Wake up to what's POSSIBLE.
Ambitious research driving compassionate action.
We know what the world can be. And we know the world can’t wait. Our motto, Pro Humanitate, means “For Humanity,” and it calls us to be catalysts for good.
That’s why we’re up for every challenge. And that’s why the research we do is impacting the fields that will have the greatest impact on humanity.
This is why we wake up every day.
To show up and to take action. Together. At Wake Forest, internationally known, respected, and passionate professors gather here, collaborating with current scholars to conduct industry-changing research that delivers world-changing results.
Meet more of our facultyJohn H. Knox
Henry C. Lauerman Professor of International Law
Christina T. Soriano
Reynolds Professor of Dance and Co-Director, Wake the Arts Center
With her WFUSOM neuroscience collaborator Dr. Christina Hugenschmidt, they are driving a National Institute of Health funded initiative to study the benefits of movement on the brain.
Read MoreAnthony Atala
Professor, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
In 2016, Dr. Atala's unit, the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM), reported something astounding: It had 3-D printed human tissue and had become the first lab in the world to do so. The technology continues to deliver results in an ongoing story of potentially tremendous global impact. Dr. Atala was recently elected president-elect of the American College of Surgeons. He will be the third Wake Forest physician to hold the position.
Read MoreLeadership, Character, Integrity
Wake Forest is at the forefront of a character education movement across the country that stands to solve the leadership crisis facing the world. Through The Program for Leadership and Character, we develop methods to study teaching character and to serve as a model for other institutions developing their own character education programs.
800+
organizations and higher education institutions engaged
600,000+
expected student impact by 2030
Explore the impact we make in
Leadership, Character, Integrity
Leadership, Character, Integrity
Leadership, Character, Integrity
Powering the future of character education.
The Educating Character Initiative (ECI) at Wake Forest is expanding its nationwide network with $30M in new funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc. Since its founding in 2023, the ECI has already distributed $35M in grants to institutions for their own programs. This program will add $20M to fund and support another round of grants to even more institutions in 2026.
Health, Medicine and Humanity
Our approach combines cutting-edge research, interdisciplinary education, community engagement, and human compassion to drive real results. That’s why our students and faculty are prepared to lead with empathy and innovation as they find solutions to the health challenges we all face.
500+
Clinical Trials currently available
$400M
in research funding for The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
Explore the impact we make in
Health, Medicine and Humanity
Health, Medicine and Humanity
Health, Medicine and Humanity
Discovering new treatments for chronic diseases.
From connecting beet juice and heart health, to using far-red light to prevent blood clots, the work happening at Wake Forest makes a real impact in the lives of patients. Now, as part of a decades-long study, Translational Science Center Director Dany Kim-Shapiro and other researchers have shown how nitrous oxide can be stabilized for therapeutic uses. The work, funded by the National Institutes of Health and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, represents the next significant step in treatments for heart attack and stroke victims, and those with diseases like diabetes.
For all of humanity. For good.
Wake Forest alumni all over the world carry the mission of our university forward every day. Leading in their respective fields, driving new discoveries, and starting their own businesses, there is no challenge too big and no solution too hard to find.
Thomas Marshburn MD ’89
After being accepted into the first class of NASA’s Space Medicine Fellowship, Thomas was selected to become an astronaut. He spent more than 337 days in space conducting research in zero-gravity and doing space walks before becoming the Chief Medical Officer of Sierra Space Corporation, a Colorado-based aerospace and space technology company.
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Eric Olson ’81
Dr. Olson is one of the world’s top researchers in regenerative medicine. Because of his groundbreaking work advancing novel treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), Eric was awarded the 2025 Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize, a prestigious award recognizing outstanding contributions to biology or biochemistry research.
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Leah Wyrick ’22
There is a 13% chance (one out of every eight) that the average woman in the United States will develop breast cancer in her life. Leah’s mother was one of them. That was her wake up call to design the Resilience Bra, one more comfortable for women in recovery.
Read MoreWake up with Wake Forest.
The work we do doesn’t stop, and neither does the impact we make. Connect with us on LinkedIn. Or subscribe to Wake Up to Discovery, our newsletter featuring the latest research, discoveries and news from across Wake Forest.