01-07-2025
Wake Forest's Charlotte campus redefines medical education with inaugural class
When Wake Forest University School of Medicine Charlotte opens this July, Charlotte will welcome its first class of 49 medical students to the new campus in The Pearl innovation district. The program will debut a pioneering, case-driven curriculum that immerses students in real-world patient scenarios from day one—reshaping how future physicians are trained.
This campus builds on the Winston-Salem-based program and makes problem-based learning the cornerstone of its educational approach. Students and faculty at both campuses share resources, research opportunities and rotations. The connection allows students and faculty to tap into the full resources of the school across both locations, says Roy E. Strowd, M.D., vice dean for undergraduate medical education at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, who travels weekly between both sites.
'There's not that traditional lecture piece that many would be familiar with from their training,' Strowd said. 'The week starts with a case, and that becomes the springboard for self-guided instruction with faculty oversight.'
The medical community's response has been unprecedented. When Strowd started recruiting for the first 30 teaching positions, he received nearly 170 applications.
With enrollment expected to reach approximately 100 students per class over the next five years, the first Charlotte students will work with as many as 1,000 area physicians during their final two years of clinical rotations.
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Anatomy instruction relies on advanced tools rather than traditional cadaver labs, which allows students to learn anatomy longitudinally throughout their training rather than in isolated blocks. Students use virtual reality systems and plastinated specimens. (Plastination refers to the process of replacing water and fat in biological tissue with durable plastics.) The students also begin ultrasound instruction from day one.
'Wake Forest University School of Medicine is going to have the ability to really change the landscape of what we know about medical education,' Strowd said.
The Charlotte campus' home at The Pearl sits just steps from Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, a Level I trauma and academic hospital. That proximity supports early clinical exposure through advanced technology and specialized services. The Pearl also hosts IRCAD North America, a world-renowned surgical training center providing expertise in robotics and minimally invasive surgery.
Ensuring educational excellence across both locations remains a priority. The School of Medicine maintains consistent academic standards across both campuses. Graduates from Charlotte and Winston-Salem complete the same exams, residency match benchmarks and graduation requirements. Student performance in courses and phases is closely monitored and used to refine instruction.
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This expansion responds to a clear regional need. Charlotte was the nation's largest city without a four-year medical school. North Carolina also has one of the biggest rural populations in the country. The School of Medicine graduates enter primary care at high rates, and many stay in state for residencies. Once both campuses reach full enrollment, the Wake Forest University School of Medicine expects to graduate about 245 doctors per year, making it the largest medical school in the state by enrollment. The model also expands research opportunities for medical students in both cities, with students and faculty engaging in basic science work primarily in Winston-Salem and implementation-based projects in Charlotte.
Character development remains central to the School's mission. Like the Winston-Salem campus, the Charlotte campus will focus on developing physicians who demonstrate intellectual humility, curiosity, compassion and courage through community integration and strategic partnerships.
'We're not reinventing what's happening in Charlotte's medical community, we're becoming integrated into what's already there and helping it grow,' Strowd said.
