The ENVISION Campaign: Medical Research is Much More Than Discovery

A group of four photos depicting younger and older people.

The research done at Wake Forest University School of Medicine has no boundaries. From basic research discoveries to clinical science breakthroughs, the work serves as a catalyst for improved patient care regionally, nationally and beyond. The school is taking a leadership role in addressing health inequities, while continuing its long-standing commitment to accelerating the future of medicine for all.

As part of the Advocate Health system, with 67 hospitals caring for nearly six million people annually, the school now has the opportunity to extend the reach of its programs, expand clinical trials and leverage the learning that takes place every day.

A medical professional looking through a microscope.

Core areas of research:

  • Health equity
  • Alzheimer’s disease cancer
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • Diabetes, obesity and metabolism healthy aging and mobility neurosciences
  • Regenerative medicine

The advances being made today, and the ones to come tomorrow, will not only benefit lives today but in the generations to come. Today, a team of over 2,000 researchers is focused on finding new ways to better treat and one day eliminate some of the world’s most widespread and devastating diseases, including Alzheimer’s, cancer, diabetes, obesity and more.

Discoveries in their labs and those made through clinical trials are improving the delivery of personalized medicine, from stroke prevention and recovery to treating cardiovascular disease. And, with a focus on equity, the work ensures that treatments are defined for and available to all.

At the School of Medicine, these teams are harnessing the power of innovation to help answer some of the most challenging questions about human health. Scientists are decoding the mysteries of healthy aging to uncover and illuminate new pathways that help us live longer and healthier lives. A team that includes over 400 researchers at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine is working to engineer more than 40 different replacement tissues and organs and develop healing cell therapies – all with the goal of curing, rather than just treating, disease. It is a journey to accelerate discovery, hope and health.

"Building on our foundation, we are poised to change medicine to address our nation’s most pressing health care challenges and needs." - Ebony Boulware, MD, MPH, Dean, Wake Forest University School of Medicine; Chief Science Officer and Vice Chief Academic Officer, Advocate Health

Editor's Note: The ENVISION Campaign was launched publicly on November 1, 2023. Watch a video about the campaign.