HOSPITAL
HEAD LAURIE WHALIN SETTLES INTO NEW BRUNSWICK ROLE by BETH A. KLAHRE photo by ARIS HARDING
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WILMA
DECEMBER 2021
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fter the sale earlier this year of New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant Health, LAURIE WHALIN was named president and chief operating officer of Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center. In just the few months that she has been in the role, she already understands the challenges. Brunswick County is the second-fastest-growing county in North Carolina. “Staying ahead of
that growth curve to ensure we have the services needed for our community is our challenge,” Whalin says. “COVID has escalated the growth rate as more individuals now work from anywhere. We have learned so much about the pace of change that can happen within health care. We must become nimble and adaptive to keep up with the pace.” Whalin oversees more than 2,500 physicians and medical professionals across the region including in imaging, laboratory, respiratory therapy, pharmacy, neurosciences, and cancer. “I have an absolutely amazing team of leaders who are outstanding at running the day-to-day operations of their departments,” she says. “This allows me to focus on higher-level needs.” In Whalin’s prior role – vice president of clinical services at NHRMC – she oversaw pharmacy, radiology, lab, respiratory care, oncology, neurosciences, case management, rehabilitation services, centralized nursing, and patient flow operations for the Wilmington health system. She found similarities among all of the services and created ways that improved operations through strong interdependent teams. She brought that experience to her new role. Whalin received her bachelor’s degree in marine biology from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Realizing she wanted a more people-oriented career, she worked as a real estate office manager for several years. “Here I learned about the importance of organizational skills,” she says. Then, a meeting with a pharmacy school student opened her eyes to pharmaceutical-related career possibilities like working in a retail or a hospital pharmacy, research and academics, or even working directly with patients. Whalin attended Campbell University for her doctorate in pharmacy. She completed her residency at NHRMC, where she then became the clinical manager and eventually the vice president of clinical services. Whalin learned all aspects of hospital operations. “I had strategic oversight,” she says. “I was collaborating with physicians to bring new ideas to reality with the over-
