WakeMed CEO and President Bill Atkinson will deliver Campbell University’s College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences’ graduation address on Fri., May 11 at 3 p.m. at John W. Pope, Jr. Convocation Center.
Since 2003, Atkinson has led the direction of WakeMed, the largest private employer in Wake County and one of the largest health care systems in North Carolina. WakeMed is ranked as one of the nation’s top five hospitals in disaster preparedness, maintaining Wake County’s only Level I Trauma Center and its heart program leads the state in number of procedures.
Atkinson has more than 25 years of experience leading hospitals in both rural and urban settings. Prior to joining WakeMed he served as president and CEO of New Hanover Health Network in Wilmington, N.C., Columbia Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center in Denver, Colo., and Columbia Aurora Regional Medical Center in Aurora, Colo.
He has served as chair of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce, North Carolina Institute of Medicine, North Carolina Hospital Association and the North Carolina Center for Hospital Quality and Patient Safety.
Atkinson holds a doctorate in public policy and a master’s degrees in public administration from the University of Colorado at Denver. He also completed a master’s degree in public health from the University of South Carolina and is a graduate of the Executive Management Program from Yale University.