Two members of the Wake Forest University Medical School faculty have been elected to the board of directors of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
They are Allison Brashear, M.D., professor and chair of Neurology, and Neal D. Kon, M.D., professor of surgical sciences and chair of Cardiothoracic Surgery.
The board has added eight members since the restructuring of the Medical Center was announced in March 2007, increasing the total to 14 directors. “Adding these two outstanding physicians from Wake Forest University Physicians is a significant component of the reorganization,” said Steve Robertson, chairman of the board.
“One of the goals of the reorganization is to provide a ‘place at the table’ for physicians,” Robertson continued. “The entire board will benefit from the unique perspective of our physicians.”
Under the restructuring, there is a single overarching Medical Center governing body with the responsibility and authority to develop a unified vision, joint strategy and management of the Medical Center. “The goal is to develop an integrated organizational structure that will prepare the Medical Center for a distinguished future in a changing health care environment,” said Robertson.
Brashear has participated in several leadership programs, including Leadership Development for Physicians in Academic Health Centers at the Harvard School of Public Health, the leadership program of the Association of American Medical Colleges, and recently a fellowship in the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine program. She is a graduate of Indiana University School of Medicine, and she completed her training in neurology there in 1991.
Kon served on the Advisory Council for Cardiothoracic Surgery of the American College of Surgeons. He has served on the Wake Forest University Physicians Executive Committee for the past seven years. A graduate of the University of Florida School of Medicine, Kon served his residency training in general and cardiothoracic surgery at Wake Forest Baptist. He joined the faculty in 1987.
Robertson, a Mocksville businessman, has been re-elected chairman of the Medical Center board for 2008. Graham Denton, a retired Bank of America executive from Charlotte, is vice chairman.
Other members are Roger L. Cothran of Cornelius, Ernest L. Evans of Ahoskie, Donald E. Flow, Arthur A. Gibel, Murray Greason, Robert E. Greene and Nathan Hatch, all of Winston-Salem, Joseph R. Overby, M.D., of New Bern, K. Wayne Smith of Newton, and William C. Warden Jr. of Wilkesboro.
Under the restructuring, North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences are remaining separate organizations, and there will be no change in names or transfers of assets. The umbrella organization continues to be referred to as Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. With more than 11,000 employees, the Medical Center is the largest employer in the Piedmont Triad.
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Media contact: Mark Wright, (336) 716-3382, mwright@wfubmc.edu; Bonnie Davis, bdavis@wfubmc.edu; or Shannon Koontz, shkoontz@wfubmc.edu, (336) 716-4587.
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine. The system comprises 1,154 acute care, psychiatric, rehabilitation and long-term care beds and is consistently ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report.
Media Relations
Main Number: news@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-4587