Julie Freischlag, MD, CEO and chief academic officer of Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, will retire at the end of 2025 after more than 32 years in academic medicine leadership.
Dr. Freischlag also serves as chief academic officer and executive vice president of Charlotte, N.C.-based Advocate Health and as executive vice president of health affairs at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, according to an April 14 health system news release.
She has led Wake Forest Baptist as CEO since 2017 and served as dean of Wake Forest University School of Medicine from 2018 to 2023. She also plans to conclude her 38-year career as a vascular surgeon at the end of 2025.
Dr. Freischlag will begin transitioning her academic responsibilities to Ebony Boulware, MD, dean of Wake Forest University School of Medicine and chief science officer of Advocate Health. Clinical operational responsibilities will be transitioned to David Zaas, MD, president of Wake Forest Baptist, the release said.
During her tenure, Wake Forest Baptist expanded to include High Point (N.C.) Medical Center and Wilkes Medical Center in North Wilkesboro, N.C. The system also joined Advocate Health through the 2022 merger of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health.
Dr. Freischlag previously served as vice chancellor for human health sciences and dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine in Sacramento, Calif.
