Delton Atkinson, MPH
Member of N3CN, Inc. Board
Delton Atkinson, MPH, is the retired Director of the Division of Vital Statistics within the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, where he led the production and dissemination of this nation’s health statistics on births, deaths, and fetal deaths. He has held numerous leadership positions in public health, including the Deputy Director of the Division of Vital Statistics, the Chief of DVS Registration Methods Staff, Program Manager with Lockheed Martin Information Technology, Executive Director of the National Association for Public Health Statistics and Information Systems (NAPHSIS), Director of the NCHS Division of Information Technology, and Director of the North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics.
Shortly after his retirement in January 2019 and at the request of the NC Division of Public Health, he served as Interim Director of the NC State Center for Health Statistics for 12 months.
His leadership honors include the: 1) 2018 Distinguish Service Award from the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2) 2018 Service Award from the Public Health Accreditation Board; 3) 2018 Patient-Centered Outcome Research Initiative Award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 4) 2013 NCHS Owen Thornberry Excellence in Leadership Award; 5) 2009 Federal Capital Planning and Investment Control Forum Award for excellence in project management; 6) 2002 Visionary Award from the N.C. Minority Health Council; 7) 2009 Minority Alumni Award from the UNC School of Public Health Minority Caucus; 8) 2000 Statistics Award (Government Sector) from the American Public Health Association; and 9) 1992 Rankin Award and the Excellence in Statistics and Epidemiology Award from the N.C. Public Health Association. In 2005, the UNC School of Public Health recognized him for his work in minority health by permanently inscribing his name on one wall of the Rosenau building.
He is a past President of the UNC School of Public Health Foundation Board (2012-2014). He has also served as President and as an Executive Board Member of the School of Public Health Alumni Association, member of the Dean’s Advisory Committee, and adjunct faculty member in the UNC department of biostatistics and the UNC Public Health Leadership Program. He is a former member of the Project Management Institute and the American Public Health Association, and formally a member of the N.C. Public Health Association and the Executive Committee of NAPHSIS.
He has earned both a Masters of Public Health degree in Biostatistics and a Masters of Public Health degree in Health Policy and Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has received national certifications as a PMP (Project Management Professional) from the Project Management Institute and a FAC-P/PM from the DHHS Federal Acquisition Certification for Program and Project Managers.