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The UNC Physician Office Building, located adjacent to the North Carolina Cancer Hospital, will be renamed the Houpt Building in honor of Jeffrey L. Houpt, MD. Houpt served as Dean of the UNC School of Medicine and vice chancellor of medical affairs at UNC from 1996 until 2004. In 1998, when the UNC Health Care system was created by the North Carolina General Assembly, Houpt was appointed CEO.


The UNC Physician Office Building, located adjacent to the North Carolina Cancer Hospital, will be renamed the Houpt Building in honor of Jeffrey L. Houpt, MD.

Houpt served as Dean of the UNC School of Medicine and vice chancellor of medical affairs at UNC from 1996 until 2004. In 1998, when the UNC Health Care system was created by the North Carolina General Assembly, Houpt was appointed CEO of the new entity and was the first person to hold this triple role.

Under Houpt’s leadership, both UNC Health Care and the UNC School of Medicine expanded greatly.

UNC Health Care acquired Rex Healthcare, the first of many expansions that led to the system’s current statewide footprint. In 2002, the N.C. Women’s Hospital and the N.C. Children’s Hospital were opened in Chapel Hill to help serve the needs of people throughout the state and beyond. When he stepped down as Dean of the School of Medicine and CEO of UNC Health Care in 2004, planning had already begun for the construction of the N.C. Cancer Hospital, completed in 2009.

The UNC School of Medicine recruited 20 new department chairs, added two new departments, established several key research centers, greatly expanded laboratory space, and grew the faculty by more than 400 during Houpt’s eight years as Dean.

His impact on the School of Medicine’s faculty has extended far beyond his tenure as Dean and CEO, through his book “Learning to Lead in the Academic Medical Center” and his leadership development courses.

“Dr. Houpt has impacted numerous faculty as a result of his investment in the next generation of leaders and I’m grateful to be a part of that legacy,” said Cristy Page, MD, MPH, Executive Dean of the UNC School of Medicine. “I hope I can inspire someone in the way that Dean Houpt has inspired me.”

In renaming the Physician Office Building for Houpt, the UNC School of Medicine is moving to permanently celebrate his great contributions to the School and Health Care System.

“The vision that has helped establish UNC Health Care as one of the nation’s leading academic health systems can be traced to Dr. Houpt,” said Wesley Burks, MD, CEO of UNC Health Care and Dean of the UNC School of Medicine. “I’m proud we can honor him in this way, and especially proud that we can share this celebration with him and his family.”