Dr. Susan Weaver Named Senior Vice President of WakeMed Physician Practices

Dec. 18, 2008 - PRLog -- WakeMed Health & Hospitals today announces Susan Weaver, MD, has been named senior vice president of WakeMed Physician Practices.  In this role, Dr. Weaver will oversee the operations of WakeMed’s multi-specialty physician practices. Currently, there are 154 caregivers within the practices, and it is expected that the groups will continue to grow to include more primary care and specialty practices to serve Wake County and beyond.

“Dr. Weaver has proven herself as a physician leader who is strong both administratively and clinically.  She has strong ties in the community and is well respected by her peers,” said Dr. Bill Atkinson, WakeMed president and CEO. “Additionally, it is important that our physician leaders believe in our mission and have the ability to deliver creative solutions for complex problems. Dr. Weaver understands that these solutions often come from relationships forged within the community, and we look forward to having her as a part of our senior leadership team.”

Prior to this appointment, Dr. Weaver served as the executive director of Alliance Medical Ministry, a non-profit organization that provides affordable, primary medical care to working uninsured families in Wake County.  Since 2005, she has held a dual role as executive director of Alliance Medical Ministry and as director of community access with WakeMed, both of which are geared toward improving access to care.

Before joining Alliance Medical Ministry, Dr. Weaver practiced Internal Medicine in Chicago, Nashville, and Raleigh and served on the faculty at Northwestern Medical School, Vanderbilt Medical School, and Duke University School of Medicine.  Dr. Weaver earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology and her medical degree from Duke University.  She completed her residency in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and is board-certified in internal medicine.

Over the past three years, Dr. Weaver led the creation of Wake County Medical Society’s CapitalCare Collaborative, a group of eight health care providers that is working to develop initiatives to improve the health of the region’s medically underserved.  This successful program now uses a comprehensive web-based medical record system to share information between the eight health care providers to maximize continuity of care for patients in need.  

“WakeMed combines the best of clinical practice and technology with a strong, mission-driven culture,” commented Dr. Weaver. “Since health care is constantly evolving, hospitals and physician practices must innovate to provide the best care possible to all patients.  Leading WakeMed’s physician practices will offer me many opportunities to grow both personally and professionally, and I am excited about my new role.”

As Senior Vice President for WakeMed Physician Practices, Weaver will oversee operations of the growing physician practices owned by WakeMed Health & Hospitals, including WakeMed Faculty Physicians, WakeMed Specialty Physicians and Wake Orthopaedics.  In total, these multi-specialty physician practices employ 154 physicians and physician extenders and 241 support staff, who provided more than 90,000 patient visits in FY 2008. Practice areas include inpatient medicine with hospitalists and intensivists; internal medicine; pediatrics; obstetrics and gynecology; otolaryngology (ENT); facial plastic and reconstructive surgery; general and trauma surgery; orthopaedics; urology; inpatient psychiatry; dentistry, neonatology; vascular surgery; neurovascular surgery; pediatric endocrinology; maternal fetal medicine; and gastroenterology. WakeMed Faculty Physicians provides care in many different settings, including at WakeMed Raleigh Campus and WakeMed Cary Hospital, as well as at multiple community-based practices.

Dr. Weaver will also manage WakeMed’s teaching program.  For more than 30 years, WakeMed has been a large off-site teaching program for the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. WakeMed Faculty Physicians supervise and teach nearly 400 medical students and residents each year.  The practice also assists the North Carolina Area Health Education Center with its statewide mission of education and research through the Wake Area Health Education Center, which is based on WakeMed’s Raleigh Campus.

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About WakeMed Health & Hospitals
WakeMed Health & Hospitals, one of the first hospital systems in the country, is a private, not-for-profit health care organization based in Raleigh, N.C. The 870-bed system comprises a network of health care facilities throughout Wake and Johnston Counties, including: a Level I Trauma Center and tertiary referral hospital and rehabilitation hospital in Raleigh, a community hospital in Cary, two comprehensive outpatient centers and freestanding emergency departments in North Raleigh and Apex, seven outpatient rehabilitation sites, two skilled-nursing and outpatient facilities, a 100+-physician multispecialty practice, and home health services. Centers of excellence include cardiac and vascular care, women’s and children’s services, physical rehab, emergency and trauma, orthopaedics, neurosciences, home care and numerous wellness and community outreach programs. www.wakemed.org.