UNC Health CEO and UNC School of Medicine Dean Wesley Burks, MD, will step down from his roles effective Sept. 1.
Dr. Burks is leaving “to focus more efforts on the development of North Carolina Children’s, as well as spend more time with his family and tend to a family member’s increasing health needs,” the Chapel Hill-based health system said in an April 22 news release.
Dr. Burks joined UNC-Chapel Hill in 2011 as physician-in-chief of UNC Children’s Hospital and was named chair of the department of pediatrics the following year. He also served as executive dean for the UNC School of Medicine before assuming his current roles in January 2019.
“It has been an incredible honor to lead UNC Health and the UNC School of Medicine and to work alongside such dedicated, talented teammates,” Dr. Burks said in the release. “When I started my career, I never imagined I would end up in this place and in this role, but I can’t think of any better place to conclude my time as CEO and dean.”
UNC Health and Durham-based Duke University Health System announced plans in January to build North Carolina Children’s, a comprehensive healthcare campus featuring the state’s first freestanding children’s hospital. Dr. Burks recently spoke with Becker’s and shared his perspectives on the project, including the biggest gaps in pediatric care it aims to address. Read more from that interview here.
Under Dr. Burks’ leadership, UNC Health also has added multiple hospitals and established new clinical and educational partnerships across North Carolina, according to the release.
Cristy Page, MD, president of UNC Health Enterprises and chief academic officer of UNC Health, was selected to serve as interim CEO and dean when Dr. Burks leaves the roles.
UNC Health comprises 20 hospitals and more than 900 clinics, along with the clinical patient care programs of the UNC School of Medicine.