Chapel Hill, N.C.-based University of North Carolina System appointed A. Wesley Burks, MD, CEO of UNC Health Care, dean of the UNC School of Medicine and vice chancellor for medical affairs at UNC-Chapel Hill. He will assume the new roles Jan. 15.
Dr. Burks is currently executive dean for the UNC School of Medicine. He is also the Curnen Distinguished Professor in the pediatrics department. He joined UNC in 2011, initially serving as physician-in-chief of the North Carolina Children's Hospital. He became chair of the pediatrics department in 2012.
Dr. Burks has prior experience working at Durham, N.C.-based Duke University Medical Center and Little Rock-based Arkansas Children's Hospital. He is well-published in the pediatric allergy and immunology arena, and he is a past president of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Dr. Burks succeeds William L. Roper, MD, who announced plans earlier this year to retire May 15, 2019. However, Dr. Roper was appointed interim president of the University of North Carolina System, effective Jan. 1, 2019, and he will leave his dual roles as CEO of the health system and dean of the medical school.