WS Chronicle

By: Jess Schnur

The Chronicle

On April 14, Dr. Julie A. Freischlag announced the culmination of her 38-year career with her retirement at the end of 2025. As the CEO and chief academic officer of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, chief academic officer and executive vice president of Advocate Health, executive vice president of health affairs at Wake Forest University, and a practicing vascular surgeon, Dr. Freischlag leaves a legacy of dedication to advancing medical care for all within the community.

With over 15 years of experience in leading educational and training programs at top medical schools, coupled with more than 30 years of leading patient care as chief of surgery at nationally ranked hospitals, Dr. Freischlag has devoted herself to advancing medicine not only on a practical basis but on a personal level as well. As an accomplished vascular surgeon, her specialization in treating thoracic outlet syndrome – which requires a specialized surgical procedure – has earned her numerous teaching and achievement awards, including the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Vascular Surgery, an achievement award from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Trailblazer Award from the Society of University Surgeons. She was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2015 and inducted into the Academy of Master Surgeon Educators in 2021.

Prior to her work at Wake Forest, Dr. Freischlag was vice chancellor for human health sciences and dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine. She also served as a professor, chair of the surgery department, and surgeon-in-chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

“I cannot overstate the impact of Dr. Freischlag’s career – as dean of Wake Forest University School of Medicine, as CEO of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, and across her career as a pioneering vascular surgeon,” said Susan R. Wente, president of Wake Forest University. “Her work as a clinician, researcher, teacher, and executive has saved countless lives, improved surgical techniques, increased clinical efficacy, and paved the way for generations of physicians. The medical community – and our community here in Winston-Salem – is better, safer, and healthier thanks to her work.”

Dr. Freischlag has served as CEO of Wake Forest Baptist since May 2017, as well as dean of Wake Forest University School of Medicine from February 2018 to February 2023. Her leadership and devotion within these faculties have allowed Wake Forest Baptist to blossom under her guidance, including the building of The Birth Center and adding High Point and Wilkes medical centers and numerous outpatient clinics.

“Leading Wake Forest Baptist has been the most fulfilling and rewarding role in my medical career,” Freischlag said. “I have been inspired and energized every day by the dedication of our teams to our patients and the communities we serve and am incredibly proud of our growing commitment as an academic learning health system to teach, train, and discover.”

Dr. Freischlag has been an innovator in paving paths throughout her career. She served as the first and only woman president of the Society for Vascular Surgery as well as the first woman president of the Association of VA Surgeons. She also acted as the 2021-2022 president of the American College of Surgeons, the chair of the Association of American Medical Colleges Board of Directors, a board member of the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center Research Hospital and Aga Khan University Board of Trustees, and is chair of the Health Services Committee, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Board of Visitors, and the University of Illinois health advisory council. For 10 years, Dr. Freischlag was also the editor of JAMA Surgery, an international peer-reviewed journal.

“Julie has been a trailblazer her entire life, and her visionary leadership over the past eight years will leave a lasting legacy on our health system, our medical school, and the communities we serve,” said Bill Warden, chair of the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center Board of Directors. “She led us through an era of unprecedented growth and innovation, and now as part of Advocate Health, the nation’s third-largest nonprofit health system, Julie’s guidance has positioned us to have an even larger impact on shaping the future of health across our nation.”

Dr. Freischlag will be transitioning her academic duties to Dr. Ebony Boulware, dean of Wake Forest University School of Medicine and chief science officer of Advocate Health, and her clinical operational duties to Dr. David Zaas, president of Wake Forest Baptist, over the next few months.

“It’s against my nature to slow down, but this is the right time for me,” Freischlag said. “While I will greatly miss this organization, I look forward to spending more time with my family and my grandchildren, traveling, and staying busy with the many hobbies I enjoy. Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist has a bright future ahead, and I can’t wait to see what the team accomplishes together.”