William K. Atkinson II, PhD, MPH, MPA
President & Chief Executive Officer
WakeMed Health and Hospitals
Dr. Atkinson is an active leader in support of strategically improving our nation's healthcare system: "There are more efficient and integrated ways to provide care that are not only smart economically, but they’re also smart from a quality and a safety perspective."
"We’re fortunate in this nation to have some of the best elements of health care – exceptional and committed medical professionals, the latest technology, and groundbreaking research – on the globe."
Dr. Atkinson will share a high-level perspective regarding
a strategic approach to the future of healthcare (including its uncertainty).
WakeMed and its leadership are committed to being the best in the health care business. WakeMed's strategy allows this vast organization to continually offer new and improved medical services, build state-of-the-art, convenient facilities for customers and hire the best and the brightest.
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Dr. Atkinson, a Greensboro, NC, native, became involved in health care as a member of North Carolina’s initial paramedic class and remains passionately involved in a wide-range of emergency services, public health and public policy issues to this day.
Dr. Atkinson has over 25 years experience as a hospital president and chief executive officer in rural and urban settings in several states. He is only the third CEO in the 48-year history of WakeMed Health & Hospitals, a private, not-for-profit multi-hospital system and one of the top health care providers in the state. With more than 7000 employees WakeMed is one of Wake County’s largest private employers. WakeMed’s heart program is North Carolina’s largest.
While working full time, he earned a doctorate in public policy from the University of Colorado - Denver and also holds master’s degrees from the University of South Carolina and University of Colorado – Denver in public health and public policy. He is a graduate of the Executive Management Program of Yale University. Dr. Atkinson is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and holds adjunct faculty positions in the Schools of Global Public Health and Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a member of the North Carolina State University’s Kenan Fellows Board of Advisors.
He is a delegate of the American Hospital Association’s Regional Policy Board 3. He currently serves as chair of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on the boards of the North Carolina Chamber, Wake Technical Community College and is a commissioner with the North Carolina Health & Wellness Trust Fund. Dr. Atkinson has served as chairman of the North Carolina Institute of Medicine, North Carolina Hospital Association and the North Carolina Center for Hospital Quality and Patient Safety. He also co-chaired with Ann Goodnight the successful Friends of Wake County $1 billion school bond drive.
He co-chaired North Carolina’s WorkFirst Business Council. He continues to believe in the importance of economically healthy communities as the foundation for healthy residents.
In 2008, Dr. Atkinson was named 2008 Impact Healthcare Leader and inducted into the Business Leader Triangle Hall of Fame. He also was named the 2007 Business Leader of the Year by Business Leader Magazine and Who’s Who 2006 by Metro Magazine. He received the American Red Cross Humanitarian Award in 2007. He is the 2004 recipient of the James O. Page/JEMS International Leadership Award for contributions to emergency medicine. He has also received the North Carolina Hospital Association’s Distinguished Service Award, the Leader of the Year Award from Leadership Raleigh and was honored by the Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education with the Gordon Smith, Jr. Award.
He is recognized nationally for his leadership in disaster preparedness and response, emergency medical services, workforce development, and for his work in reducing gang activity. He lectures frequently on innovation diffusion in healthcare, science, education and public policy.
Dr. Atkinson, and his wife Allison, have three sons. |