The Department of Pediatrics, McGovern Medical School is seeking a Division Chief for the Division of Community and General Pediatrics at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor. The Division Chief in General and Community Pediatrics will lead the faculty of the division in all clinical and academic mission areas, including clinical service, education of trainees at all levels, research program development, and administrative activities of the Division program.
McGovern Medical School, the 6th largest medical school in the United States located in Texas Medical Center, is a component of UTHealth Houston. The Division of Community and General Pediatrics is affiliated with Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and the Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, where faculty members care for normal newborns. The division is responsible for outpatient care to children in the medical center, and across several sites throughout the Houston area and its suburbs. Each outpatient location serves as a medical student and/or resident teaching site. The division is integral to all the missions of the Department and McGovern Medical School through:
- providing excellent clinical care,
- advocating for the health of children and particularly vulnerable populations,
- leading the education of students, residents, and fellows, and participating in research to advance the ambulatory care of all children.
The successful candidate will be provided with resources to recruit faculty, develop the academic programs of the division and expand the scope of clinical services for the children of Greater Houston; and will also support the current strong divisional faculty members, who have diverse interests and expertise including:
- Behavioral Health
- Child abuse
- Injury Prevention
- Tuberculosis
- Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity
- Asthma
- Medical Education
- Chronic Care
- Medicolegal Partnership
- School-based Medicine
Position Key Accountabilities:
General responsibilities include coordinating and enhancing all clinical and academic activities of the Division program. The Division Chief will also be primarily responsible for creating and implementing the vision and goals for the Division, in alignment with the broader strategic plans for the Department of Pediatrics and the McGovern Medical School.
Administrative responsibilities:
- Developing and sustaining an environment in the patient care units that supports excellence and innovation in clinical practice and patient care through assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating programs and standards that support positive patient care outcomes, including excellent risk-adjusted outcomes.
- Supervising a highly skilled clinical team of direct care providers and administrative staff.
- Delegating authority and accountability to clinical & nursing staff for clinical practice and patient care decisions that are consistent with professional standards, regulatory agencies, and organizational policies and procedures.
- Participating in and overseeing outpatient clinical activities including both central and satellite locations to provide needed clinical coverage (night and weekend coverage as appropriate).
- Identifying patient and family needs of the populations served; recommending and/or developing new programs and services to meet those needs; assuring that age-specific equipment, supplies, and educational resources are available for assigned units/services.
- Collaborating with UTHealth Houston and hospital administration and physicians to identify future opportunities, and define the direction of department services; developing, and implementing plans to achieve identified goals, including efficiency, productivity, and patient throughput targets across the care continuum.
- Maintaining an ongoing departmental Quality Improvement Plan and process consistent with the organizational Quality Management Plan; developing and implementing unit-specific standards, policies, and procedures that guide and support the provision of care and services; continuously assessing and improving assigned departments’ performance while enhancing service.
- Performing a variety of staff management functions including the interviewing, hiring, evaluating, counseling, and terminating of assigned management, clinical, and support staff in collaboration with Department Administration and/or Faculty Affairs.
- Facilitating, reviewing, and approving the budget for the Division, including estimates of future personnel and equipment needs while ensuring that university and hospital resources are optimized.
- Participating in strategic planning and financial budgeting processes, and developing practices that achieve specific objectives and resolution of unfavorable performance variances.
- Providing leadership and implementing strategies to provide cost-effective quality care.
- Reviewing appropriate financial reports and making appropriate modifications to reduce costs associated with supplies, staffing, and service agreements and/or identifying sound alternatives for purchasing equipment and supplies.
- Participating in and/or chairing committees, work groups, and meetings as appropriate.
- Assuring interdisciplinary performance improvement programs are active, maintained, and ongoing.
- Following up to ensure that complaints have been satisfactorily handled.
- Collaborating to maintain a focus on providing excellent clinical services.
- Developing a philanthropic strategy to raise funds in support of the mission of the division.
Academic responsibilities:
- Serving as a role model in professional behavior and leadership skills, problem-solving ability, and interpersonal skills.
- Promoting the careers of the faculty and staff of the division by providing professional and personal development opportunities, including coaching, mentoring, support, and consultation, to clinical managers, attending physicians, research personnel, colleagues, and clinical staff.
- Maintaining professional growth and development through seminars, workshops, in-services, current literature, and professional affiliations to keep abreast of the latest trends in fields of expertise, supporting and promoting education and research.
- Organizing and overseeing educational activities of the division to support high-quality, innovative training of medical students, residents, fellows, and other health professionals as needed for the service.
- Assuring that educational activities support the institutional and department goals, including established standards for quality, training environment, and monitoring of educational outcomes.
- Supporting and participating in research activities for the discipline, which may include a wide range of research methods and topics, including educational scholarship, clinical and translational research, and/or basic research.
- Cultivating opportunities to improve research capacity and funding to maximize independent research support and scholarly productivity.
- Modeling a culture of inquiry within the division to ensure active engagement in quality improvement, scholarly excellence, and innovation in all missions.
Qualifications:
Qualified applicants must demonstrate a commitment to excellence, discovery, and service, a track record of achievement in their field of expertise, and an interest in fulfilling the common goals of McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. While scholarly interests across academic general pediatrics are welcomed, expertise in population health and/or behavioral health would ideally support current division programs and department goals. Additional requirements include board certification in their clinical discipline, along with full eligibility for Texas licensure, participation in UT Physicians health plan, and credentialing at affiliated medical institutions.
Candidates must apply at https://www.uth.edu/careers/index.htm Req.#230000XQ
“Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran.”
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Mark D. Hormann, MD, FAAP
Professor of Pediatrics
Chair of Search Committee
Mark.D.Hormann@uth.tmc.edu
