Dean, School of Medicine

Hiring Department

UMKC's School of Medicine

Job Description

The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) seeks an innovative and dynamic leader to serve as the Dean of the School of Medicine (SOM). The UMKC SOM is nationally recognized for its innovation in medical education, implementing one of the only six-year, dual undergraduate/MD degree programs in the nation. The SOM was founded in 1971 to train high-quality physicians to serve the region and has recently expanded to include a campus at St. Joseph, Missouri, with an emphasis on rural medicine. UMKC is responsible for training more than 50% of the healthcare workforce in the local and state communities, with over 4,000 alumni around the country.

Opportunities and Challenges:
Shape a broad strategy for the School of Medicine and the Health Sciences District that leverages the unique assets of the UMKC School of Medicine and its partners. As the chief academic officer of the SOM, the dean will be charged to develop and execute a vision for the school across the academic health missions of education, research, clinical excellence, and community engagement. The dean will work with leaders in the school and community to develop a comprehensive vision to grow the SOM, securing buy-in from constituents and partners.

Develop and execute a strategy for expanding research. Research growth is an institutional priority at UMKC. The next dean will play a critical role in the success of that initiative, expanding sponsored research inside the School of Medicine by supporting and developing existing research and recruiting new researchers. The dean will also seize the opportunity to develop shared resources or research cores at UMKC that provide value to partners in the HSD. The dean will be strategic in growing research, considering the talent and infrastructure of the SOM, UMKC broadly, and its clinical affiliates to develop and support a research portfolio that garners national attention for its excellence and innovation.

Recruit and retain excellent and diverse faculty, staff, students, and trainees. The next dean will have the opportunity to shape the faculty and staff at the School of Medicine. This includes the expansion of UMKC faculty and staff and working with clinical affiliates to recruit diverse and high caliber faculty to advance the missions of academic medicine. Beyond faculty and staff, the dean will lead the growth of the student body. There are opportunities to expand the current campus at St. Joseph’s and potential to use that program as a blueprint for subsequent rural medicine programs. With these expansions also comes the opportunity to expand GME in rural settings, and the dean will be dedicated to both the creation and support of training programs and to the recruitment of excellent and diverse learners to benefit from the excellent training provided at UMKC.

Promote and advance broad initiatives that serve the School, UMKC, and the community. As an urban, community medical school, the UMKC SOM was recognized in 2018 and 2022 by Insight into Diversity with a Health Professions Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award. The next dean will maintain and build upon the school’s existing strengths. This includes supporting the Health Equity Institute and other community-based research projects; continuing support for programs that advance opportunities to explore science and medicine in the community, including the Saturday Academy, Students Training in Academia, Health, and Research (STAHR) Partnership, and Summer Scholars program; and recruiting the highest quality faculty and staff that represent the breadth of Kansas City, encompassing both urban and rural communities, into the most welcoming and inclusive environment.

Build and maintain relationships with a dedicated community and alumni base. UMKC is intertwined with the Kansas City community. Trainees from UMKC make up more than 50% of the healthcare workforce and between the University and its clinical affiliates, UMKC and the School of Medicine has one of the largest employee footprints in the city. The breadth and depth of UMKC and the SOM’s impact is impressive, and the next dean will continue to foster important relationships with community leaders, highlighting the important work being done by the SOM and the Health Sciences District. The SOM has an accomplished and proud alumni group with more than 4,000 graduates to date, and more than 40 percent of graduates residing in Missouri. These alumni believe in the mission, curriculum, and approach, and they support the ongoing success of the school. This provides the next dean with the opportunity to cultivate relationships with alumni, create programs to engage with the school and its students, and provide avenues for further support of the school.

Encourage innovation in medical education. The SOM is a leader in medical education delivery and innovation. With the field of medicine transforming from advances in population health to value-based care, UMKC SOM has an opportunity to keep pace with the fundamental changes in how healthcare is approached. While UMKC is at the forefront of innovation in medical education, the next dean will lead regular reviews of curriculum to ensure that UMKC is steadfast in their mission of training high quality physicians. UMKC students match at a high rate and well above the national average. The dean will continue to support the world-class medical education at UMKC, including the 48 accredited residency and fellowship programs and the numerous graduate training programs, and will be creative in finding additional supports for faculty and learners to thrive.

Ensure the fiscal health of the School of Medicine. The dean must be a strong fiscal steward for the SOM. The desired growth of the campus must be matched by a growth in resources to support the many programs and initiatives at UMKC. The next dean will be creative in generating resources, garnering support from federal, state, and local sources, private foundations, and philanthropy to develop a sustainable and diverse revenue base to grow the footprint of the SOM. The dean will also ensure that resources are allocated to support the needs of faculty, staff, and students as UMKC continues its growth trajectory.

Minimum Qualifications

The dean must have an outstanding academic record coupled with considerable strategic health care experience and demonstrated executive management capability. The dean must lead and inspire all stakeholders at UMKC, possessing well-honed interpersonal skills that bring together diverse constituents. The dean will provide a vision for the SOM and HSD and collaborate to execute upon that vision. The ideal candidate will also possess the following qualifications and experiences:

• A distinguished record of academic achievement, commensurate with the rank of tenured, full professor; an MD, MD/PhD, or equivalent is required;
• Demonstrated leadership and success in advancing medical education, patient care, and research;
• Experience in growing and developing research programs;
• Demonstrated support for innovation in health professional education programs, supporting exceptional teaching and learning;
• A deep understanding of both academic medical centers and universities and the broad challenges and opportunities facing both;
• Demonstrated success in securing philanthropic support – an ability to effectively articulate the SOM’s vision in a compelling manner to a broad range of stakeholders, as well as a track record of attracting financial resources from individuals, government/state sponsors, and private institutions;
• Ability and commitment to engage the university community broadly, to collaborate with deans and schools, and to function as a key member of the university’s leadership team;
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to speak with, listen to, and interact with faculty, staff, students, partners, and community members to highlight the programs and achievementsof the School of Medicine and UMKC and to receive input on the needs of the school, university, and community.

Application Instructions

TO APPLY:
The University of Missouri-Kansas City has retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist in this search. All inquiries, nominations, and applications, should be directed in confidence to:
Jamie Sands, Partner
Jay Torio, Partner
Nicholas Strand, Senior Associate
Lileana Sethares, Search Coordinator
https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/university-missouri-kansas-city-school-medicine/dean

Equal Employment Opportunity

Equal Opportunity is and shall be provided for all employees and applicants for employment on the basis of their demonstrated ability and competence without unlawful discrimination on the basis of their race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable state or federal law. This policy shall not be interpreted in such a manner as to violate the legal rights of religious organizations or the recruiting rights of military organizations associated with the Armed Forces or the Department of Homeland Security of the United States of America. For more information, call the Vice Chancellor - Human Resources at 816-235-1621.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the duties and functions of this job. If you believe you may have difficulty performing any of the duties or functions of this job, please contact the Office of Affirmative Action at (816) 235-1323.

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