A major figure in North Carolina and UNC’s medical community is preparing for a new chapter.
The UNC Health system announced Tuesday its chief executive officer and the UNC School of Medicine’s dean Dr. Wesley Burks will step down on Sept. 1 after serving in those respective roles since Dec. 2018. Burks cited his need to aid a family member with health challenges and plan to shape the development of the North Carolina Children’s hospital project.
“It has been an incredible honor to lead UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine and to work alongside such dedicated, talented teammates. 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,” Burks said in a release from UNC and UNC Health.
Burks, who holds a doctorate in medicine from the University of Arkansas, was promoted to the top spot of the statewide medical system after Dr. Bill Roper was tapped to serve as the UNC System’s interim president. Prior to that, Burks served as the UNC School of Medicine’s executive dean, the chair of UNC Health’s Department of Pediatrics, and the physician-in-chief of the UNC Children’s Hospital. He also worked at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Duke University Medical Center before joining UNC in 2011.
To fill the roles after Burks steps away on Sept. 1, UNC System President Peter Hans appointed Dr. Cristy Page — who is currently the president of UNC Health Enterprises and the UNC School of Medicines chief academic officer — to serve as interim president and dean. The UNC System, UNC Health and university will then initiate a joint search for the next CEO and dean.
“Dr. Burks has led our state’s health system with the utmost integrity and passion for improving the health and well-being of North Carolinians,” Hans said in the release. “He led the health system through some significant issues while ensuring it provided outstanding patient care, increased research, educated more students than ever, and grew to serve countless more North Carolinians with the highest quality care.”
Under Burks, UNC Health added several hospitals in western North Carolinians counties to its system, as well as many network providers and new clinical partnerships. The medical system also navigated its way through responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and treating patients amid evolving health practices due to the virus. Most recently, UNC Health announced its ambitious project in partnership with the Duke University Health system and state legislature: North Carolina Children’s, the state’s first freestanding children’s hospital with a campus of clinics and departments across 100 acres. In an emailed message to UNC Health employees on Tuesday, Burks wrote that he hopes his involvement in the project will “bring me back to my pediatrician roots and keep me engaged, energized, and excited about taking care of the smallest and most vulnerable patients.”
The UNC School of Medicine also continued to receive national acclaim with Burks as dean — including on several national lists for its overall education and specialties — and opened the Roper Hall as its new home 2023, named after Burks’ predecessor.
“From his time leading UNC Children’s to his time as executive dean through his current role as dean of the School of Medicine, Dr. Burks has always been committed to ensuring UNC-Chapel Hill had the leading public school of medicine in the country,” UNC Chancellor Lee Roberts said in Tuesday’s release. “Dr. Burks’ belief in mentorship and training for the next generation of care providers will leave a lasting footprint on our state for generations to come. All of us, and I especially, will miss his wisdom, insight, dedication and even keel.”
“Every time I had a conversation with Dr. Burks, he always focused on two groups of people – our patients and teammates,” added UNC Health Board Chair Greg Wessling. “He was steadfast in ensuring every decision made took into account the impact on those two groups. We owe him a debt of gratitude for his outstanding service to our state.”
Featured photo via UNC Health.
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