Rooted in Research
As the county’s two largest employers, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and Novant Health sit at the epicenter of the healthcare and life sciences sector. The healthcare industry is booming in Forsyth County thanks to an extensive network of local care providers. These medical centers offer expertise in more than 100 areas of medicine, including specialties in cancer treatment, pediatrics, neurology and more.
With excellent medical programs at Wake Forest’s School of Medicine, students are fast-tracked to successful careers in healthcare and related fields. The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine is an international leader in translating scientific discovery into clinical therapies. Its interdisciplinary team of about 400 researchers work to engineer replacement tissues and organs, and develop healing cell therapies. Cook Medical is an innovator in medical devices, working closely with physicians to develop new technologies to help improve the world’s healthcare systems. New innovators like Javara Research, focused on integrating clinical research within the healthcare ecosystem, and KeraNetics, the global leader in keratin medical products, are also thriving in Winston-Salem’s innovative ecosystem.
Home to more than 170 companies, the Innovation Quarter is one of the fastest-growing urban-based districts for innovation in the United States.
Facts & Rankings
1M
SF Life Sciences Space Under Construction
(Innovation Quarter Phase 2)
#7
US Metro for Life Sciences Construction
(Commercial Search)
1,300+
Degrees Awarded to Forsyth County Graduates
(2022)
42,998
Employed in Forsyth County
21%
of Forsyth County Employment is in this Industry Family
(2024)
4.8%
of Employment Growth in the past 5 Years
(Forsyth County 2015-2020)
Why the Future of Regenerative Medicine is in Winston-SalemDownload E-Book
“Winston-Salem has a deep history in clinical research coming from our healthcare systems like Wake Forest, Novant, and others. The overall clinical research IQ of the community is higher than that of a typical community, because of the longstanding commitment to healthcare and research in Winston-Salem,” says Jennifer Byrne, CEO of Javara.
“We’re able to draw from the skilled talent pool in and surrounding the Carolina Core for our staff, physicians and nurses. When it comes time to hire from outside North Carolina, we don’t have to do a lot of convincing,” says Dr. Julie Freischlag, dean of Wake Forest School of Medicine and chief academic officer of Atrium Health Enterprise.
Want to learn more about doing business in Winston-Salem?Contact Us
