WINSTON-SALEM – John D. McConnell has been named as the first chief executive officer in the 86-year history of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

McConnell, 54, comes to Winston-Salem from Dallas, where he has been executive vice president of health system affairs at University of Texas Southwestern since 2003. In that position, he has had overall responsibility for UT Southwestern’s university hospitals and clinics as well as the faculty physician practice.

As CEO, McConnell will oversee the clinical, research and academic enterprise for Wake Forest Baptist, reporting to the Medical Center’s board of directors. He expects to begin work at Baptist by Nov. 1.

“This institution is outstanding, but it’s been a closely guarded secret,” McConnell said Wednesday morning. “I will be communicating the strengths of this institution that is so important to the economic future of the Triad.”

Steve Robertson, co-chairman of the CEO search committee that formed last November, said McConnell’s work at UT Southwestern overseeing their integration of research, academics and clinical service will serve him well at Wake Forest Baptist.

“There is no doubt we felt he had all the attributes that will benefit our organization,” he said. “He had an outstanding reputation in Dallas where he was known to be a leader.”