Wesley Burks, MD, has announced that he will step down from his position as chair of the Department of Pediatrics and physician-in-chief of UNC Children’s. He will continue to serve as executive dean of the School of Medicine.
Wesley Burks, MD, has announced that he will step down from his position as chair of the Department of Pediatrics and physician-in-chief of UNC Children’s. He will continue to serve as executive dean of the School of Medicine.
The Office of the Dean expects to name an interim department chair in the next 4-6 weeks and Burks will remain in his post as chair until an interim is named. Also in the coming weeks, a search committee will be announced and begin a national search for a permanent leader for the Department and UNC Children’s.
Burks came to UNC as chair of Pediatrics in 2011 and has held dual leadership roles as department chair and executive dean since January of 2015. Burks cited the need for children’s services to have an independent advocate within the institution’s leadership team as a primary reason for stepping down from his post.
As executive dean, Burks will continue to work closely with Dr. William Roper to enhance the School of Medicine’s academic missions.
Last week, Burks shared the following note with the Department of Pediatrics:
Colleagues,
I am writing to express my gratitude and thanks for welcoming me into the Pediatrics department and working together over the past four plus years. I have enjoyed the opportunity to work with each of you very much, and I am encouraged by what we have accomplished together.
As you know, for the past year I have served as the Chair of our department as well as the Executive Dean of the School of Medicine. Serving in both roles for this long has made me realize that it would be to the benefit of the Department and children’s care to have another individual present on the institution’s leadership team as the Chair of Pediatrics. I know the leadership needs of our department are not being fully met now in my serving in both roles.
For this reason, I will be stepping down as Chair in the next few weeks. Dean Roper will be naming an Interim Chair, and simultaneously start a national search for a permanent Chair.
I had not planned on this transition when I accepted the Executive Dean role, but do think after consultation with others, that this is what is best for our department at this time. As the Executive Dean I am responsible for the academic missions of our School of Medicine. While what we are doing in Pediatrics is directly in line with the SOM mission, it would be best for the Department to have an a leader in the Chair role who can advocate for the department specifically. This Department deserves fulltime attention to continue to advance our vision, and being conflicted in the two roles I am not able to deliver the attention it deserves. I look forward to working with a new Pediatric Department Chair to advance our work.
I know there are and will be many questions about this announcement and the future of the Department. I will be at our faculty meeting next week on February 16 to answer questions, and at that time we can have a broader discussion together. I will remain a pediatric faculty member and continue to work with many of you in our clinical, educational and research capacities.
It is difficult in a short note to describe my deepest appreciation and to thank you for the opportunities you have afforded me here. You accepted my constant questions, were and are deeply involved discussions about the future of pediatrics here at UNC, and supported my desire for all of us to provide the highest quality clinical care, to teach the next generation of physicians and to do research that changes children’s lives.
Again thank you.
Wesley