Deep­en­ing Our Align­ment Across UNC Health Through Health Cul­ture Shifts

Culture isn’t just a word. It influences everything – from how we treat our teammates, patients and communities to where we invest our time and energy. In the November issue of Chatter That Matters, I briefly mentioned the ONE UNC Health Culture initiative and what we have accomplished thus far. Building on the significant achievements of the past year, our focus for 2026 is to deepen alignment across the UNC Health System. The Culture Team remains dedicated to driving the ONE UNC Health Culture Shifts as a unified, systemwide endeavor.

This journey gained momentum during the ONE UNC Health Culture Summits in October 2025. Since then, we have translated high-level insights into actionable learnings centered on our six foundational culture shifts: less tolerating, more accountability; less deliberation, more action; less fear of speaking up, more psychological safety; less us vs. them, more owning the whole; less conflict avoidance, more compassionate candor; and, less silos and information guarding, more collaboration.

Our Culture Champions have played a vital role in this transition, bringing these concepts to life within their teams in engaging and meaningful ways. To maintain this momentum, we will convene our systemwide Culture Champions on January 22, 2026, to review progress at the entity level. This gathering will serve as a forum to share system highlights, formalize our champion network, and preview upcoming large-scale initiatives from the Culture Team.

Looking further ahead, the Culture Team will host the Spring Executive Leadership Conference in Raleigh, NC, in April 2026. This event will feature a sophisticated blend of "State of the System" insights and critical executive briefings, with cultural initiatives and updates woven throughout the agenda.

These recurring touchpoints ensure we are interfacing at every level of the organization, maintaining a singular focus and a unified purpose. I am incredibly optimistic about our shift toward a more cohesive culture. Our success is a testament to our exceptional teammates, and I look forward to the results we will achieve together as One Great Team.