Mark Holmes

Dr. Mark Holmes holds the Thomas W. Lambeth Distinguished Chair in Public Policy and is a Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. He serves as Senior Associate Dean for Faculty and Staff Affairs and directs the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research and the North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center. His research focuses on rural healthcare access, Medicaid policy, and the healthcare workforce, with particular attention to rural hospital closures and graduate medical education funding. Holmes has been recognized with awards such as the National Rural Health Association's Outstanding Researcher Award and the Hettleman Prize for scholarly achievement.

Education: BS in Mathematics and Economics from Michigan State University (1995); PhD in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2000).

Research interests include policy implementation, patient-centered outcomes, and rural healthcare challenges. His work informs policy decisions at state and national levels, including evaluations of Medicaid expansion and rural hospital sustainability. Holmes has testified before Congress and leads the evaluation of North Carolina’s Medicaid transformation. He actively involves students in his research, fostering the next generation of health policy leaders.