David W. Zaas, MD, MBA, is a physician scientist and visionary leader with a profound passion for improving the quality, safety and care of patients. His passion stems from extensive experience in health care leadership and his drive to transform patient care.
Dr. Zaas serves as President of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, overseeing the clinical enterprise, all patient care services, operations, strategy and growth. He also holds a faculty appointment as Professor of Internal Medicine at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He is dedicated to fostering an environment where teammates feel empowered to excel in their roles, believing that a supportive and collaborative team is essential for delivering exceptional patient care.
As a seven-year survivor of acute myeloid leukemia, Dr. Zaas draws upon his personal journey to advocate for greater patient access to research and clinical trials, aiming to enhance patient outcomes and advance academic medicine. His resilience and dedication have also fueled his commitment to empowering health care workers, physicians and leaders and inspired those around him to strive for excellence.
An accomplished leader in academic medicine, Dr. Zaas brings over 15 years of senior health care leadership experience from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and Duke Health. He most recently served as CEO for the MUSC Health Charleston Division and the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital, Chief Clinical Officer for MUSC Health and as a Professor of Medicine at MUSC College of Medicine. At Duke Health, Dr. Zaas held multiple leadership roles, including President of Duke Raleigh Hospital, Chief Medical Officer for the Duke Faculty Practice and Vice-Chair for Clinical Practice in the Duke Department of Medicine. Early in his career, he served as medical director for lung transplantation and heart-lung transplantation at Duke.
A pulmonary and critical care physician, Dr. Zaas’ academic interests focus on translational and clinical research aimed at improving outcomes from lung transplantation, particularly in addressing infectious complications post-transplant.
Dr. Zaas is a graduate of Yale University and received his medical degree from Northwestern University. He completed his internship and residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he 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 School of Medicine and later joined the faculty. Dr. Zaas also obtained a Master of Business Administration from Duke University.