Organization Profile
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
Organization Overview
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center is a nationally recognized academic medical center and health system based in Winston-Salem, NC. The institution comprises Wake Forest School of Medicine, a leading center for medical education and research; Wake Forest Baptist Health, the integrated clinical structure; and Wake Forest Innovations, which promotes the commercialization of research discoveries. Clinical facilities include North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Brenner Children’s Hospital, and a network of affiliated community hospitals, physician practices, outpatient services and other medical facilities. The Medical Center has been ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report since 1993. It holds the coveted Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission and has achieved Magnet status, the nation’s highest nursing recognition. Becker’s Hospital Review in 2014 named Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center to its annual list of “100 Great Hospitals in America.’’ The Becker’s list represents “a compilation of some of the most prominent, forward-thinking and focused health care facilities in the nation.” Wake Forest Baptist was specifically cited for its quality and safety measures. Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has received a Consumer Choice Award as the top-rated hospital in the Winston-Salem area every year since 1999.
Organization History
North Carolina Baptist Hospital opened in 1923 as an 88-bed hospital in Winston-Salem. Wake Forest School of Medicine (formerly Bowman Gray School of Medicine) was founded in 1902 as a two-year medical school on the campus of Wake Forest College. The medical school expanded to four years and moved to Winston-Salem in 1941. When the fledgling Bowman Gray School of Medicine and N.C. Baptist Hospital entered into a partnership in 1941, it created the foundation for the nationally renowned academic medical center that exists today. Throughout the decades, Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center has set high standards in its clinical work, research, administration work and education.