UNC Health will have a new CEO, the UNC System announced Thursday. 

Dr. Cristy Page will officially begin the roles as UNC Health's CEO, the dean of the UNC School of Medicine and as vice chancellor for medical affairs at UNC-Chapel Hill on Monday, Nov. 24.

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She was elected by the UNC Board of Governors following recent action by the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trusties and the UNC Health Board of Directors.

Page was serving in the interim CEO role after Dr. Wesley Burks stepped down in April to focus on the development of North Carolina Children's Hospital and to spend more time tending to his family and their health needs.

Page joined the faculty at UNC's medical school in 2005. Since then, she has served on major leadership teams, including as president of UNC Health Enterprises and chief academic officer at the medical school and at UNC Health. 

She had been serving as executive dean at the medical school from 2019 until earlier this year. 

Previously, Page founded and led an educational nonprofit, and created the Fully Integrated Readiness for Service Training (FIRST) Scholars Program at the UNC School of Medicine. She led the family medicine residency program at the school from 2011 to 2018 and chaired the school’s Department of Family Medicine.

“In every role she has held — physician, educator, innovator and mentor — Dr. Page has led with reassuring confidence and a clear sense of purpose. She is the kind of leader who builds trust by earning it, and who reminds us that the heart of health care is public service to others,” said UNC System President Peter Hans. “We could not ask for a better steward of UNC Health’s mission.”

Page added in the news release:

It is a tremendous honor and privilege to serve as CEO of UNC Health and Dean of UNC School of Medicine. I appreciate President Hans and the Board of Governors, Chancellor Roberts and Chair Wessling for their confidence and support as I step into this important role during one of the most challenging periods in healthcare and academic medicine. I’m delighted to serve and lead our great team to fulfill our purpose and mission to the people of North Carolina.Dr. Cristy Page