Dr. Richard Wardrop accepted the role of chief medical officer and clinical physician at NEOMED Health Care in September 2025. He recently shared his thoughts on joining the NEOMED community, working with students and his inspiration for going into medicine with The Pulse.
by Jared Slanina
Richard Wardop, M.D., Ph.D., went through a frightening ordeal when he suffered a ruptured appendix in 1986, as an eighth grader in rural Northwest Indiana. While it was a difficult experience, especially at that age, his recovery gave him clarity on his career path – he became determined to become a physician, inspired by his family doctor.
Dr. Wardrop was seen by James Chiu, M.D., whose true compassion and character had a profound impact on him.
“Dr. Chiu completely solidified my desire to become a physician,” Dr. Wardrop noted. “He showed me how a truly caring physician can make such a meaningful impact on their patients and overall community.”
Dr. Wardrop’s admiration for his family doctor only grew from there. He began feeling ill later that same year later, and Dr. Chiu was able to diagnose him with Kawasaki disease, a rare inflammation of the blood vessels which typically only affects infants. Dr. Chiu worked tirelessly to establish the diagnosis and even connected Dr. Wardrop and his family with a definitive clinical at Northwestern University in Chicago, where Dr. Wardrop became a participant in the trial that established the standard of care in treatment.
Dr. Chiu would even sponsor Dr. Wardrop, welcoming him as a new member at his church.
“He was someone who was trusted and admired in the community and was an outstanding example of how I wanted to help and support others through my profession,” Dr. Wardrop stated.
Dr. Wardrop would go on to earn both his medical degree and a Ph.D. in molecular virology and immunology from The Ohio State University.
“Becoming a physician-scientist gave me the best opportunity to make an impact on patients of any age in many different settings,” Dr. Wardrop said.
Becoming part of the NEOMED community
Dr. Wardrop had his first experience working with NEOMED students when he served as the vice chair of academic medicine while leading the Internal Medicine Residency Program for Cleveland Clinic. He enjoyed working with the students, noticing they were self-starters and more than ready to contribute from the very start of their residencies. He also started making visits to NEOMED to speak with the Internal Medicine Interest Group and participating in the annual “speed mentoring” events and enjoyed providing encouragement for many students to apply for residencies at the Cleveland Clinic and beyond.
After spending time as a clinical faculty member, Dr. Wardrop became interested in joining NEOMED full-time as the new chief medical officer and clinical physician for NEOMED Health Care. His role includes a mix of patient care and administrative duties. He also serves on the College of Medicine’s curriculum committee and is helping prepare for the upcoming LCME visit.
However, working directly with patients remains his favorite role.
“It’s a dream job to be able to make such an impact at my workplace, where I get to treat students, faculty, staff, as well as the greater community,” said Dr. Wardrop. “It’s a very humbling and rewarding experience to see patients, and it’s reinvigorated my appreciation for being a physician.”