Wendy J. Wolf, 1974
B.S., Denison University
M.D., The Ohio State University
M.P.H., Harvard University
President and Chief Executive Officer
Maine Health Access Foundation, Inc.
West Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Citation awarded May, 2007
Wendy J. Wolf, M.D., M.P.H. has enjoyed a distinguished career as a physician-educator, scientific researcher, national health policy expert, philanthropic leader and advocate for equity and universal access to health care.
Dr. Wolf is founding president and chief executive officer of the Maine Health Access Foundation, the state’s largest health philanthropy dedicated to promoting access to quality health care, especially for the uninsured and underserved. Under her leadership, the foundation has become a nationally recognized leader in health philanthropy through its work to advance the strategic and sustainable transformation of our health care system through public policy and programs such as spearheading the development of one of the most comprehensive statewide electronic health information exchanges in the country; improving care delivery through the integration of primary care with behavioral health services, and ensuring that the voices of vulnerable people are guiding every initiative to improve health and health care.
After graduating from Denison, Dr. Wolf obtained her MD degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine where she was received the Dean’s Award for academic excellence and leadership. She completed her pediatric and pediatric cardiology subspecialty training at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. As a professor of pediatrics and Division Director of Pediatric Cardiology in the University of Texas health system, she advanced high quality specialty care delivery, guided student and resident physician education, and performed basic and applied research.
In 1998, Dr. Wolf obtained an MPH degree from the Harvard School of Public Health. She was recruited to serve as a Senior Advisor to the Administrators of the Health Resources and Services Administration as well as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For her work on national health policy for the new State Children’s Health Insurance Program, she received the Secretarial Award for Distinguished Service and the HRSA Administrator’s Award for Outstanding Service.
Dr. Wolf has received many teaching awards, authored numerous scientific publications and has been elected to several national societies. She serves on the board of Grantmakers in Health, which is the national organization representing health philanthropy.
