Dr. Randall K. Wolf, MD, FACS, FACC is a surgical innovator who since 2000 has been a pioneer in the minimally invasive surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). He has performed over 2000 Wolf Minimaze procedures since the first one in 2003, and has demonstrated the procedure to over 800 heart surgeons worldwide. He has been visiting professor in 18 countries, including Oxford University, University of Tokyo and Peking University. Dr. Wolf has delivered hundreds of invited lectures at hospitals, academic meetings and seminars in the United States and abroad.
Dr. Wolf is currently a member of the DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center at Houston Methodist Hospital in the Texas Medical Center. He serves as the arrhythmia specialist of the group. In 2018 Dr. Wolf operated on AF patients from 32 US states. He was also the keynote speaker at the annual Japanese Society for Tobacco Control in Takamatsu, Japan and the annual Chinese Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons in Shenyang, China.
Randall K. Wolf, MD, FACS, FACC
From 2015 to 2018 Dr. Wolf served as Professor of Surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). He founded the AFIB Centers of Excellence and served as the Surgical Director of the Hearts in Rhythm program at Memorial Hermann Hospital – Texas Medical Center.
Dr. Wolf was the first North American heart surgeon to perform DaVinci cardiac surgery. He has served as Professor of Surgery, Ohio State University and Professor of Surgery and Biomedical Engineering, University of Cincinnati, and the inaugural Ethicon-Endosurgery Chair for Innovation in Surgery. He has over 100 peer reviewed papers and textbook chapters, and was the inaugural co-editor of the Innovations Journal.
Dr. Wolf has served as President of both the International Society of Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery (ISMICS) and the 21st Century Cardiothoracic Surgery Club. When not in the operating theatre or lecturing, he performs stage and close-up magic and is a magician member of the Academy of Magical Arts.
Areas of research expertise: Minimally invasive atrial fibrillation procedures and devices, minimally invasive heart and lung surgery, robotics in cardiac surgery, anastomotic devices, surgical sealants, biosurgery.
Interests and subspecialty: Minimally invasive atrial fibrillation surgery, Robotic assistance in minimally invasive heart surgery, minimally invasive coronary artery bypass and valve repair, instrumentation for minimally invasive heart surgery, video thoracoscopy and video-assisted thoracic surgery, lung volume reduction for emphysema and thoracoscopic spine surgery, phrenic nerve pacemakers and MEMS technology.
Press & Awards:
Texas Medical Center – On the Side: Randall Wolf, M.D.
Dr. Randall wolf on FOX 26 Houston discussing AFiB and Wolf Mini-Maze procedure with one of his patients. (July 2017)