Duke Appoints David Zaas as Health System CEO
Zaas, a physician and health care executive, returns to Durham to lead DUHS
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Durham, N.C. – David Zaas, M.D., MBA, a seasoned academic health care executive and physician scientist with a long history in Durham, will be the next chief executive officer of Duke University Health System (DUHS).
Zaas comes to DUHS from Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist (AHWFB), where he is president and CEO as well as executive vice president of Health Affairs for Wake Forest University. Zaas spent almost 20 years with Duke Health between 2001 and 2020. He will return to Duke to start his new role on May 1.
“I am delighted to welcome Dr. David Zaas back to Duke to serve as CEO of Duke University Health System,” said President Vincent E. Price. “As a physician and executive, David has demonstrated a deep commitment to advancing and delivering world-class patient care along with an exceptional ability to lead complex, people-centered organizations. I want to extend my sincere appreciation to Dr. Thomas Owens and the DUHS leadership team for their service during this transition period that has positioned DUHS for even greater success.”
At AHWFB, Zaas oversaw a $6.5 billion growing academic health system including eight hospitals, an expanding medical school with two campuses, and over 27,000 team members across Northwest North Carolina that functions as the academic core for Advocate Health. He joins DUHS in an accelerated growth phase, with expanding clinical services across North Carolina including Duke Health Cary, an agreement with UNC to build a 500-bed children’s hospital in Apex, and the recently completed acquisition of Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital.
With more than 26,000 full-time employees, Duke University Health System encompasses four highly regarded hospitals—Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Raleigh Hospital, and Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital—along with outpatient services including Duke Primary Care, specialty clinics, Duke Home Care & Hospice, Duke Health and Wellness and various support services at locations across North Carolina. The Duke Health Integrated Practice is one of the nation's largest academic multi-specialty group practices, with clinicians delivering primary and specialty care at 250 clinic locations across central and eastern North Carolina.
As CEO of DUHS, Zaas will be responsible for strategic and operational oversight of DUHS and its senior leadership team. He will report jointly to the DUHS Board of Directors and to Price. He will work in close partnership with Mary Klotman, M.D., the executive vice president for health affairs and chief academic officer of Duke Health, who also reports to Price in that capacity. Klotman also serves as dean of the School of Medicine.
“David is an outstanding leader with a proven record of advancing excellence in health care at all levels,” said Nancy Schlichting, chair of the DUHS Board of Directors. “During this challenging time for health care organizations, David is the right person to lead DUHS and I look forward to working with him to build on our longstanding tradition of excellence. I’m also grateful to Tom Lister for leading the rigorous search process that resulted in this outstanding appointment, which positions Duke to continue its global leadership in health care.”
Zaas has broad leadership experience in academic medicine over the last two decades. Prior to joining AHWFB, he held senior leadership roles at the Medical University of South Carolina Health including CEO for the Charleston Division and system chief clinical officer. During his previous tenure with Duke Health, Zaas was a physician scientist with progressive leadership roles. He led the world's largest lung transplant program and was vice chair for the Department of Medicine at Duke. He also served as chief medical officer for the Duke Private Diagnostic Clinic before serving as president of Duke Raleigh Hospital from 2014 to 2020.
“I am honored to return to Duke and energized to lead Duke University Health System during this next phase of growth,” Zaas said. It is a privilege to work alongside such outstanding team members as we expand our impact, strengthen our academic mission, and continue to set the standard for academic health systems nationally.”
Zaas is a graduate of Yale College and received his medical degree from Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he also served as assistant chief of service of the Osler Medical Service. He completed his fellowship training in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Duke University Medical Center and later joined the Duke faculty. Zaas also obtained a Master of Business Administration from Duke’s Fuqua School of Business.