Nephrology Division Chief

The Department of Pediatrics at the Dell Medical School (DMS) at The University of Texas at Austin, along with its clinical partner Dell Children's Medical Center, a part of the Ascension Seton Healthcare Family, is seeking a Division Chief of Pediatric Nephrology. In partnership with clinical, educational and research leaders in the Department of Pediatrics and at Dell Children's Medical Center, the Division Chief will develop and foster a vision for the Division for the years to come, with a strong focus on providing leadership and direction to the Division's resident and medical student education. The Division Chief is charged with building statewide and national relationships for our Department and for our partners at Dell Children's Medical Center.

DMS, the first new medical school to be built at a tier one research university in nearly 50 years, welcomed its inaugural class in 2016. The school is committed to redesigning academic medicine and revolutionizing how people get and stay healthy, by educating leaders, developing new models of care, advancing innovation from health products to health care delivery, and partnering closely with community and regional stakeholders to serve the community's underserved population. Ascension (the nation's largest non-profit health system) and DMS share a common vision of transforming healthcare through a focus on quality and value.

Dell Children's Medical Center (DCMC) is a 299-bed, Level I Pediatric Trauma Center; one of only five in all of Texas. It is one of an elite group of children's hospitals that offer the highest level of care available to children who have been victims of trauma. DCMC has a Level IV Epilepsy Center, Level IV NICU, Specialized Delivery Unit, the Texas Center for Pediatric Congenital Heart Disease, and Inpatient Child and Adolescent Mental Health Unit. The DCMC ecosystem encompasses the most pediatric specialists and specialty programs in the region, serving a 46-county area as the premier comprehensive health care provider for children and adolescents. This not-for-profit organization leads health care delivery to a rapidly growing population of 1.9 million and has recently expanded by adding a 4th bed tower in November 2022 and Dell Children's North in northwest Austin that opened in April 2023. Austin, the capital of Texas and 11th most populous city in the United States, is universally recognized as a vibrant, entrepreneurial, and socially conscious city. Its live music scene, international festivals such as South by Southwest (SXSW), and outdoor amenities have made it among the fastest growing large cities in the nation. This metropolis is a high-tech growth hub and home to one of the largest state universities in the country.

Responsibilities:

Leadership:

• In partnership with the Chairman of Pediatrics, provide a strong vision, executive and strategic leadership, to expand a Division of Nephrology
• Establish an environment that encourages communication at all levels within the division
• Understand the local and national forces shaping healthcare in the Us and how these forces may influence the future of the discipline
• Develop programs that connect the division's faculty and fellows to community health-related services, including school-based clinic and medical homes

Academic:

• Recruit new faculty and staff to fulfill the division's mission and responsibilities
• Develop a strategy to retain and develop the academic skills of existing faculty
• Work with faculty to develop individual development plans that outlines goals and expectations (clinical, research, educational)
• Conduct an annual performance review with each division faculty member, including written feedback regarding expectations/goals from the individual faculty development plan
• Develop a similar process for all trainees in the division consistent with ACGME training requirements
• Understand the specifics and subtleties of the promotion process of the institution to be able to counsel junior faculty through the intricacies of promotion
• Identify appropriate mentors for junior faculty in the areas of research, education, and clinical function of the division/department

Financial:

• Monitor the financial status of the division on an ongoing basis and develop corrective action plans to address deficit situations.
• Compare division and faculty productivity to appropriate benchmarks and formulate plans to maximize clinical productivity as appropriate.
• Ensure divisional faculty compliance with clinical practice billing and documentation rules and regulations.

Administration

• Conduct regular division meetings (clinical and administrative) on a schedule that maximizes attendance.
• Participate in healthcare system, hospital, medical school, or department committees as requested or appropriate.
• Lead and participate in quality assurance and performance improvement activities for the division, department, and hospital.

Clinical:

• Oversee the delivery of clinical care provided throughout the division and ensure that the quality of care delivered meets accepted standards.
• Collaborate with the Chairman of Pediatrics and the other Division Chiefs and Department leaders on the design, development, implementation and assessment of value-based clinical care
• Ensure that patient access is maximized for the division.
• Ensure the maintenance of on-call and ambulatory schedules.
• Ensure that the faculty and staff maintain working relationships and contact with referring physicians.
• Ensure compliance with appropriate medical record documentation by all faculty.
• Ensure compliance with all internal policies and procedures promulgated by the university, department, hospital, and external regulatory agencies.

Educational:

• Coordinate at least one annual Grand Rounds for the division.
• Regularly attend weekly grand rounds and departmental conferences
• Participate in resident and medical student education and ensure divisional faculty participation and compliance with Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and Liaison Committee on Medical Education training requirements, to ensure successful program continuation.

Research:

• Develop a creative divisional research plan integrating clinical, translational, basic science, and health services research opportunities.
• Recruit faculty whose talents and research interests are consistent with the overall divisional/departmental research program.
• Encourage cross-divisional and departmental research and training collaborations

Departmental responsibilities:

• Regularly attend departmental division director and faculty meetings.
• Communicate appropriate information from the department, medical school, and hospital to division personnel in a timely and regular manner.
• Advocate for staff and patients of the division.
• Address complaints regarding the division with the Department Chair.
• Other duties as may be required for the division or department and assigned by the Chair or Dean.

• The successful candidate will demonstrate sustained excellence or the potential for sustained excellence in research productivity, clinical care, and/or mentorship/ teaching of trainees and junior faculty.
• Current board certification in Pediatrics
• Current board certification in Pediatric Nephrology
• Eligible for appointment to the DMS faculty as an Associate or full Professor
• Eligible for appointment to the medical staff at Dell Children's Medical Center
• Demonstrable experience in collaborative relationships with strong education partners, and especially in engaging those educators nationally
• Demonstrable experience in collaborative problem-solving with academic colleagues in clinical and educational spheres

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.