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“ The best thing we can always do is to be continuous learners . We ’ re often in continuous certification or doing CME , but continuing to learn and improve ourselves in the service of others is an important part of being a good physician whether you ’ re in a patient care role , a clinical research role or an administrative role .”
Over time , Dr . Bumpous worked his way up to Otolaryngology Division Director , and in 2015 , they had grown so much that they became their own department , the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery & Communicative Disorders , which also includes speech pathology and audiology . As the Department was founded , he began serving as Chair .
In 2023 , with the retirement of Dr . Toni Ganzel as Dean of the ULSOM , a new role became a real possibility for Dr . Bumpous . “ I was very fortunate to hire some very bright young folks in our department who are doing a good job . Because I was working in a multidisciplinary model anyway , I began to appreciate the needs , wants , desires and opportunities that were in departments outside my own . As I became interested in that , I became more involved with the health system , the medical school and I was afforded opportunities to be on committees and work groups to advance the whole mission of the medical school and I became more and more passionate . In this latter third of my career as a physician , one of the ways I could make the best difference is to help others succeed and to help our medical school be in a very strong position for the future ,” he said . “ One of the best things we can do as a physician is work ourselves out of a job . We get patients better and they don ’ t have to see us as much ; we get new colleagues that are brighter than us and they do even more . It ’ s one of those rare professions that we are continually working ourselves out of a job … or into another new job , too .”
This June , he was officially named as Executive Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the ULSOM , and he has jumped in headfirst , engaged and involved with all facets of the job .
“ From starting here in ‘ 94 to being in this position 30 years later , it ’ s been a pretty blindingly quick and amazing journey . I love Louisville , and I think we have a tremendous medical community . We have outstanding students , residents and fellows in all 75 of our accredited residency and fellowship programs . We have a lot of trainees , current and former , who make a lot of impact on training the physician workforce .”
His day-to-day is a lot of meetings , but he said they are all meaningful to the overall mission . He often meets with Vice Deans , Chairs , students and alumni , and the university and health system administration , to make sure that programs are well-aligned and working together . Then there ’ s work with governmental staff and leaders at the federal , state and local levels and national conferences like the Association of American Medical Colleges .
“ From the Dean ’ s perspective , I can see connections to things during these meetings , so I help connect a lot of people and connect them with resources . I feel like my role is to be the ‘ Chief Success Officer ’ for the students , our faculty and staff . The more I can create meaningful connections and find opportunities and resources for people to succeed , the better .”
While this many meetings might seem monotonous to some , Dr . Bumpous sees the bigger picture and is inspired by the work for one major reason : need . “ This country , and particularly this state and this region , needs doctors . We don ’ t have enough physicians , and it takes a long time to build us . But we don ’ t just need doctors , we need good doctors , and we need people who are not only capable and informed , but also who are compassionate , caring and are responsible .”
Creating that type of physician is why he is so proud to lead the ULSOM and sees it as an extension of his duty to service as a physician . In order to have a strong physician workforce , he said , the medical school must be an engaged part of the community .
“ I am very dedicated to the fact that we ’ re a profession – that means we profess something , we ’ re not just a trade . We have a commitment to something beyond ourselves , we have individual commitments to the patient and societal commitments to the
28 LOUISVILLE MEDICINE