Cristy Page, MD, will begin her permanent tenure as CEO of Chapel Hill, N.C.-based UNC Health and dean of the UNC School of Medicine Nov. 24, after serving in an interim capacity since July.
As the first woman in the role, Dr. Page will lead a system of 20 hospitals and 56,000 employees. She will also serve as vice chancellor for medical affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Prior to her interim appointment, Dr. Page was president of UNC Health Enterprises and chief academic officer of UNC Health. She has held various other roles as well, including executive dean at the medical school from 2019 until 2025. She also founded and led Mission3, an educational nonprofit, and created the Fully Integrated Readiness for Service Training Scholars Program at the medical school.
Dr. Page told Becker’s she’s excited about her latest role and looks forward to working with her peers in the industry. She discussed her vision for the system, leading UNC Health through today’s complex environment, and how she sees the integration of academic medicine and care delivery evolving under her leadership.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: As you officially take the helm of UNC Health and the medical school, what’s your overarching vision for the system over the next three to five years — and what will success look like to you?
Dr. Cristy Page: Our overarching vision is to be the nation’s leading public academic and community health system, with patients at the center of all we do. That reflects our commitment to combining academic excellence with a strong focus on community care.
As for what success looks like, we’ll know we’re succeeding when we can give patients across the state access to novel, life-saving treatments and ensure they receive high-quality care as close to home as possible.
Q: Healthcare systems are under immense pressure — from workforce strain to financial sustainability to evolving patient expectations. How are you thinking about leading UNC Health through this moment of complexity and opportunity?
CP: The primary focus is to keep our eyes on the mission to serve the people of North Carolina. Our organization is truly mission-focused and understands the importance of providing care to all people in North Carolina and beyond. As long as we stay centered on that, I’m confident we will not just survive, but thrive.
I’m committed to maximizing the strength of our statewide system. The challenges we face require us to think differently and be more creative about how we work together across our regions to provide better care and improve the experience for our teammates.
I’ve seen what we can do when we come together — during COVID-19 and our response to Hurricane Helene, for example. Those were moments that showed how powerful our collaboration can be. I’m confident we’ll continue to build on that. We’ve been preparing, knowing these headwinds are coming, and I’m confident UNC Health is in a strong position to succeed over the next several years — especially as we stay focused on our patients and the people we serve.
Q: You’re uniquely positioned as both CEO of UNC Health and dean of the medical school — how do you see the integration of academic medicine and care delivery evolving under your leadership?
CP: Honestly, this is one of the best parts of the job. It’s truly special to be part of an academic health system where life-saving research and patient care are integrated into what our teammates do every day.
The strength in our academic mission — research, teaching and leading innovation — and connecting that to clinical care helps bring novel treatments, cures and hope, often when there is none, to patients across North Carolina. That mission is personal to me.
I lost my dad to melanoma when I was a teenager. The treatments we have today are so advanced that I know he would still be with us. As a teenager, I was desperate to find a clinical trial and navigate the system. We ended up flying him to Chicago, but by then, it was too late.
So it’s very meaningful to me to be part of something where we can make a difference, not only by advancing access to clinical trials but also by connecting science with patient care, making it easier for others than it was for me.
We’re also facing major workforce shortages, which have persisted for years. There’s a huge opportunity to strengthen training pathways — from school to clinical practice. We’re doing a lot of creative work in pipeline programs for physicians, nurses and others to address that proactively.
That’s a top priority for me: to leverage the UNC Health system and deepen our connections with schools, universities and community colleges, so we can train our future workforce in a more coordinated way — giving students strong clinical placements across the state and working to keep them in our system.
Q: Looking back at your work launching the FIRST Scholars program and leading UNC Health Enterprises, how have those experiences shaped the way you lead today — and what lessons are you bringing forward into this new chapter?
CP: It’s meant a lot to me to work at a place that’s authentically committed to serving the public good. My sense of calling as a servant leader is deeply intertwined with our mission to improve health and well-being in North Carolina. Sometimes, it’s hard to separate the two.
I’ve focused on making a positive impact on people and communities, rather than personal achievements. That comes from how I was raised and the mentors I’ve worked with—people who shared that same mission-oriented mindset.
Throughout my career, I’ve built my leadership style around bringing teams together, helping people see what’s possible, and moving forward with confidence and hope. I believe we can do hard things when we stay focused on our mission, on our patients and on each other.
It’s a privilege to work with like-minded, mission-driven people on work that truly matters. Yes, it’s a time of change, but I feel confident. I’m committed to our mission, our values and our people. I believe that with collaboration — both within our organization and with strategic partners — we’ll navigate this change successfully.
Honestly, I think we’ll come out better for it, because it’s pushing us to work together in new, meaningful ways, all focused on delivering great care.
