Page will lead health system with 20 hospitals and 56,000 employees
RALEIGH, N.C. – Dr. Cristy Page, a distinguished faculty member who has risen in leadership roles at UNC Health, was named the chief executive officer of UNC Health on Thursday. She will also serve as dean of the UNC School of Medicine and vice chancellor for medical affairs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Page will lead UNC Health at a critical time for the state’s leading academic health system and school of medicine. UNC Health has hospitals and clinics across the state, employs about 56,000 people and is focused on its mission of improving the health and wellbeing of North Carolinians.
Page, who has served in the positions on an interim basis since July, was elected by the UNC Board of Governors following recent action by the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees and the UNC Health Board of Directors. She will begin the roles Nov. 24.
An expert in primary care and rural health, Page has helped lead innovative health initiatives, fundraising, and strategic planning and partnerships for UNC Health, broadening access to care for patients across North Carolina. She worked to develop branch campuses and grow rural residency programs to train more providers to meet the state’s growing health needs.
A Distinguished Professor of Family Medicine at UNC’s medical school who joined the faculty in 2005, Page has been a key player on both leadership teams, serving as president of UNC Health Enterprises in 2024-25 and chief academic officer at the medical school and at UNC Health in 2023-25. She was executive dean at the medical school from 2019 until earlier this year.
Previously, she founded and led Mission3, 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.
A Wilmington native and lifelong Tar Heel, she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology at UNC-Chapel Hill as a Morehead Scholar, a master’s in public health, and an MD at the medical school she will now lead. She has published extensively and won numerous grants and awards focused on rural health.
“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.”
“It is a tremendous honor and privilege to serve as CEO of UNC Health and Dean of UNC School of Medicine,” Page said. “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. Page is an inspirational leader and a remarkable healthcare provider whose dedication to serving North Carolina’s communities reflects our university’s commitment to statewide impact in all 100 counties,” said UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Lee Roberts. “She is exceptionally qualified to guide UNC Health’s continued growth and advance its mission of saving lives across our state.”
“I have worked with Dr. Page as a member of the UNC Health Board of Directors since 2019,” said UNC Health Board Chair Greg Wessling. “She is a dynamic and strategic leader who excels in building relationships and has a heart for providing outstanding quality care across our state. I could not think of a finer person to lead UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine.”
“North Carolinians are fortunate to have Dr. Page overseeing UNC Health,” said Wendy Murphy, chair of the Board of Governors. “She has a passion for serving our citizens and the expertise to lead us into a healthier future.”