He completed his family medicine residency at Riverside Methodist Hospital and then joined the faculty there where he became the residency program director in 1985.  He has been a leader in family medicine having served as chair of the American Board of Family Medicine and president of the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors. He has also served on the board of directors of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.  Dr. Bope has co-authored many articles and several textbooks. He is a hospice and palliative care physician as well as family physician. Dr. Bope came to the Columbus VA ACC in 2010 to be chief of primary care, was subsequently Director of GME Expansion for the VA Office of Academic Affiliations and returned to Columbus in the fall of 2021.