Wake Forest University School of Medicine

What Wake Forest University School of Medicine does

Wake Forest University School of Medicine is an academic medical center founded in 1902 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, operating as the medical school of Wake Forest University within the Advocate Health system following the 2022 merger of Atrium Health and Wake Forest Baptist. The institution trains nearly 1,900 students and fellows annually across MD, Physician Assistant, Nursing (including a DNP Nurse Anesthesia program), and Biomedical Graduate programs, and delivers clinical care through Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Brenner Children's Hospital, and four affiliated community hospitals (Davie, High Point, Lexington, Wilkes).

The school's research portfolio draws over $400 million in annual extramural funding and is anchored by the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention, the Center for Artificial Intelligence Research, the Center for Precision Medicine, and the Cardiovascular Sciences Center. Technology commercialization is handled through Wake Forest Innovations, with a notable recent equity-and-license partnership with Postbiotics, Inc. covering patented postbiotic strain D3.5 and the planned April 2026 launch of the Gutibio medical food.

Monetization spans four streams: medical education tuition across multiple degree programs, clinical services revenue through the integrated hospital network, federal and extramural research grants, and technology licensing royalties. Distribution is anchored by the Advocate Health footprint (~70 hospitals and 1,000 care sites across six states) and is being expanded materially through The Pearl, a $1 billion+ innovation district in Charlotte that adds a second medical school campus, IRCAD's North American surgical training headquarters, and medtech lab space, projected to create over 5,500 on-site and 11,500 total regional jobs.

Name

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Legal name

Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Website

https://school.wakehealth.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Academic medical center founded in 1902 and part of Advocate Health, training nearly 1,900 students and fellows while delivering clinical care through a multi-hospital network in North Carolina and conducting over $400 million in annual biomedical research across regenerative medicine, oncology, and aging.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Medical Center

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Academic Medical Centers & Teaching Hospitals (University-Affiliated) (EDAHAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health & Biomedical Research Universities (Academic Medical Center–Affiliated) (EDAHABAC), Academic Medical Centers (AMCs) & Teaching Hospitals (HLAFAAAA), Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Medical education
• Biomedical research
• Regenerative medicine
• Clinical training
• Academic medicine

Headquarters

HQ city

Winston Salem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Medical Education Tuition: Revenue from MD program tuition, PA studies, nursing programs, and biomedical graduate programs tuition and fees.
2. Healthcare Services: Clinical care revenue through Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist hospital network, outpatient clinics, and specialty care services.
3. Research Grants and Extramural Funding: Over $400 million annually in extramural research funding from NIH, NSF, and other federal/private sources supporting biomedical research programs.
4. Technology Licensing: Revenue from licensing patented technologies and strains including postbiotic strain D3.5 to commercial entities such as Postbiotics, Inc.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wake Forest University School of Medicine is an academic medical center that delivers medical education, biomedical research, and clinical care. It offers MD, PA, nursing, and biomedical graduate degree programs to nearly 1,900 students and fellows, conducts over $400 million in annual extramural research across multiple NIH-funded institutes and centers, and provides patient care through the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist hospital network including a NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and Brenner Children's Hospital.

Product overview

Wake Forest University School of Medicine is an academic medical institution offering a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs and research services. The institution provides medical education through its MD Program, PA Studies, Academic Nursing Programs, Biomedical Graduate Programs, and Residencies/Fellowships. Research operations are anchored by institutes including the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention, and Center for Artificial Intelligence Research. The school directs education for nearly 1,900 students and fellows and has garnered over $400 million in extramural research funding. Facilities include the Bowman Gray Center for Medical Education with advanced simulation and learning spaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wake Forest Innovations: Technology transfer and commercialization division of Wake Forest University School of Medicine
• Brenner Children's Hospital
• Bowman Gray Center for Medical Education
• Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM)
• MEDucation Day

