Wake Forest University Health Sciences

Wake Forest University Health Sciences, a private nonprofit academic medical center based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, serves as a federal prime contractor and grant recipient delivering specialized medical training, clinical research services, and complex biomedical research across defense, civilian health, and NIH-funded domains. The organization operates 74% of its recent awards as a prime contractor and 26% as a subcontractor or grant recipient, competing full-and-open with no set-asides; it is a tax-exempt entity with a parent relationship to Wake Forest University and operates 20 named subsidiaries, including dialysis centers across North Carolina.

Wake Forest University Health Sciences' capability portfolio centers on four concrete domains: combat medicine and tactical rescue training for military personnel; large-scale longitudinal cardiovascular and aging research coordination; biomedical research in regenerative medicine, neuroscience, and oncology; and specialized clinical services including cardiology, orthopedic surgery, and dialysis care. Recent representative work includes a $16.2 million delivery order as Coordinating Center for the Jackson Heart Study covering core study operations and data management; a $13.43 million Cooperative Agreement with the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health to develop bioprinted vascularized renal tissue constructs using 3D printing; a $2.47 million Defense Health Agency grant investigating allograft versus autograft treatment for bone nonunion; and a $2.2 million DHA grant for the SEXTANT study evaluating protocolized antibiotic care in severe open fractures, with The Johns Hopkins University as a sub-awardee.

Customer concentration is dominated by the National Institutes of Health and its institutes. The top five funding agencies account for 50% of awards by count: NIH overall leads with 399 awards, followed by NIH National Institute on Aging (288 awards, $20.6 million combined potential value), NIH National Cancer Institute (177 awards, $50 thousand combined potential value), NIH National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (163 awards, $413.7 million combined potential value), and NIH National Institute on Drug Abuse (101 awards, $9.5 million combined potential value). By dollar volume, NHLBI dominates with $413.7 million across 163 awards, followed by the Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Integrated Service Network 6 (24 awards, $24.8 million), NIA (288 awards, $20.6 million), NIDA (101 awards, $9.5 million), and NASA Shared Services Center (28 awards, $6.7 million). This concentration—with NHLBI anchoring roughly 50% of the combined potential value—reflects the organization's deep bench in cardiovascular health, aging, and substance use research.

The organization holds two major parent contract vehicles. An Indefinite Delivery Contract (VA79113D0032) carries 19 task orders worth $63.8 million combined potential value, supporting clinical services including board-certified cardiology and orthopedic surgery delivered to Veterans Integrated Service Network 6. A Blanket Purchase Agreement (FA486116AA004) with Air Forces Europe and Africa carries 10 task orders valued at $644 thousand for combat medicine and technical rescue specialist training delivered in Winston-Salem. A $2 million multiple-award BPA established May 1, 2026, with Air Forces Europe and Africa for combat medicine and technical rescue specialist training through April 30, 2031, represents an additional vehicle.

Activity has grown substantially over the past five years: 133 awards in 2022, 161 in 2023, 243 in 2024, and 252 in 2025, with 101 awards recorded through June 2026. The organization holds a significant recompete cliff: 220 awards with ultimate completion dates within the next twenty-four months carry a combined potential value of $30.2 million, representing recompete risk concentrated in NIH grant renewals and VA service contracts. Combined potential value across all 2,252 awards stands at $820.1 million, with combined obligations of $4.17 billion—reflecting the large scale of longitudinal studies and multi-year research initiatives characteristic of NIH cardiovascular and aging research.

Service Contract Inventory data shows a minimal reporting footprint: 48 SCI records (46 as prime, 2 as named subcontractor) across FY2022–FY2024, with zero SCI-reportable invoiced revenue in those years. The FY2024 snapshot shows 2.1 FTEs reported across 18 prime records, indicating that SCI captures only a thin slice of the organization's federal services activity—likely grant-related research support rather than the main clinical and training operations reflected in the broader contract and grant footprint. Sub-hours on SCI-reportable primes average 0%, suggesting the organization builds its own delivery teams on captured service contracts.

As a prime contractor, Wake Forest University Health Sciences subcontracts selectively on major research grants. Named prime-contractor relationships include The Johns Hopkins University (sub-awardee on the $2.2 million SEXTANT trauma study), University of California Davis (sub-awardee on exosome research for post-prostatectomy incontinence), and numerous university-based research partners (Duke University, Northwestern University, University of Pittsburgh, and others) on NIH-funded ancillary studies. The organization also acts as a subcontractor to federal contractors: Biofire Defense LLC (on emerging coronavirus panel development) and Capitol Carbonic Corp (on the RURAL Heart and Lung Study).

Federal grant footprint is substantial and diversified across NIH institutes and defense agencies. The organization acts as prime recipient on 1,675 awards, with grant programs spanning National Institute on Aging (aging, dementia, and metabolic research), National Cancer Institute (cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment research), National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (cardiovascular research), National Institute on Drug Abuse (substance use and addiction research), Defense Health Agency (Military Medical Research and Development, CFDA 12.420), and Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H, CFDA 93.384). Recent grants include $3.16 million from NIA for caloric restriction and aging biomarkers (June 1, 2026), $13.43 million from ARPA-H for bioprinted renal tissue (September 26, 2025), and $2.42 million from NIA for the I-HEAL initiative addressing vascular dementia trial participation in the Stroke Belt (September 1, 2025). The organization also acts as sub-recipient on research teams led by Duke University, Northwestern University, Columbia University, and other research-intensive institutions, typically contributing specialized clinical services, data coordinating center operations, or disease-specific research expertise.

Vehicle holdings detail shows Wake Forest University Health Sciences as the Jackson Heart Study Coordinating Center under a $49.5 million single-award IDIQ with NHLBI (September 15, 2025, ultimate completion September 14, 2035), covering core study operations, data management, and statistical analysis across multiple community research sites. The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis Field Center IDIQ, valued at $55.5 million (April 12, 2025, ultimate completion December 18, 2034), positions the organization as a field site providing participant recruitment, retention, clinical assessments, and data collection for a landmark longitudinal cardiovascular health study. Both vehicles reflect the organization's infrastructure for managing large, complex, multi-year federal research initiatives at scale.

The organization's corporate structure and subsidiary network signal healthcare delivery integration. Wake Forest University Health Sciences operates as a tax-exempt entity with 20 named subsidiaries, primarily kidney dialysis centers in North Carolina (Statesville, Northside, King, North Davidson, Miller Street, Triad, Thomasville, Salem, Mount Airy, and Yadkin dialysis centers). This subsidiary structure, combined with the $24.8 million potential value in VA service contracts for specialized medical services, indicates vertical integration of clinical service delivery with research operations—enabling the organization to support large patient cohorts for prospective research studies, particularly in aging, cardiovascular disease, and kidney health.