HEALTH CARE.

GENE WOODS

president, CEO | Advocate Health

Charlotte

Since being recruited to lead North Carolina's biggest health care system in 2016, Woods, 58, has become one of his industry's most powerful and active leaders. Woods has more than doubled Atrium Health's size by arranging partnerships with Winston-Salem-based Wake Forest Baptist Health and Advocate Aurora Health Care, which has major market shares in the Chicago and Milwaukee markets. In both instances, little money changed hands as Atrium leadership gained control by emphasizing long-term benefits from combining rather than making a major upfront investment.

Upon arriving in Charlotte, Woods madeclearthat building one of the nation's largest health care systems was vital to make capital investments, improve technology and negotiate payment contracts with increasingly large insurers.

Some of his merger efforts didn't pan out, such as Atrium's efforts to combine with UNC Health, which remains independent, and acquire Wilmington's system, which is now owned by Winston-Salem-based Novant Health.

But newly formed Advocate Health has annual revenue topping $27 billion, 67 hospitals and more than 150,000 staffers in six states. It dwarfs other N.C. systems and is the fifth-largest U.S. not-for-profit hospital system.

The Penn State University graduate helped Charlotte fulfill a long-term goal with Wake Forest University's plan fora medical school campus slated to open in 2024. A board director at Best Buy, he's also leading efforts to attract more medical companies to Charlotte and Winston-Salem.

Favorite family tradition: Cooking together

Favorite N.C. place to visit: Grammy Award-winning Gat3 Recording Studio in southwest Charlotte.

What do you listen to on your commute: NPR

Major inspiration: My parents. They worked hard so that I could be the first college graduate of the family.

Career highlight: Coming together with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and launching the creation of our new Innovation District, The Pearl, in Charlotte-which will house the second campus of Wake Forest University School of Medicine and train the next generation of world-class clinicians.

Favorite hobby after work: Catching up with family and friends. Playing guitar and writing music.

Best advice to industry newcomer: Be the type of leader you would want to be led by.

Key industry change in next five years: Eliminating health care disparities across the country.

CARL ARMATO

president, CEO | Novant Health

Winston-Salem

The CPA heads a health system that employs 35,000 people, including 1,800 physicians, mainly in the Charlotte, Triad and Wilmington areas. He joined Novant in 2008 and became CEO in 2012. Novant has revenue of about $7.6 billion annually. Armato holds degrees from Norwich University and Southwestern Louisiana University.

CHIP BAGGETT

CEO | N.C. Medical Society

Raleigh

Baggett ensures the collective voice of 10,000 doctors and medical professionals is heard by state lawmakers. He has been with the association since 2007, becoming CEO in 2020. He is a graduate of Appalachian State University and earned a law degree at N.C. Central University.

EBONY BOULWARE

dean, chief science officer | Wake Forest School of Medicine

Charlotte, Winston-Salem

Boulware succeeded Julie Freischlag as dean in October after nine years at Duke University Health System, where she was vice dean for translational science. Her role comes as Wake Forest expands its medical school to Charlotte. She started her career at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She has degrees from Vassar College, Duke University School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Major inspiration: I am inspired and driven by the principles of fairness, humanity, and justice. These core principles are what have compelled me to study and teach ways to achieve health and health equity for all individuals, regardless of their backgrounds or where they live.

Career highlight: My current role as dean and chief science officer at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. I love working with students, faculty, and staff who are all motivated to do everything possible to improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities we serve.

Best advice to industry newcomer: Find your motivating "north star" (the reasons you decided to pursue a career in health care) and use that as your inspiration to make a difference.

Key industry change in next five years: Many social factors--including education, employment, housing--are the major drivers of health and well-being. This is changing how we think about delivering health care. I anticipate many of our treatments will not only focus on providing medications or other therapies, but they will also focus on addressing an individual's social needs, such as poverty.

WESLEY BURKS

CEO | UNC Health

dean | UNC School of Medicine

Chapel Hill

Burks, 68, joined UNC Health in 2011 as chairman of the department of pediatrics. In 2019, he was named CEO of the system, which has 11 hospitals and nearly 30,000 employees. The graduate of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences previously worked at Duke Medical Center.

Favorite family tradition: Our family has a traditional Christmas celebration, sharing a meal and opening presents in an unhurried fashion.

Favorite N.C. place to visit: North Carolina's mountains remind me of my childhood in Arkansas and my grandparents' house. We particularly like Grandfather Mountain and Linville areas.

What do you listen to on your commute: Nice days offer me a 20-minute walk to work. I enjoy thinking and planning for the day ahead those mornings.

Major inspiration: I met Shelley, who had severe eczema and food allergies, in training. She was constantly itching and not sleeping. I could treat the condition, but she inspired me to think about changing the ways we...