Philanthropic support from the Winston family is among the largest ever given to UNC Rex
Willis M. Wu, MD, FACC, one of the nation’s top interventional cardiologists and head of the Structural and Valvular Heart Care team at UNC Health Rex, has been honored with a named gift of $500,000 to support emerging clinical and research needs related to structural heart care. The gift, which was made by the Winston family in appreciation of Dr. Wu’s care of the late Charlie Winston of Raleigh, is one of the largest named gifts ever made in support of UNC Rex.
The gift establishes the UNC Rex Dr. Willis Wu Structural and Valvular Heart Program Fund, which will be used to advance the scope and impact of the Structural and Valvular Heart Program. Potential uses of the fund, as determined by Dr. Wu, include care equipment, UNC Rex-hosted conferences, staff support, and the creation of dedicated office and patient care space for the Structural and Valvular Heart Program. To honor this special partnership, the Willis Wu, MD, and Family Hybrid Cardiac Catheterization Lab was dedicated at the North Carolina Heart and Vascular Hospital at UNC Rex.
“I am humbled and honored by the Winston family’s desire to support our work in the ever-growing field of structural heart interventions,” Dr. Wu said. “The UNC Rex Structural and Valvular Heart Care team is at the forefront of this field, and this gift from the Winston family will help bolster our program to another level, from purchasing the necessary cutting-edge devices, to funding dedicated conferences with other physicians across the state, to creating dedicated patient care space for our structural heart patients. Their gift is of a magnitude never before seen by UNC Rex, and for this I will be forever grateful.”
“Dr. Wu and his team go above and beyond to provide outstanding, professional care, and that’s something our family has been so grateful to experience firsthand,” said Bob Winston. “He is the kind of physician that makes UNC Rex special, and his work ethic and compassionate bedside manner are qualities that we felt were worthy of recognition.”
A highly skilled physician in cardiology and interventional cardiology for more than two decades, Dr. Wu has extensive experience in interventional cardiac procedures, heart conditions, and adult congenital heart conditions. He graduated from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore and completed his residency at UNC-Chapel Hill. He completed two fellowships at the Cleveland Clinic for Cardiovascular Medicine and Interventional Cardiology.
Beyond his exceptional medical expertise, Dr. Wu is known for his commitment to compassionate patient care. He has dedicated his career to diagnosing and treating a wide range of medical conditions while providing personalized healthcare services to his patients.
“We are incredibly appreciative of this generous gift from the Winston family,” said Kirsten Riggs, interim president and chief operations officer at UNC Health Rex. “For generations, the Winston family has provided dedicated service and support to so many areas across UNC Health and UNC Rex, and we could not be more grateful for the impact they have made here in Wake County and across our state.
“Dr. Wu and his team with the Structural and Valvular Heart Program have elevated UNC Rex to among the nation’s leaders in structural interventional cardiology, and this is a fitting honor for a physician who has done so much for patients here in North Carolina.”
Dr. Wu and members of the UNC Rex Structural and Valvular Heart team were joined by the Winston family at the North Carolina Heart and Vascular Hospital on July 11 to officially announce the naming of the catheterization lab and to celebrate this special philanthropic gift.
To learn more about heart and vascular care at UNC Health Rex, visit https://www.rexhealth.com/rh/care-treatment/heart-vascular/. To learn more about supporting the people and programs of UNC Health Rex, contact Allison Smith, Executive Director of Development, at allison.smith2@unchealth.unc.edu.