in the boardroom to receive her award medal. She also received a standing ovation after her remarks.
“Dr. Lamson is the embodiment of the engaged faculty member,” UNC System President Peter Hans said of Lamson, a Nancy W. Darden Distinguished Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science in the College of Health and Human Performance. “She has put her extensive scholarship into real-world practice to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians, while inspiring a generation of students to embrace public service. We are grateful for her many contributions to our state.”
Dr. Angela Lamson earned a U.S. Department of Defense grant for integrated care research, and her dedication to the military population includes her role as an inaugural executive committee member for the Alliance of Military and Veteran Family Behavioral Health Providers. (Contributed photo)
The first-generation college student joined the ECU faculty in 1999 and is devoted to community engagement, serving as the ECU interim assistant vice chancellor for economic and community engagement from 2022-24, and currently is a senior fellow for the ECU Office of Innovation and Engagement. She earned the ECU Distinguished Graduate Faculty Mentor Award last year and in 2022 was named the ECU Research & Creative Activity Lifetime Achievement Award winner, recognizing her innovative teaching style and research initiatives implemented within community health, primary care, specialty care, schools and military contexts.
The success of the Lamson-led ECU partnership with Contentnea Health (formerly Greene County Health Care) helped ECU win the national 2024 C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award. The program launched in 2006, merging primary care visits with mental health services for mostly uninsured and underinsured patients. Rigorously trained therapy students are made available to patients to provide mental health care, including addressing suicide and significant unmet behavioral health needs stemming from economic stressors and other challenges facing rural residents.
Lamson told the UNC Board of Governors and assembled guests: “Our students save lives every day.”
Dr. Angela Lamson is greeted while honored with the 2024 Governor James E. Holshouser, Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service.
Sitting with Lamson were family members, including her husband, Brad, and son, Carter, ECU Chancellor Philip Rogers and HHP dean Dr. Nicole Bromfield.
“ECU has prioritized community engaged service since our founding, and we remain committed to our mission to serve as a national model for student success, public service and regional transformation,” Rogers said. “I frequently meet faculty on campus who shine brightly in their dedication to our mission, and Dr. Lamson is among our best because of her unwavering commitment to positively influencing the health and well-being of people across the region.
“Her service footprints are found in school districts, at community events, in rural health and dental clinics, and on local farms. She is motivated and highly successful in improving the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina families and the academic and workforce pathways for youth and adults. As a result of Dr. Lamson’s widespread impact and deep commitment to our region and our state, she is very deserving of this honor.”
One student intern was hired to pilot the integrated care model in Greene County, but it has since grown to a total of 165 students trained in this model to provide care through approximately 130,000 patient visits in 17 counties served by Contentnea Health. In 2009, a U.S. Department of Defense grant allowed Lamson to involve students in engaged practice through an integrated care research program to learn about the physical health, behavioral health and social needs of service members and their spouses.
“She is relentless and doesn’t give up and when it comes to helping the community; she is very invested,” said Melissa Torres, CEO of Contentnea Health.
Bromfield reinforced Lamson’s ability to improve and transform lives.
“Dr. Lamson exemplifies the very best of the College of Health and Human Performance’s mission to improve health, well-being and quality of life through innovative education, research and community engagement,” Bromfield said. “Her resolute dedication to improving the health and well-being of our communities has transformed countless lives. This prestigious honor is a testament to her leadership, innovation and deep commitment to public service and regional transformation.”
Terry Hutchens, a member of the UNC Board of Governors, said Lamson was an “obvious and perfect choice” for the award because of her impact on communities and the lives of others.
“This award reflects all of the people, personal and professional, who I consider family,” Lamson said. “I appreciate that ECU welcomes young visionaries with big dreams and retains loyal Pirates who are committed to our motto, to serve. Ultimately, service is about relationships. I hope the work that has brought me to this day continues to shine a light on our state and our nation and the importance of our care for one another. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share these words of gratitude and for seeing the importance of the training, research and service we are giving back to the people of North Carolina and beyond.”