Infectious Diseases Physician

The Dell Medical School at The University of Texas at Austin is seeking an exceptional physician to join the Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine with a broad scope as a clinician in the management of general infectious diseases, HIV care, and transplant infectious diseases.

About Dell Medical School and the University of Texas at Austin Medical Center

As part of The University of Texas at Austin, one of the nation's leading research universities, the Dell Medical School pursues innovation in the redesign of healthcare delivery, excellence in healthcare research, and programs in interdisciplinary and inter-professional education. It is the fifth medical school in the UT System and the first medical school established in nearly five decades by a member of the Association of American Universities, an organization of leading public and private research universities.

The University of Texas Medical Center, anchored by Dell Medical School, is defining the future of health. Announced in August 2023 with planning and implementation underway, The University of Texas Medical Center will cement Austin as a premier destination for health care alongside other major Texas cities. With two new, state-of-the-art hospitals - A UT specialty hospital and a cancer center being built by MD Anderson - plus the academic and research expertise of UT, The University of Texas Medical Center will provide the integrated, world-class care that is a hallmark of academic medicine.

The Dell Medical School is especially interested in qualified candidates who can contribute to excellence within the learning health system.

About the Department of Internal Medicine

The Department of Internal Medicine is home to 20 categorical residents per year, which includes a Primary Care Track and a Distinctions Track in Care Transformation, plus 5 preliminary interns in Medicine. Dell Seton Medical Center (DSMC) is a 220-bed, safety net, Level 1 Trauma Center, and serves as the inpatient training facility for this program. In September 2021, Dell Med's IM program deployed a resident staffed team to Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin (SMCA) Hospital. SMCA is a full-service hospital with 24/7 emergency care and comprehensive Level 1 Stroke Center. SMCA also has a Level IV Trama Center.

About Austin

Austin is a vibrant, lively university city, known for its excellent public K-12 schools, lively music scene, superb cuisine, and international festivals such as South by Southwest. The city typically ranks among the country's best places to live. Nearby lakes and rivers as well as the beautiful adjacent Texas Hill Country provide ample opportunities for outdoor activities.

About the Infectious Diseases Division

Current ID faculty provide 24/7 Infectious Diseases inpatient consultation services, for which there will be opportunities to participate (option to spend up to 10-20% time inpatient, with optional growth as the hospitals expand as outlined above). Faculty also provide oversight for antimicrobial stewardship initiatives, outpatient antimicrobial therapy, quality improvement of hospital processes related to ID, and education curriculum for medical students, Internal Medicine residents, and faculty. All faculty also participate in providing either outpatient general ID services, HIV care primary care, infection prevention guidance, or a combination of ID-related services. The Dell-Seton Hospital at the University of Texas is a state-of-the-art facility with a modern microbiology laboratory that services the entire Seton network of hospitals in central Texas. It is also the primary site of a network-wide Infectious Diseases Pharmacy Residency Program which provides opportunities for scholarly collaboration. Currently, the majority of clinical research opportunities exist within the hospital setting, with the potential to expand to other outpatient clinical sites and/or the University of Texas main campus.

Within the last two years, a renal transplant program has rapidly expanded in collaboration with our hospital partner Seton/Ascension. In the last year, a pancreatic transplant program as begun, with plans to expand further to include liver, eventually followed by lung. Within the next 5 years, a new Austin-based M.D. Anderson Cancer Center will open, with opportunities to provide ID services for bone marrow transplant recipients and other immunocompromised patients with malignancies. There is also an expanding young adult post-transplant program at Dell Children's Hospital with increasing need for adult ID care. It is expected that the new clinician will work closely with our referral physicians, which will primarily be affiliated with our hospital system and/or UTHA clinic but will also engage in initiatives to expand outreach to community providers to expand our referral base.

About the Position

Development of a strong Infectious Diseases presence for care delivery, education, and quality improvement is essential for meeting the goals of Dell Medical School. This position will include direct patient care primarily for outpatient populations and supervision/education of residents and medical students as both an Infectious Diseases consultant and attending. Participation in scholarly activities is expected to include quality improvement projects, participation with others in clinical research and education, with an aim to meaningfully improve healthcare system processes and delivery of high value care.

The position will be primarily outpatient, focused at our University of Texas Health Austin clinic (for which some work can be remote via telemedicine), with opportunities for 10-20 percent inpatient consultation work at our teaching hospital (Dell-Seton Medical Center, located adjacent to the clinic). There will be additional opportunities for the supervision and education of residents and medical students, participation/lecturer roles in CME activities, quality improvement projects, and clinical research.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Direct outpatient care (general and immunocompromised/transplant Infectious Diseases) located at UTHA clinic, with some remote telemedicine (percentage to be determined)
• Direct inpatient care at Dell-Seton Medical Center (up to 10-20% time, with opportunities to expand with the growth/opening of new inpatient beds)
• Participation in scholarly activity, including (but not limited to) quality improvement projects, clinical research, educational scholarship, antibiotic stewardship projects.
• Participation in continuous process improvements primarily in the outpatient setting, to include collaboration and program expansion in general and transplant infectious diseases services.
• Helping to implement innovative undergraduate and residency curricula in Infectious Diseases.

Specific Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Well-documented speaking, teaching, and writing skills.
• Ability to communicate with others in a clear, understandable and professional manner in person and on the phone.
• Experience in supervising residents and students.
• Effective professional management skills, including the ability to plan, organize and schedule work in an efficient and productive manner, focusing on key priorities and meeting deadlines.
• Ability to interact with peers, executives, employees, and consultants in a manner that represents the Dell Medical School positively.
• Ability to build and lead high-performing teams; must be able to provide clear and accurate direction and guidance.
• Sound judgment in decision-making.
• Ability to learn and apply new information, knowledge and experiences in a timely manner.
• Flexibility and adaptability to change.
• Ability to work on multiple tasks and projects and to prioritize.
• Plan, promote, demonstrate, recommend and coordinate high standards of medical practice.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required:

• MD degree with Board Certification (or Board Eligibility if within 2 years of residency) in Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine.
• Unrestricted license to practice medicine in the State of Texas.
• Strong clinical teaching and communication skills.
• Training and experience in quality improvement initiatives.
• Eligible for appointment as an assistant professor or higher level.
• Record of leadership and achievement in academic medicine.
• Evidence of a trajectory for scholarly productivity.

Preferred:

Fellowship training that included broad training in the major areas of Infectious Diseases (general, HIV, transplant, infection control, antibiotic stewardship).

Familiarity and experience with newer molecular microbiologic systems and diagnostics.

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.