The Carolina Core has quietly become one of North Carolina’s most significant healthcare innovation hubs, bringing together research institutions, major health systems, and academic medicine in a region that punches above its size.
The region is home to Atrium Health and its academic partnership with Wake Forest University School of Medicine, alongside Cone Health, Novant Health, and Bethany Medical. That density of systems creates a rich environment for clinical expertise, career development, and the kind of cross-institutional collaboration that drives health innovation in real-world settings.
What distinguishes the Core isn’t just the infrastructure; it’s the scale at which new ideas can be tested while remaining connected to the communities they serve. For healthcare professionals and researchers, that combination of institutional depth and regional accessibility is increasingly hard to find elsewhere.
How North Carolina is Redefining Health Care
The Wake Forest University School of Medicine anchors the Core’s academic medicine presence, providing a direct connection between research, physician training, and patient care. Initiatives are designed to move quickly from study to practice, ensuring advances are shaped by real patient needs. That integration strengthens outcomes while preparing clinicians to work across diverse care environments.
Patient-Centered Systems and Value-Based Care
Healthcare systems across the Core are building toward a model centered on outcomes, not just volume. Cone Health’s 2024 acquisition by Risant Health, backed by Kaiser Permanente, brings over $1.4 billion in planned investment to the Greensboro-based system and connects it to a national value-based care platform alongside Geisinger and Kaiser. For healthcare professionals, that means joining a system with serious infrastructure behind it and a long-term commitment to the kind of care delivery that’s shaping the future of healthcare.
Innovation Districts and Industry Investment
The Carolina Core is home to one of the country’s most recognized life sciences innovation districts. Winston-Salem’s Innovation Quarter ranked as the nation’s 7th fastest-growing region for life sciences in 2024, and its Phase II expansion is now underway: a 28-acre development supported by $25 million in completed infrastructure investment, with plans for up to 2.7 million square feet of clinical, lab, office, and research space.
For life sciences professionals, it represents a rare opportunity to work at the intersection of academic medicine, biotech startups, and industry partners within a single walkable district. Isaac Perry, a life sciences leader who built his career at Innovation Quarter, is one example of what that ecosystem makes possible.
Supporting the Healthcare Workforce
Equally important is a culture that supports the long-term well-being of clinicians and researchers. Healthcare leaders increasingly recognize that sustainable innovation depends on the people behind it. For workforce support and community engagement, Atrium Health’s initiatives emphasize connection, education and outreach that strengthen both professional resilience and public trust.
Together, these efforts illustrate how the Carolina Core is shaping a healthcare model that balances innovation with humanity. This region is redefining what modern healthcare providers can achieve for communities, professionals and stakeholders alike.
Inside the Core’s Healthcare Powerhouse
What makes the Carolina Core distinctive is not just the presence of major healthcare organizations, but the scale and direction of their investment. Across the region, healthcare companies have committed more than $805 million to new facilities, campuses and care environments to help the Core grow an ecosystem where patient experience and long-term health outcomes are central priorities.
Together, the Core’s healthcare powerhouses span academic medicine, multi-specialty care, value-based systems and Magnet-designated hospitals. Each organization contributes a unique strength, creating a landscape where providers can deliver high-quality care, advance digital innovation and improve patient outcomes at scale.
Academics and research with Wake Forest
Wake Forest University School of Medicine serves as a cornerstone of the Core’s academic and research activity, advancing discovery that directly informs patient care. The medical school is recognized for its research strength across clinical trials, translational science and emerging therapies, with a strong emphasis on improving health outcomes in real-world settings.
Located in Winston-Salem, Wake Forest operates at the center of a growing innovation ecosystem that brings together academic research, biotech companies and entrepreneurial partners. This environment functions as both a research engine and an accelerator, helping move scientific breakthroughs more quickly into clinical use. The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine stands out globally for its leadership in regenerative medicine, driving innovation that has the potential to transform treatment approaches across multiple conditions.
Equally important is the academic pipeline. Wake Forest trains students, residents and fellows who go on to become doctors, researchers and healthcare leaders throughout the region. For providers seeking to accelerate their careers, the Core offers opportunities to work at the intersection of research, education and community-focused care.
Bethany Medical’s Multi-Specialty Model
Bethany Medical exemplifies how innovation can thrive within a community-based setting. Its multi-specialty care model brings primary and specialty services together, improving access, efficiency and continuity of care. This structure enhances the patient experience by combining care across multiple services under one unified umbrella.
For providers, Bethany’s approach creates opportunities to collaborate across disciplines, strengthening clinical decision-making and care delivery. The model also supports broader community health goals by making comprehensive services more accessible and responsive to local needs
Cone Health’s Leadership in Value-Based Care
Cone Health is focused on improving patient outcomes while managing cost and quality. Rather than prioritizing patient volume, they focus on building lasting relationships where they can deliver care that emphasizes prevention, coordination and long-term health.
Cone Health’s integrated care strategies have contributed to strong patient satisfaction and measurable improvements in health outcomes. For clinicians, this model supports team-based care and leadership opportunities within a system that aligns clinical excellence with public health priorities.
Novant’s Magnet Hospitals for Nursing
Novant Health is nationally recognized for nursing excellence through its Magnet-designated hospitals. Novant fosters strong clinical leadership and high standards of patient care. These designations support advanced nursing roles and clear leadership pathways, reinforcing the Core’s reputation as a destination for top talent looking to advance their career.
Novant also maintains a strong focus on digital innovation, investing in cutting-edge EMR systems, predictive analytics, robotic surgery and specialized cancer services. These tools support better patient outcomes while aligning with North Carolina’s robust nursing education pipelines, helping sustain a highly skilled workforce across the region
Why the Carolina Core Is the Right Move for Healthcare Professionals
The Carolina Core’s appeal isn’t just professional. With a cost of living about 15% below the national average, salaries stretch further here, particularly when it comes to housing. Core cities consistently rank among the least congested in North Carolina, which means more time outside of work and less time in traffic.
For healthcare professionals looking for a place where meaningful work and long-term balance can coexist, the Carolina Core offers something genuinely different: a concentration of research institutions, innovative health systems, and emerging life sciences infrastructure, paired with a quality of life that’s increasingly hard to find in larger metros. If you’re ready to explore what a healthcare career here looks like, start at moreinthecore.com.