LCPS Board of Education member, Dr. Kimberly Outlaw-Starkey, wears many hats in her life. On top of representing District 3 in the Board of Education, she’s a psychotherapist, teaches multiple courses at several universities, and writes textbooks in her spare time. 

On October 22, East Carolina University recognized Dr. Outlaw-Starkey for a textbook she wrote that was published in January. The Academic Library Services/Academic Affairs Faculty Author Book Awards honored her work on Mental Health and Substance Abuse Disorders Among Athletes for “outstanding scholarly/creative achievement” and for making the book financially accessible to all students. 

Growing up surrounded by and involved in sports, the topic has always been near and dear to Dr. Outlaw-Starkey. When she began her research on substance abuse among athletes, she says she was surprised by how little it had been researched. 

“I don't know if that's because that's just one of those taboo topics that we don't want to talk about, but it happens, and I think we don't want to believe that athletes are using drugs,” Dr. Outlaw-Starkey said. “It was a piece of literature that was sort of lacking in our field, because I work with athletes too, and so I felt like it was essential for there to be some literature publications regarding it.” 

Dr. Outlaw-Starkey says Mental Health and Substance Abuse Disorders Among Athletes gained widespread acclaim, including from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. 

“I had people purchase that textbook that are even in school because they wanted to know more about the topic,” Dr. Outlaw-Starkey commented. “I've been very fortunate with the reception of it.” 

Dr. Outlaw-Starkey is currently working on publishing another affordable textbook, focusing on the topics of race and gender in sports. Her interest in writing the upcoming textbook stems from social media, patient conversations, and gaps in literature. 

“What inspired this particular one that's coming out now has been just listening to the narratives about Caitlin Clark and some of the pushback of the WNBA fan base,” she said. “Race and

gender was paramount. I just felt like a textbook needed to come out to have people understand gender roles and especially race and how it plays out in athletics.” 

Dr. Outlaw-Starkey says these textbooks intersect her love of sports with the importance of her job as a psychotherapist as well as her duties as a Board of Education member. 

“I love sports. I love athletics, and I do like that our town represents athletics, but because I am a board member, I want to stress education,” she said. “We're working as hard as possible to keep children safe, and we're doing the best that we can to offer the best educational opportunities in Lenoir County.”