Chief Operating Officer

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Katherine Stanley as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for UNC Health Faculty Physicians. As COO for Faculty Physicians, Stanley will be a key partner for Dr. Azita Hamedani, President & CEO of UNC Health Faculty Physicians and Vice Dean of Clinical Affairs for the UNC School of Medicine, providing day-to-day leadership of FP’s complex and growing operations. She will ensure that Faculty Physicians operates with efficiency, maintains financial strength, and strategic alignment with UNC Health by further cultivating a culture of collaboration, accountability, and innovation that supports faculty, clinicians, and staff in delivering exceptional care.

Stanley comes to UNC Health after 27 years of progressively responsible roles with Duke University Health System and the Duke University School of Medicine. For 11 of those years, she has served as vice chair, administration and finance and chief administrative officer for the Department of Surgery.

In her most recent role with Duke, Stanley was responsible for fiscal, strategic, and operational management across the three missions of research, education, and clinical care delivery of one of Duke’s largest clinical departments. During her tenure, she facilitated the founding of four new departments at Duke: Neurosurgery, Head and Neck Surgery & Communication Sciences, Emergency Medicine, and Urology, as they spun off from the Department of Surgery. She is known for her financial acumen, her clinical operational insights, and her ability to build teams.

Stanley earned a bachelor's degree from Davidson College and her MBA from the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. She will begin her new role on January 25, 2026.

Read the full press release announcing the appointment here: https://www.med.unc.edu/intranet/2025/12/stanley-named-coo-for-unc-health-faculty-physicians/

Pat Hastie and Jay Torio led this search with Katie White and Sarah Sweeney.