Delton Atkinson graduated from Carolina in 1976, and again in 1979 (MPH). Nearly 50 years later, he received the Harvey E. Beech Outstanding Alumni Award for overall achievement.
This honor recognizes his long career dedicated to ensuring people across North Carolina and the United States can benefit from data-informed decisions related to health. Atkinson conducted groundbreaking work that highlighted racial/ethnic health disparities affecting North Carolina residents and brought this important issue to the attention of public health leaders and health care providers. This work was an impetus for the establishment of the North Carolina Minority Health Advisory Council, which advises the N.C. governor and Department of Health and Human Services with the aim of reducing health and health care disparities among racial/ethnic minorities and underserved populations, through health equity and advocacy.
“Whether working in state or federal government or with the School of Public Health, my public health journey has been more than a career – it has been a ‘life calling,’ ” said Atkinson. “I grew under the belief that you must be committed to something bigger than self.”
Atkinson came to public health after a chance encounter with the late William (Bill) Small — fellow Beech Award winner, former faculty member and champion of equity in public health education — who recruited him to what is now the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.
An affinity for data and its importance in improving health outcomes and equity led him to a career as a statistician for, and later director of, the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics. He was recruited to the National Center for Health Statistics in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he worked to improve the collection and dissemination of national data related to civil registration and vital statistics, a basic building block of public health research and practice.
“When I think about pioneering efforts to bring attention to health disparities, backed by indisputable data, Delton Atkinson is the first person that comes to mind,” said M. Anita P. Holmes, JD, ’72 (MPH) , co-founder of the Minority Student Caucus. “Delton brought data to life and enabled others to relate it to decisions of the day. I will never forget seeing for the first time his publication on the health of minorities in North Carolina. It quickly became a ‘white paper’ on health disparities and provided relevant policy implications to make North Carolina a healthier place to live.”
In addition, he has championed and helped create processes to make de-identified data available, and in a more timely fashion, to a wide range of researchers and policymakers. For his work, he received numerous state, federal and national awards for statistics and leadership, including the 2019 Halbert L. Dunn Award, presented by the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems.
Atkinson earned two Master of Public Health degrees at the Gillings School, one in health policy and administration and a second in biostatistics. As a student, he participated in the Minority Student Caucus and helped plan the Annual Minority Health Conference, in which he has subsequently been a regular presenter. He has continued to give back to and stay involved in the Gillings School in multiple ways, including serving as an adjunct professor, serving in leadership positions on several of the school’s volunteer boards, and chairing the Public Health Foundation Board of Directors and the Alumni Association Advisory Board.
One of four recipients for 2023, Atkinson received the award during homecoming weekend at the Light on the Hill Scholarship Gala, hosted annually by the Black Alumni Reunion, an affinity group within UNC’s General Alumni Association. In 2010, Atkinson and his wife Sherry created the Atkinson Scholarship to support public health students, in part, as a way to pay forward the scholarship support he received for all three of his Carolina degrees. Now retired, Atkinson currently serves on the board of the North Carolina Community Care Network and on two subcommittees of the Community Care of North Carolina board.
“Delton has always been very generous with his time and talent, whether in a board room or one on one, from his years as a student participating in the Minority Health Caucus continuing to his present service to Gillings School of Global Public Health and the broader UNC and global community,” said Holmes. “He is a humanitarian with a humble and kind spirit, well respected for his work and integrity.”
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