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In this episode of ’90 Seconds With…’ we catch up with Executive Dean Cristy Page, MD, MPH, from the UNC School of Medicine to learn more about how One UNC Health and the School of Medicine are aligned.


In this episode of ’90 Seconds With…’ we catch up with Executive Dean Cristy Page, MD, MPH, from the UNC School of Medicine to learn more about how One UNC Health and the School of Medicine are aligned.

View a written transcript of the video below:

Q: How are Forward Together (SOM strategic plan) and One UNC Health aligned?
A: One UNC Health is really the overarching strategic vision for our Health Care system, and that includes faculty in the School of Medicine, and also, a number of community practices and of hospitals that are managed and owned all across the state. The Forward Together strategic plan is really focused on the academic missions, the faculty of the School of Medicine and it is an extension of One UNC Health and closely aligned. It is also very closely aligned with our University’s strategic plan, Blueprint for next.

Q: What does it mean to be an academic health system?
A: Each of those three words: Academic, Health, System, are increasingly important to who we are. ‘Academics’ is certainly who we are in the School of Medicine and gives us an opportunity to advance research for new treatments. It gives us an opportunity to advance education for the next generation of providers and scientists, and, the focus on ‘health’, that middle word, is increasingly a part of the need that we have across North Carolina. We can’t just focus on health care, but on the future of health. And finally, that word ‘system’ is very much a part of our strategy. We have to take all 33,000 members of our health care system across the state and bind together.

Q: In five years, what do you think UNC Health Care and the School of Medicine will look like?
A: I am confident we will continue our commitment to training world class health care providers and world class scientists for the future. That we’ll have new health delivery services for patients that modernize care, so that patients can efficiently receive care close to home. That we’ll have some new businesses that we haven’t thought of yet. New ways of delivering care. And that we’ll have new breakthrough therapies.

Q; How can faculty help the mission?
A: As we as faculty are leading the way across all three missions, we can do a lot to learn from others across the health care system, and to work together with them to further advance our research missions all across the state —- to further advance our education all across the state — and really to work better together on behalf of patients.