While training to become an interventional radiologist, Dr. Bruce Wolf never imagined that he’d take on a fully administrative position. But thanks to his more than 20 years of experience in the medical field, including a variety of clinical and leadership posts, he’s ready to step into his new post as assistant dean at the Macomb University Center campus of MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Since Wolf joined the university in 2016 as a staff radiologist and academic advisory liaison, he’s split his time between clinical and administrative work. Now, he’s turning his attention to growing and representing the Macomb campus. Wolf’s appointment was effective as of January 3, 2021, and he’ll be at Macomb full time starting March 1st.
On the faculty side, Wolf wants to ensure Macomb faculty members have the opportunity to work collaboratively with the other two College of Osteopathic Medicine sites in East Lansing and at the Detroit Medical Center.
“We have highly qualified individuals here at Macomb who want to participate in leadership, whether it's teaching a course or serving on college committees,” he said.
Born and raised in Michigan, Wolf’s goal is to fulfill the mission and the vision of the college.
“We get a large number of students from Michigan, who stay and train here when they graduate,” Wolf said. “Usually, a good number of those will end up practicing here in Michigan as well.”
In light of that, another big focus for Wolf is increasing Macomb’s visibility in Southeast Michigan.
“We want to show students that this is a hidden gem out here,” he said. “Our facilities happen to be the newest out of all three campuses, and we have a recently-announced expanded partnership with Henry Ford Health System. Henry Ford Macomb and McLaren Macomb Hospital are our nearest facilities.”
In particular, Wolf aims to let Macomb’s community partners know just how appreciated they are, and how integral they’ve become to students' experiences.
“To me, that's probably my most important role starting out. Our students enjoy rotating at these facilities, end up getting residency positions at these facilities, and subsequently, become staff physicians. I want to make sure our partners know that we're here, and that we can help each other in various ways.”
For instance, medical students at the Macomb campus benefit from research opportunities that are close to their home base.
“We can't provide those without our community partners,” Wolf added. He plans to also draw on his decades of experience when working directly with medical students.
“Basically, I’ve been in their shoes,” he said. As a past president of the Michigan Osteopathic Association, a past president of the American Osteopathic College of Radiology, and one of three current board of trustees’ members to the American Osteopathic Association from the state of Michigan, Wolf brings a varied background to his new position.
Mentorship is of particular importance to him and hopes to show students that it’s okay to be different.
“I couldn't be where I am without the folks that led the way for me,” Wolf said. “I've been mentored well, and I hope to be able to honor those who trained me by paying it forward, so to speak. I'm grateful for those experiences, and to be able to show our students that they can do a lot of different things with their medical education.”
He added, “It’s okay to try things and see what your interests are. The main thing is that students have got to be true to themselves, and they’ve got to take care of their patients.”