Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine Appoints Associate Director/Chief Operating Officer

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.– Retired Maj. Gen. George Weightman, M.D., has been named an associate director, chief operating officer and professor at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Weightman, who recently retired as commander of the United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, oversees the day-to-day operations of the institute.

“We are fortunate to have a leader of General Weightman’s stature join our team,” said Anthony Atala, M.D., institute director. “We have grown rapidly in terms of personnel and research projects over the past five years. General Weightman’s abilities will be invaluable as we continue to grow and translate our science into therapies that will help patients.”

As commander of the army’s medical research program, Weightman’s responsibilities included overseeing six medical research laboratories and institutes and more than 4,600 military civilian and contractor personnel. He is also a previous commander of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

Weightman’s many awards include the Distinguished Service Medal (one Oak Leaf Cluster), Legion of Merit (three Oak Leaf Clusters), Bronze Star Medal (one Oak Leaf Cluster), Meritorious Service Medal (two Oak Leaf Clusters), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (three Oak Leaf Clusters), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (with Bronze Arrowhead device), and the Army Superior Unit Award.

A native of Eden Mills, Vt., Weightman received his bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point. He received his medical degree from the University of Vermont and completed his family practice residency training at Eisenhower Medical Center, Fort Gordon, Ga. He is board certified by the American Board of Family Practice and is a fellow in the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Weightman’s military assignments have included commanding the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command, which included Walter Reed; commanding the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School and Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas; serving as Commanding General, 44th Medical Command/Corps Surgeon, XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, and serving as Assistant Surgeon General for Force Projection and Commanding General, Third Medical Command (Forward), and Coalition Forces Land Component Command Surgeon for Operation Iraqi Freedom.  

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The Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (www.wfirm.org) is an established center dedicated to the discovery, development and clinical translation of regenerative medicine technologies by leading faculty. The institute has used biomaterials alone, cell therapies, and engineered tissues and organs for the treatment of patients with injury or disease. The Institute is based at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center (www.wfubmc.edu), an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine, and Wake Forest University Physicians. The system is consistently ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report.