Shannon Dowler

Shannon Dowler, MD, FAAFP, CPE,  is an sexually transmitted infections (STI) subject matter expert consultant and acting chief medical officer for the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy as well as a health care policy consultant for a variety of regional and statewide primary care focused initiatives. She is immediate past chief medical officer for North Carolina Medicaid and Assistant Secretary for Health Access within the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). During the COVID-19 pandemic, she led efforts across DHHS to rapidly modernize and evaluate telehealth and incorporate changes into permanent policy, establishing primary care infrastructure payments and drive health equity with a focus on increasing COVID testing and vaccinations across rural and historically marginalized populations. Her final act in this role was assisting the leadership team in Medicaid expansion. Currently, she enjoys teaching English as a Second Language in her rural Appalachian community, is a published author and public speaker.