Patrick Wolf, MBA, joined PCOM in 2019 and serves as the College's chief environmental and occupational safety officer. Read on to learn more about Patrick Wolf and his work at PCOM, particularly his pivotal role in protecting and preparing PCOM throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
My official title is the Chief Environmental and Occupational Safety Officer. That is a lot of syllables for a position that tries to ensure that you go home with all of the fingers and toes you showed up to work with. My position is responsible for putting programs in place to ensure that the work that is conducted on campus is able to be conducted safely and that we minimize the impact of our activities on the environment.
After serving almost five years in the United States Army, I worked at the University of Maryland, Baltimore in the Environmental Health and Safety office for 25 years. UMB is very similar to PCOM in that it is a health and human services professional school with a medical school, pharmacy school, a physical therapy program as well as a graduate school in its academic offerings. While at UMB, I was responsible for environmental health, occupation safety, radiation safety, and fire and life safety programs.
The biggest challenge in any safety program is ensuring that employees and students consider the possibility of an accident or injury before they conduct their work. Most safety regulations address the physical conditions that could create hazards but not the human behaviors that result in most of the injuries. Promoting safe work practices is dependent upon being present and engaged so that complacency doesn’t develop in the familiar and ensuring that everyone feels that PCOM has an environment where safety concerns can be voiced.
Pivot! Pivot! The pandemic occupied the majority of my time during the last year. Whether it involved ensuring everyone had the needed PPE or tracking the #CampusClear submissions and notifications to the covid notice email to make sure that those with COVID-19 like symptoms or exposures did not come to campus and expose others, the pandemic was a full-time job. It wasn’t a normal year for any of us but we made it through due to the hard work of many PCOM employees. That is a testament to the quality of the staff and faculty at PCOM.
The thing I love most about PCOM is the sense of family you see throughout the campuses. PCOM is really a special place.
I am a pretty open book so I don’t know what would surprise anyone. I still actively play several sports. I prefer to turn my own wrench when something is broken. I still don’t have a tattoo. Oh, and I have a long-time desire to be a contestant on the CBS show Survivor. Outwit. Outplay. Outlast!
Established in 1899, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just symptoms. PCOM, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. PCOM students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
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