Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Atrium Health received the needed accreditation approval and notification to proceed with phased plans to open an instructional site in Charlotte, for years three and four of the medical school curriculum in 2022, allowing us to bring our nationally ranked education and research programs to students and expand our ability to train the best medical providers for the communities we serve. A 20-acre site in midtown Charlotte, at the current corner of South McDowell Street and Baxter Street, adjacent to US-277, has been selected for the campus.

Wake Forest University School of Medicine – Charlotte is expected to break ground in the first quarter of 2023, soon after completion of the zoning approval process. Atrium Health’s technology offices currently on the site will be replaced with a large, mixed-use campus. It is envisioned it will become, over time, the nucleus for collaborative efforts in Charlotte that will bring about new innovations in health technology and research, much like the Innovation Quarter in Winston-Salem, where the school of medicine’s Bowman Gray Center for Medical Education is located. 

The school of medicine began sending some students to Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in March, as part of its clerkship rotations. The initial class of Wake Forest University School of Medicine – Charlotte's first-year medical students are anticipated to begin their education in 2025.

AH WFUSOM CLT Render 2023


How this Shapes the Next-Generation Academic Health System

  • We will be the largest educator of physicians and other medical professionals in the state.
  • We will be one of the most diverse learner bodies in the country.
  • We will create opportunities for underserved populations to access this level of higher education.
  • We will reduce the shortage of doctors working in inner-city, suburban and rural areas of North Carolina.
  • We will become a nationally ranked, top-10 medical research center.


The school of medicine campus will be located less than three-quarters of a mile from Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center. The campus of the health system’s flagship hospital is undergoing an extensive renovation, ensuring the school of medicine students will have access to the most modern, state-of-the-art facilities and technology in all of their learning environments.

In addition to the location of the medical school, Atrium Health has established the Bishop George E. Battle Jr. Scholarship Fund to support the continuing education of those who live in underserved communities. 

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