Dr. Angela Lamson of East Carolina University honored for excellence in public service
Dr. Angela Lamson of East Carolina University is the winner of the 2024 Governor James E. Holshouser, Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Service.
The award recognizes faculty who exemplify the UNC System’s commitment to service and community engagement. She received the honor Thursday from the University of North Carolina Board of Governors.
A first-generation college graduate, Lamson joined ECU in 1999 and currently serves as the Nancy W. Darden Distinguished Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science. Lamson played a key role in developing the world’s first medical family therapy doctoral program, integrating behavioral and mental health services into primary care settings. Through a partnership with Contentnea Health, Lamson has trained 165 students and facilitated over 126,000 patient visits for uninsured or underinsured residents of eastern North Carolina.
In November, the program won the C. Peter Magrath Community Engagement Scholarship Award, a national honor from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. ECU was recognized for its efforts to address suicide and unmet behavioral health needs stemming from challenges facing rural North Carolina families.
Additionally, a U.S. Department of Defense grant enabled Lamson to create an integrated care program to study the physical health, behavioral health and social needs of service members and their spouses. This initiative contributed to the establishment of competencies for family therapists working with military populations. Each month, 1,300 health care providers who treat service members receive a newsletter from Lamson and her students.
“ECU has prioritized community engaged service since its doors opened in 1907, and we remain committed to our evergreen mission to serve as a national model for student success, public service, and regional transformation,” said ECU Chancellor Philip Rogers. “Dr. Lamson is among our best because of her unwavering commitment to positively influencing the health and well-being of people in our communities.”
Lamson is a prolific researcher, having co-authored two major textbooks and collaborated on more than 150 journal articles and book chapters. Her influence on the field of medical family therapy is recognized internationally, but she is rooted in the community and can often be found in rural clinics alongside her students and their patients.
She has also held leadership positions at ECU, including interim assistant vice chancellor for economic and community engagement, where she led the 2024 Carnegie Community Engagement Elective reclassification. ECU was recently designated a Research 1 university, the highest ranking available.
Lamson currently serves as a senior fellow for the ECU Office of Innovation and Engagement, where she mentors junior faculty to grow their grant opportunities and external partnerships.
“Dr. Lamson is the embodiment of the engaged faculty member,” said UNC System President Peter Hans. “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.”
In the classroom, Lamson’s dedication to supporting her students through specialized learning opportunities and career development guidance resulted in her earning the 2024 Distinguished Graduate Faculty Mentor Award.
“Dr. Lamson has gone above and beyond to support her students,” said Wendy Murphy, chair of the UNC Board of Governors. “Her commitment to their success is a testament to the impact she has had on countless lives, both in the classroom and in the community.”