UNC Health CEO and the dean of UNC School of Medicine Dr. Wesley Burks will step down from those roles to focus more efforts on the development of a $2 billion children’s hospital, as well as spend more time with his family and tend to a family member’s increasing health needs. His last day in his current roles at UNC will be Sept. 1, according to a UNC Health release.
Burks has been in his current roles since December 2018. He had previously been executive dean of the School of Medicine, chair of the Department of Pediatrics, and physician-in-chief of UNC Children’s Hospital.
“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.
His new role does not have a job title. UNC Health announced plans last year to build the 500-bed North Carolina Children’s, the state’s first freestanding children’s hospital. In January, it was announced the hospital would be built in partnership with Duke Health. Construction could begin in 2027 and take about six years to complete.
Burks’ tenure as CEO has seen UNC Health expand. UNC Health acquired health systems and hospitals based in Robeson and Burke counties in 2020 and 2021, respectively, and in Watauga County in 2022. UNC Health Rex Holly Springs opened in 2021, and the surgical center in 2024, the largest addition to the UNC Health Chapel Hill campus since 1952.
UNC System President Peter Hans has appointed Dr. Cristy Page, president of UNC Health Enterprises and chief academic officer, to serve as interim CEO and Dean when Dr. Burks steps down. The UNC System, UNC Health and UNC Chapel Hill will then initiate a search for the next CEO and dean.
UNC Health is comprised of 20 hospitals and more than 900 clinics, along with the clinical patient care programs of the UNC School of Medicine.