Health Policy Expert and Former State Health Secretary Joins IPS as Senior Policy Advisor

Health Policy Expert and Former State Health Secretary Joins IPS as Senior Policy Advisor

Kody H. Kinsley, MPP, one of the nation’s leading health policy experts, has joined the Institute for Policy Solutions (IPS) at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing as Senior Policy Advisor.

“Kody’s special power is working across partisan divides to find common ground and shape policy and programs that improve the health and quality of people’s lives. He deeply understands the uneven impact our nation’s health care system – really a sick-care system – has on communities and the unfair outcomes it creates.  He has a track record of recruiting new supporters and building coalitions committed to optimal health for all,” said Vincent Guilamo-Ramos, PhD, RN, FAAN, IPS executive director, Leona B. Carpenter Chair in Health Equity and Social Determinants of Health Professor and founding Director of the Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health.

Kinsley is a nationally recognized health policy leader, executive, and presidential appointee—who served as North Carolina’s 18th Secretary of Health and Human Services in the administration of Governor Roy Cooper. Unanimously confirmed by the North Carolina Senate, Kinsley played a pivotal role in expanding Medicaid in the state, collaborating with the Republican-led General Assembly to extend vital health coverage to underserved communities. This effort resulted in over 600,000 North Carolinians enrolling within the first year—twice the anticipated pace. His leadership played a pivotal role in strengthening the state’s healthcare system, championing access to behavioral health services, reducing costs for families, and providing critical support to rural communities.

His distinguished career spans senior roles at the White House, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Appointed by President Barack Obama as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Management, he continued in the role during President Donald Trump’s first administration.

Kinsley is a fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Civil Society Fellowship and serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.