Wolf to serve as interim chair and DEO of Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation
As UI Health Care leaders conduct a national search for the next chair and department executive officer (DEO) of the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation, Brian Wolf, MD, MS, will serve as interim leader of the department when current leader J. Lawrence “Larry” Marsh, MD, steps down from his post Jan. 31, 2026.
“Dr. Wolf’s commitment to clinical excellence, strategic leadership, and collaborative growth makes him well suited to lead the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation,” says Denise Jamieson, MD, MPH, UI vice president for medical affairs and the Tyrone D. Artz Dean of the Carver College of Medicine. “His proven ability to develop programs, mentor teams, foster innovation, and build strong partnerships across the university and beyond reflects the kind of forward-thinking leadership that will guide the department confidently during this time of transition.”
Wolf, an orthopedic surgeon and head team physician for University of Iowa Athletics, currently serves as the vice chair of operations and strategic planning for the department and has previously held roles as vice chair of finance and academic affairs. For more than a decade, he has chaired the department’s finance committee, playing a key role in strategic initiatives, including the planning of the North Liberty campus, in collaboration with Marsh and other enterprise leaders.
As the John and Kim Callaghan Chair and Director of UI Sports Medicine, Wolf has led the expansion of the specialty service to include four orthopedic sports medicine providers and 10 non-operative specialists across multiple locations. Under his leadership, UI Sports Medicine has extended its outreach to support not only University of Iowa Athletics but also local high schools and professional teams such as the Iowa Heartlanders Hockey Club.
Wolf specializes in treating patients with knee, shoulder and elbow injuries, with a focus on ulnar collateral ligament injuries, ACL reconstruction, and shoulder instability. He has published more than 280 peer-reviewed scientific research publications and authored over 37 book chapters on disorders of the shoulder, knee and elbow. He has also been a longtime member of the Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network (MOON) and Multicenter ACL Revision Study (MARS) research groups, funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Outside of the university, Wolf is a member of the board of directors for the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and president of the Mid-American Orthopaedic Association.
Updates about the search for the new chair and DEO to lead the Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation will be shared as available.