Summary

Chair of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

The Opportunity

AMN Healthcare has been retained to lead a national search for the new Chair of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. Reporting directly to the Dean of UMass Medical School and the CEO of UMass Memorial Health, the new department chair will serve as a member of the senior leadership of both the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School and UMass Memorial Health. They will be responsible for the vision and executive leadership, management, and stewardship of the department's mission related to patient care services, education, and research. The new leader will provide strategic vision for the planned growth and expansion of services.

The University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMCMS) is a leader and innovator in education, research, healthcare delivery, and public service. UMCMS now ranks in the top 15 public medical schools for NIH funding and is home to six Howard Hughes Medical Investigators, a Lasker Award and Breakthrough Prize recipient, members of the National Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Medicine, and a co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. In 2021 the UMMS research enterprise received approximately $421 million in federal and private research grants and contracts.  

Position Description

The new Chair will be a compelling servant leader and talented surgeon with a strong record of excellence in service to the tripartite mission. He/she will exhibit leadership skills that will foster collaboration, planning, communication, and benchmarking of results in his/her approach to problem-solving and program building. Mentoring of early career faculty, recruitment, and faculty development are particularly important components of the position. The Chair will be a model of adaptability and professionalism and possess skills for conflict resolution and management of adversity. The new leader will promote a culture of institutional stewardship and transparency, including a commitment to business operations, efficient and effective use of resources, and a willingness to re-align resources with evolving strategies.  

The Chair of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences reports to and works closely with the Dean of Medicine to fulfill both UMass’s and the department’s commitment to preserving global eye health through high-quality patient care, innovative basic science and clinical research, and comprehensive education. The Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences will support the overarching vision through the creation of novel strategies to grow the Department and continue to enhance the three mission areas of patient care, research, and education. They will assess gaps within those mission areas and identify future opportunities and needs. Serve as a member of senior leadership to establish research and education priorities. Provide strategic leadership for all aspects of the Department, including the positive representation of the Department within the UMass enterprise, creating collaboration opportunities and bridges across the institution.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will be a respected clinician with a record of academic scholarship and sufficient years of experience in relevant administrative and leadership roles. The new chair should demonstrate personal attributes that inspire trust and respect of faculty, trainees, and staff.

• M.D. or M.D./ Ph.D. 
• Licensed and Board Certified in Ophthalmology. 
• Academic rank of Associate or Full Professor. 
• Accomplished leader in the field of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, academic scholar, educator, and administrator. 
• Strong record of accomplishment of academic leadership 
• Strong ability to work collaboratively with leaders of various backgrounds and interests. 
• Competency navigating interactions with educational, research and service missions of a complex academic medical center department. 
• Proven capabilities in financial stewardship, budget management and resource allocation. 
• Solid vision for building a top-ranked Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. 

The Organization

UMass Chan Medical School:

Founded in 1962, the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (UMCMS) is the Commonwealth’s only public medical school and is perennially ranked in U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation’s best in primary care training. In 2021, a transformative unrestricted $175 million donation from The Morningside Foundation to the Medical School was announced. The gift will facilitate the recruitment of renowned and innovative faculty, support breakthrough biomedical research, offer financial support to highly qualified and diverse students and help to fulfill the valued public service mission.

Contact

Please forward CV and 1–2-page letter of interest (email preferred) to:

Erika Warren

Consultant 

AMN Healthcare

Erika.warren@amnhealthcare.com

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