Products and services

• MD Program Four-year medical degree program with patient care experience beginning in the first week, training students to become physicians at a research-intensive academic medical center.
• PA Studies (Physician Assistant Program) Physician assistant training program including the DMSc (Doctor of Medical Science) and PA Program, nationally ranked #11 by U.S. News & World Report.
• Academic Nursing Programs (Post Master's to DNP and DNP Nurse Anesthesia) Nursing education programs including the Post Master's to DNP Program and DNP Nurse Anesthesia Program, with Nurse Anesthesia ranked #12 nationally by U.S. News & World Report.
• Biomedical Graduate Programs Graduate-level research training programs in various biomedical science disciplines, available online and onsite.
• Residencies and Fellowships Graduate medical education offering training across multiple specialties and subspecialties within the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist network.
• Clinical Care Services (Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Network) Inpatient and outpatient clinical care delivered through Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Brenner Children's Hospital, Davie Medical Center, High Point Medical Center, Lexington Medical Center, and Wilkes Medical Center.
• Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) Research institute focused on regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and cell-based therapies, conducting world-leading research in bioengineered organs, 3D bioprinting, and stem cell therapies.
• Comprehensive Cancer Center NCI-designated cancer research center providing translational oncology research and a translational oncology training program, with research in cancer biology, treatment, and prevention.
• Sticht Center for Healthy Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention Research center focused on preventing dementia, cognitive and physical impairment, and disability in older adults, with studies on nutritional influences and insulin-related cognition research.
• Center for Artificial Intelligence Research AI research center focused on healthcare innovation and precision medicine applications within the school's research enterprise.
• Wake Forest Innovations (Technology Transfer) Technology transfer and commercialization office that develops and licenses innovations from the School of Medicine's research, including management of patents and licensing agreements.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Advocate Health / Atrium HealthflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership with Advocate Health's Atrium Health for the development of The Pearl innovation district in Charlotte, NC. The $1 billion+ project includes a second campus of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, IRCAD North American headquarters for surgical training, and lab space for medical technology companies. Expected to create over 5,500 on-site jobs and 11,500 total jobs in the Charlotte region.
• Wexford Science & TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment partner for The Pearl innovation district, a $1 billion+ science and technology development partnership with Advocate Health/Atrium Health to create an innovation district featuring Wake Forest University School of Medicine's second campus.
• University of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partnership through the DEFINE T2D consortium. Wake Forest University School of Medicine serves as a study site for the $7 million five-year federal award from NIDDK establishing a Biostatistics Research Center to develop precision medicine approaches for Type 2 diabetes.
• IRCADcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational surgical training institute establishing its North American headquarters at The Pearl innovation district in Charlotte, part of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine campus development.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• University of North Carolina School of Medicine: Public medical school and academic medical center in Chapel Hill with extensive NIH research funding, NCI-designated cancer center (UNC Lineberger), and integrated hospital system. Comparable as the state's primary public medical school and a leading academic research institution in the Southeast.
• Emory University School of Medicine: Private academic medical center in Atlanta with major NIH research portfolio, NCI-designated Winship Cancer Institute, and integrated Emory Healthcare system. Comparable in private university affiliation, research funding scale, and Southeast geography.
• Vanderbilt University School of Medicine: Private academic medical center with top-tier NIH research funding, NCI-designated Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, and integrated Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Comparable as a leading private research medical school with strong biomedical graduate programs.
• University of Virginia School of Medicine: Public academic medical center with strong NIH-funded research portfolio and integrated UVA Health system. Comparable as a Mid-Atlantic research medical school with similar mid-tier NIH funding scale and biomedical graduate training programs.
• Duke University School of Medicine: Private research-oriented medical school in North Carolina with NIH-funded research enterprise, NCI-designated cancer center, and integrated health system (Duke University Health System). Directly comparable in geographic market, academic medical center structure, and research funding scale.

Broad incumbents

• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center: Large nonprofit academic medical center with extensive biomedical research enterprise, including regenerative medicine and translational research programs. Comparable as a leading private academic medical center combining clinical delivery, research, and graduate medical education.
• Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine: Top-ranked private medical school within a large integrated health system with elite NIH funding and NCI-designated cancer center. Comparable as a leading academic medical center with strong research orientation and clinical system integration, though at materially higher scale.
• Atrium Health (Wake Forest Baptist clinical network): The integrated health system component of Advocate Health that provides the clinical training environment for Wake Forest School of Medicine. Comparable as the broader parent network and the operational partner for Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist clinical care delivery.

Regional players

• Houston Methodist Research Institute: Texas-based academic medical center with significant NIH-funded research and integrated hospital network. Comparable as a large regional academic medical center combining clinical care and research, though operating in a different geography than Wake Forest.

Emerging players

• IRCAD: International surgical training institute establishing its North American headquarters at The Pearl in Charlotte as a direct partner of Wake Forest. Comparable as a strategic collaboration partner bringing minimally invasive surgical training capability to the Wake Forest campus expansion.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wakeforestmed
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wake-forest-university-school-of-medicine
• Facebookfacebook.com/wakeforestmed

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Wake Forest University School of Medicine