The Founding Dean.

Wolfgang G. Gilliar, D.O., FAAPMR, is the Founding Dean of the proposed Naples College of Osteopathic Medicine in Naples, Florida.

An internationally respected physician-educator and academic leader, Dr. Gilliar has devoted his career to advancing medical education, clinical excellence, research, and community-centered health care.

Board-certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation as well as Neuromusculoskeletal/Osteopathic Medicine, Dr. Gilliar has held faculty and academic appointments across a range of leading institutions, including Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston and Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, where his teaching and scholarly contributions were recognized with multiple awards. He has served in senior academic leadership roles as Dean and Chief Academic Officer at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in New York and Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Under his deanship, each medical school he led achieved the highest levels of accreditation, including Accreditation with Distinction, a designation awarded to only a small number of medical schools nationwide. Dr. Gilliar is an award-winning educator and clinician, recognized as Educator of the Year by the American Osteopathic Foundation and he is the recipient of the Nevada Business Community Lifetime Achievement Award in Las Vegas, in 2024.

An accomplished scholar, Dr. Gilliar has authored or co-authored more than twenty textbooks and book chapters and numerous peer-reviewed works. His expertise extends beyond the clinical, scholarly, and educational realms to health policy and systems analysis, where he is a sought-after advisor with international recognition.

Dr. Gilliar firmly believes that medicine, when grounded in partnership with community, becomes more than diagnosis and treatment—it becomes a catalyst and invitation for creativity, innovation, and a healthier future for all.