School of medicine and innovation district will reshape health delivery and regional economy.

Construction of the long-awaited medical school near Uptown Charlotte is officially underway. The Queen City is the nation’s largest city without a 4-year medical school. The first shovels of dirt were turned today at a ceremony near the intersection of Baxter and South McDowell streets, commemorating groundbreaking on Wake Forest University School of Medicine Charlotte and the surrounding innovation district, known as “The Pearl.”

“Not only will The Pearl serve as a major engine of economic opportunity, but it will also house game-changing academic programs for learners of all degree levels and set the stage for innovative health science businesses to grow into the core companies of Charlotte’s future,” said Eugene A. Woods, CEO of Charlotte-based Advocate Health, the fifth-largest nonprofit health system in the U.S., of which Atrium Health is a part. “We are creating a ‘city within a city,’ where excellence lives and excellence is learned. And as we begin this new chapter on these storied grounds, we are deeply committed to partnering with the communities around it and honoring its rich history.”