Associate Director of the Department of Health Career Opportunity Programs

POSITION TITLE:

Associate Director of the Department of Health Career Opportunity Programs

HEALTH CAREER OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS:

The Department of Health Career Opportunity Programs (HCOP) is an integral part of the School of Medicine and Dental Medicine’s educational community at UConn Health. A top priority has long been the recruitment and retention of students from diverse groups who are underrepresented in American healthcare professions. The HCOP actively recruits underrepresented medical and dental students and supports those who are enrolled throughout the academic year.

Through HCOP, the Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine operate extensive recruitment and outreach programs to ensure a diverse candidate pool. Some of the methods used include visits to colleges; representation at recruitment programs throughout the country that are attended by potential applicants from diverse groups; direct mail; and summer enrichment programs.

Since the inception of the HCOP department in 1986, one of its goals has been to develop and identify an outstanding diverse applicant pool. It is the program’s belief that early exposure to the various fields in biomedical sciences will ultimately increase the diverse pool of students who pursue careers in medicine. Through its Health Professions Partnership Initiative (HPPI), HCOP also works with middle school through post bachelor’s students interested in science and the health professions. These outstanding programs and activities that are designed, coordinated and implemented through this department, have proven to be topnotch. Statistics indicate that underrepresented students, who have participated in the pipeline of programs, have successfully completed their undergraduate degrees and have actualized their goals of entering medical school. It is for this reason that the UCONN Health Professions Partnership Initiative programs and activities sponsored through the Department of Health Career Opportunity Programs is recognized as a national model. To date the program has accomplished all goals and continues to develop new programs and fine-tune existing ones.

THE POSITION:

This is a Non-Faculty Position who will be reporting to the Associate Dean of the Department of Health Career Opportunity Programs. The Associate Director will have primary responsibility for activities pertaining to the recruitment of underrepresented students to medical and dental pipeline programs of the Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine, including coordination of the pipeline programs of the Health Professions Partnership Initiative (HPPI). The Associate Director will supervise administrators, peer counselors and mentors as part of the HPPI, and will visit undergraduate medical and dental programs; publish and distribute written and audiovisual recruitment material; and coordinate the academic year and summer enrichment programs. As part of HPPI, the Associate Director will work with Central Administration in Hartford Public Schools, staff in Student Affairs as well as University/Colleges and Community Partners.

The Associate Director will also be responsible for preparing and submitting grant requests to extramural funding agencies for which a record of successful extramural funding is required. The Associate Director will work closely with the Offices of Medical and Dental Student Admissions.

THE CANDIDATE:

UConn Health is seeking a knowledgeable professional who possesses a medical or dental degree or Ph.D., and pertinent administrative experience in a medical or dental school. Key to success in this position will be a passion and commitment to education; and working with young people and seeing them progress and grow. The ideal candidate will have experience obtaining large grant funding to support educational initiative and be knowledgeable of health Career opportunity programs (i.e., enrichment programs). The candidate will be a leader and strategic/critical thinker who will expand the programs/activities of HCOP. The successful candidate will possess excellent interpersonal skills and outstanding communication skills with all levels of internal organization and external constituents. He/she will be an effective speaker and will represent the Health Career Opportunity Programs (including HPPI) well.

Additional qualities and traits of the successful candidate include:

• Creative, innovative
• Visionary and proactive, look towards the future
• Able to build teams
• Interactive/social skills; able to talk to students
• Independent and autonomous
• Collaborative, collegial
• Go-to person, advocate
• Organized, detail-orientated
• Professional, diplomatic, political savvy

SCHEDULE:

Full-time salaried position, 40 hours per week: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., 30-minute unpaid meal break. Individual must be able to work flexible hours including evenings and weekends. Travel to community and educational partners is required and expected.

SALARY:

Competitive compensation and benefits package.

Why UConn Health

UConn Health is a vibrant, integrated academic medical center that is entering an era of unprecedented growth in all three areas of its mission: academics, research, and clinical care. A commitment to human health and well-being has been of utmost importance to UConn Health since the founding of the University of Connecticut schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine in 1961. Based on a strong foundation of groundbreaking research, first-rate education, and quality clinical care, we have expanded our medical missions over the decades. In just over 50 years, UConn Health has evolved to encompass more research endeavors, to provide more ways to access our superior care, and to innovate both practical medicine and our methods of educating the practitioners of tomorrow.

All employees are subject to adherence to the State Code of Ethics which may be found at www.ethics.state.ct.us

All Workforce Members are required to have or obtain a COVID 19 vaccination and booster as a term and condition of employment to work in a UConn Health facility, unless an exemption or deferral has been approved. All new Workforce Members shall be required to provide proof of their vaccine status prior to the start of their employment. All records of vaccinations and approved exemptions will be maintained by Employee Health Services.  Additional information regarding this policy may be found at https://health.uconn.edu/covid-provider/mandatory-vaccination/

Interested candidates should apply at:    https://jobs.uchc.edu/CSS_External/CSSPage_JobDetail.ASP?T=20211223150410&, Search Number 2022-1449.

UConn Health is an affirmative action employer, in addition to an EEO and M/F/V/PWD/PV employer.