Summary

Tufts Medical Center (TMC) and the Tufts University School of Medicine have initiated a search for the Chair of Dermatology. The best candidate will be an academic physician executive who brings a reputation as an outstanding clinician and teacher, known for leadership, clinical innovation and academic excellence. The new Chair will have the critical organizational and management skills required to lead a department in a major quaternary medical center.

The Opportunity

As leader of the Department of Dermatology, the Chair will report directly to the Dean of the Medical School/Chief Academic Officer, President of the Physician Organization, and the Chief Operating Officer of Tufts Medicine Health System. The Chair will provide oversight for all academic programs and processes, including academic appointments and promotions. This organizational arrangement reflects the value and standing of the Department of Dermatology at TMC and the School of Medicine.

TMC and the Dermatology faculty are committed to sustaining a long tradition of clinical excellence, innovation and teaching. Clinical research is an important function, as is the continued growth of its successful clinical trials program. They will contribute, as a Chair and physician-executive, to establishing effective new ways to achieve outstanding clinical performance and high-value clinical services in this time of extraordinary change in healthcare. This individual will be an academic dermatologist, who is an exemplary clinician, educator and scholar. The Chair will advance the institutions’ mission to contribute to advancing new and innovative treatments and for recruiting faculty who are committed to clinical care, teaching and academic rigor. They must be an effective administrator, with management experience and leadership capability demonstrated by accomplishments in an academic healthcare enterprise. Moreover, they must have demonstrated a passion for embracing change and leading others to achieve goals consistent with the mission and values of TMC.

Key Responsibilities of the Chair of Dermatology

At this time of significant and continuous change in academic medicine, the Department’s new Chair should be an inspirational academic leader and outstanding physician. They should be prepared to ensure that the dermatology training program continues its reputation for excellence as a teaching program for dermatology residents and medical students; provides a superb environment for faculty teaching and clinical practice; and ensures access to all referring physicians and departments at the Medical center and outside referring physicians.

The Chair should be a physician who places a high value on clinical care and on developing innovations in the business of dermatology care in relation to the Department of Dermatology’s access requirements and relationships to referral sources, both internal and external. The Department is well-positioned to grow in scale and significance. The next Chair is expected to assume an important role within the affiliated health systems in organizing optimal dermatology care from TMC’s affiliates throughout the region.

They will provide leadership for the academic mission of the Department of Dermatology, which involves several other Tufts-affiliated teaching hospitals across the region.

The ideal candidate will:

• Have the rank of Professor or equivalent and an academic portfolio including research and/or education at the UME and GME levels; clinical research and clinical trial experience are required
• Have a substantial record of publications
• Have management experience (e.g., Program Director, Division Director)
• Have the ambition, inspiration, and experience to build the practice infrastructure so that the physician effectiveness and patient experience is satisfying and rewarding and the patient experience exceeds expectations
• Contribute significant experience with the business side of practice
• Have personal charisma, presence and interpersonal skills
• Recruit and attract new dermatology faculty members, to provide a professionally rewarding experience for faculty and expand the scope of Department services consistent with the vision of the Chair and the referring physicians
• Be an experienced communicator accustomed to utilizing influence rather than authority over multiple interdependencies
• Determine what is important to referring physicians and develop an action plan with the faculty to address those priorities
• Have a distinguished academic career in which teaching has been a priority
• Have built a program or division elsewhere and understands the challenges and the rewards
• Provide leadership in representing TMC dermatology with affiliates and new partners of TMC

Critical Success Factors

Success during the first year will be measured by the Chair’s accomplishments relative to the following priorities:

• Recruit additional faculty to meet the clinical requirements for care, teaching, and staff satisfaction needs
• Assess the strengths and gaps in the Department in the clinical, academic, educational and service realms, and collaborate with the Hospital CEO, the CEO of the Physicians Organization and the Dean to identify and address the top priorities
• Demonstration of excellent achievement in education and clinical trials
• Execute a plan to improve access for patients from referring physicians

Organization Overview

Tufts Medical Center

The Tufts Medical Center’s origins date back to 1796 when the Boston Dispensary was established as the first permanent medical facility in New England, and one of the first in the United States.

Tufts Medicine is a leading integrated academic health system delivering exceptional, connected and accessible care experiences to consumers across Massachusetts and the surrounding states. The health system is the principal teaching affiliate for Tufts University School of Medicine. The strong relationship between Tufts Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine is evident in our governance, academic and research structure. Tufts Medicine is comprised of the following clinical entities:

• Tufts Medicine Medical Group (TMMG)
• Tufts Medicine Integrated Network (TMIN)
• Tufts Medical Center
• Lowell General Hospital
• MelroseWakefield Hospital
• Tufts Care at Home

Tufts University School of Medicine

Tufts University School of Medicine is located adjacent to the Tufts Medical Center campus in Boston and matriculates over 200 students a year. In 1893, the Medical School raised the bar for the medical profession when it integrated clinical …