Cristy Page is stepping into one of the state’s most powerful health care roles at a moment of unusual strain and uncertainty, taking over as chief executive of UNC Health while also serving as dean of the School of Medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill.
A family physician by training, Page was named permanent CEO last month after serving in an interim capacity, inheriting a sprawling system that operates 16 hospitals, employs more than 50,000 people and generates roughly $6.8 billion in annual revenue. Her appointment comes as health systems across the country confront rising costs, workforce shortages and shifting federal and state policy — pressures that are amplified for organizations with large rural footprints and deep research missions.
Page has made clear that growth remains a priority even as financial headwinds intensify. UNC Health is pursuing plans for a new children’s hospital in Apex, seeking approval for a new hospital in Asheville and expanding its presence across the Triangle. At the same time, Page is pushing for a more integrated regional model, grouping hospitals in eastern, central and western North Carolina to better share specialists, technology and resources.
“Our state is growing,” Page has said, emphasizing that expansion must reach rural communities as well as urban centers. That balance is becoming more difficult as health care providers brace for potential Medicaid cuts and uncertainty surrounding North Carolina’s recent Medicaid expansion. Page has warned that any rollback would place enormous strain on rural hospitals, many of which already operate on thin margins.
Compounding those challenges is a sharp downturn in research funding. As executive dean of the medical school, Page previously oversaw a significant rise in research grants, but recent federal cuts to the National Institutes of Health have forced the university to reassess staffing and funding commitments. Page has acknowledged that the past year has been stressful, with difficult decisions and an unclear outlook for some faculty positions.
Those pressures, she says, are pushing UNC to diversify its funding sources and pursue more private partnerships, a shift that mirrors trends across academic medicine. “It’s a chance for us to rethink some things and refine ourselves,” Page has said, describing the moment as both disruptive and transformational.
One of the most visible tests of that approach is the proposed $3 billion N.C. Children’s Hospital, envisioned as the state’s first standalone pediatric hospital through a partnership between UNC Health and Duke Health. The project depends in part on state funding, which remains uncertain amid budget negotiations in the General Assembly.
Page has argued the hospital is essential, noting that families are still forced to seek advanced pediatric care out of state.
For Page, the coming years will test whether UNC Health can continue to grow while preserving access, research excellence and financial stability — a balancing act facing health systems nationwide, but one with especially high stakes in North Carolina.
