Wayne Sparks, MD

Expertise: Telepsychiatry, Psychiatric ED

Dr. Wayne Sparks completed his undergraduate education at Duke University with B.S. degrees in Zoology and Psychology, and his M.D. at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He also completed his Psychiatric Residency at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. He joined Atrium Health in 1997 at the start of one of the nation’s few 24-hour Psychiatric Emergency Departments staffed with Board Certified Psychiatrists. He also served as the Medical Director of the Psychiatric ED from 2001 – 2017.

Dr. Sparks has been doing Telepsychiatry since 1997, which started as a coverage system for one facility’s solo psychiatrist. He has been Medical Director of Telepsychiatry since 2001 and has been integral in the implementation, growth, and management of the delivery of virtual psychiatric care for patients in 22 Medical ED’s and Inpatient Medical Units across Atrium Health. He has also been the Regional Medical Director for the Behavioral Health Service Line of Atrium Health and served as Chief of the Department of Psychiatry of Carolinas Medical Center. Currently, Dr. Sparks is the Senior Medical Director for Behavioral Health Services for Atrium Health.