Dr. Brian Bielenberg

Dr. Brian Bielenberg currently serves as the Director of Academic Strategy and Initiatives in the office of the dean at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, where he is responsible for integrating multiple parts of the organization to strategically enhance academic programs and operations. He holds a PhD in education from the University of California, Berkeley, an MEd in bilingual and multicultural education from Northern Arizona University, an MS in materials science from the University of Virginia, and a BS in metallurgical engineering from Michigan Technological University. Dr. Bielenberg has over twenty years of experience as a faculty member and university administrator specializing in program development as well as defining and executing educational strategic plans.  He has led diverse teams of faculty and staff to embrace new approaches to teaching and learning in both engineering and medical education. He has served as the founding director of three centers for excellence in teaching and learning, as dean of a college of arts and sciences, and as a founding member of the dean’s leadership team that established the first four-year, post-baccalaureate LCME comparable medical education program in the United Arab Emirates.  He has taught at universities in the United States, Cyprus and in the United Arab Emirates, and served as an educational consultant for several universities internationally.  

Currently: Director of Academic Strategy and Initiatives in the Office of the Dean, Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Formerly: (1) Director of Academic Effectiveness, Petroleum Institute/Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, (2) Founding Leadership Team, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, (3) Founding Director, Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, (4) Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi

Education: (1) 2002 – Ph.D. Education: Language, Literacy, and Culture, University of California-Berkeley, (2) 1995 – M.Ed. Bilingual/Multicultural Education, Northern Arizona University, (3) 1989 – M.Sc. Materials Science, University of Virginia, (4) 1987 – Metallurgical Engineering, Michigan Technological University