Dr. Wesley Burks, UNC Health CEO and dean of the UNC School of Medicine, will step down Sept. 1.
UNC has appointed Dr. Cristy Page, president of UNC Health Enterprises and chief academic officer, to be interim CEO and dean at that time. The health system will conduct a search for a permanent leader, according to a Tuesday news release.
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After stepping down, Burks plans to focus on developing North Carolina Children's Hospital, which would be the state's first freestanding children’s hospital. He also intends to spend more time with family and care for a family member's health needs, according to the release.
Burks has been UNC Health CEO and UNC School of Medicine dean since December 2018. He joined UNC-Chapel Hill in 2011 as physician-in-chief at UNC Children’s Hospital. Burks was named chair of the pediatrics department in 2012 and then executive dean for UNC School of Medicine in 2015.
Prior to UNC Health, he held faculty roles at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and Duke University Medical Center.
UNC Health operates about 20 hospitals across the state as well as clinical programs for the UNC School of Medicine.
