Dr. Lawrence Greenblatt

Dr. Lawrence Greenblatt is NCDHHS' State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer. He is a distinguished physician, professor and public health champion, and is widely recognized for his commitment to high-quality care for medically and socially complex patients, his leadership in medical education and his pioneering work to improve mental health and addiction services.

Dr. Greenblatt served for three decades as a general internist, educator and leader in Medicaid policy with Duke University Health System, earning recognition for his work to integrate behavioral health and addiction services into primary care.

Since 2008, Dr. Greenblatt has led Duke’s Medicaid Network, first as Northern Piedmont Community Care, which was part of the statewide Community Care of North Carolina network. He continued as Medical Director of Duke’s Clinically Integrated Network under Medicaid transformation in 2021. This well-run network serves 100,000 Medicaid enrollees and supports dozens of practices.

In 2012, he launched one of the nation’s first academic initiatives to promote safe opioid prescribing and expand treatment for opioid use disorder. He also served as Chair of the NC Medicaid Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Secretary of the NC Medicaid Physician Advisory Group. As a long-time advocate for improved mental health care, Dr. Greenblatt has co-led the Durham Crisis Collaborative and actively contributed to local substance use and mental health planning efforts.