Oral Health Day 2024

Patrick Brown, Pharm.D.
Director, NC Center on the Workforce for Health

Patrick Brown is a pharmacist by training and currently serves as the Executive Director of the North Carolina Public Health Collaboration. In this role he serves to lead the Collaboration’s three organizations: the North Carolina Public Health Association, North Carolina Association of Local Health Directors and the North Carolina Alliance of Public Health Agencies. Prior to joining the Collaboration, Patrick worked in advocacy roles supporting independent community pharmacies, and was part of the North Carolina Division of Public Health COVID response team. He graduated with his Doctor of Pharmacy Degree from the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

Frank Courts, DDS, PhD
Chair, North Carolina Dental Society Council of Oral Health and Prevention; Co-Chair, NCIOM Oral Health Taskforce

Dr. Courts completed his D.D.S. and Pediatric Dentistry Certificate at the UNC School of Den-tistry. He also completed his Ph.D. in Microbiology/Immunology at the UNC School Medicine. For more than 20 years, Courts served as associate Professor and Chair of Pediatric Dentis-try at the University of Florida, College of Dentistry. Dr. Courts subsequently practiced Pedi-atric Dentistry in Rocky Mount, NC for more than 18 years. He now works part-time at App Health Care in Jefferson, NC. Dr. Courts is active in the North Carolina Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and has served on it’s Board of Directors and as the organization’s President. Courts is also a member of the North Carolina Dental Society and serves as Chairman of the Council of Oral Health and Prevention. Dr. Courts has also served as co-chair of the NCIOM last two oral health task forces.

Dr. Courts’ passion is advocacy for children’s oral health. He has served on the Medicaid PAG, initiated the state’s first hygiene led school-based oral health program, and has fostered many initiatives to improve access to oral health care for children and individuals with special needs.

Andy MacCracken, MPA
Director, NC Center on the Workforce for Health

Andy MacCracken is the inaugural director of the NC Center on the Workforce for Health. In that role, he leads collaborative efforts to develop and deploy statewide strategies that tackle today’s severe health workforce shortages and prepare for the future. Andy joined the Center from the NC Pandemic Recovery Office, where he drove policy and research initiatives and managed $200 million in programs supporting the state’s education, workforce, and health needs. He previously cofounded and served as executive director of a national postsecondary education policy organization. Andy has an MPA and BA, both from American University in Washington, DC. He serves on the boards of directors of the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle and the KJS Legacy Project.

Connor Sullivan, PhD
Director, North Carolina Area Health Education Centers

Connor Sullivan, PhD is a Research Associate / Data Analyst for the UNC Sheps Center Program on Health Workforce Research and Policy, providing data management and statistical analysis services for the Health Workforce Division.

Connor holds a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Virginia Tech and received his undergraduate degree from UNC Chapel Hill. Prior to joining the Sheps Center, Connor provided research services to the Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Cincinnati VA Medical Center: Trauma Recovery Center, Virginia Tech, and the US JFK Special Warfare Center and School. Originally, his research activities began with Dr. Eric Elbogen at UNC Chapel Hill with the Forensic Psychology Program and Clinic.

Hugh Tilson, JD, MPH
Director, North Carolina Area Health Education Centers

Hugh Tilson is the Director of the North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (NC AHEC) Program and Associate Dean and Assistant Professor in family medicine at the UNC School of Medicine. Mr. Tilson has extensive experience in health care, including particular experience in hospital and provider issues, health policy development, and North Carolina’s Medicaid Transformation.

Over the course of more than 20 years, Mr. Tilson served in roles of increasing responsibility at the North Carolina Hospital Association. He first joined the organization in 1996 as director of legal and regulatory affairs, eventually becoming the group’s executive vice president and chief operating officer and ultimately spending a year as interim president. Upon his departure, he was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Governor Roy Cooper for his proven record of extraordinary service to the state. Most recently, he operated Tilson Solutions, offering strategic planning, public affairs, and other consulting services to a range of clients.

As director of NC AHEC, Mr. Tilson provides overall direction for the statewide program, oversees the organization’s budget and program office, manages health workforce planning and development initiatives across a range of health professions, fosters collaboration among academic programs and organizations across the state, and represents the organization on the state and national level.

Mr. Tilson is a graduate of the University of North Carolina and the UNC School of Law. He holds a Master of Public Health from Harvard.