Chair of Ophthalmology and Vision Science

AMN Healthcare has been retained to lead a national search for the new Chair of Ophthalmology and Vision Science at the University of California, Davis. We invite applications from distinguished and visionary academic leaders with a record of accomplishment in administration, research, clinical practice, and education.

This is a unique opportunity to lead a vibrant and collaborative academic and clinical department which opened a brand-new transformational center for ophthalmic research and patient care, the Ernest E. Tschannen Eye Institute building, in December 2022. The four-story, 78,500 sq. ft. building located on the UC Davis Health Sacramento Campus is anticipated to expand the Department’s capacity to care for patients as well as to conduct clinical trials. The Department is growing with plans to recruit additional specialists and physician-scientists.

UC Davis School of Medicine is among the country’s leading medical schools for transdisciplinary research. UC Davis is one of only two universities in the country with a medical school, a veterinary school, and a national primate center. The Department of Ophthalmology has a strong collaborative relationship with the School of Veterinary Medicine with cross-department faculty appointments and a significant presence at the California National Primate Research Center. The Department also partners with the Department of Cell Biology and Human Anatomy, which has a strong vision science research group. With the recruitment of the former director of the National Eye Institute to the faculty, the Department of Ophthalmology has established the Center for Ocular Regenerative Therapy (CORT) for the diagnosis of and gene therapy for retinal diseases. UC Davis is also one of only two institutions in the US with advanced, cellular-level ocular imaging technologies under investigation.

Position Description and Qualifications

Reporting directly to the Dean, the Department Chair provides leadership in strategic vision and collaborative implementation to ensure the future growth of the Department. The Chair will work closely with the UC Davis Health System and UC Davis School of Medicine leadership, faculty, and staff and is responsible for the Department's overall clinical, research, academic and administrative activities. Additional duties and faculty rank will be influenced by candidate qualifications and interests, departmental needs, and clinical practice requirements, as applicable.

Qualifications include:

• MD or MD/PhD, or equivalent terminal degree in a related area, including but not limited to Ophthalmology.
• Board-certification and fellowship training as applicable to specialty, and subspecialty if trained.
• Possess, or be eligible for, a California Medical License.
• Academic credentials that qualify for appointment as Associate or Full Professor
• A national reputation of successful research and research leadership – for example, through leading an interdisciplinary research program, division, or department – knowledge of national research trends, and a significant record of peer-reviewed scientific publications and success in securing extramural research funding.
• Demonstrated prior success at leading interprofessional teams, working across campus units.
• Ability to lead at both the strategic, tactical, and administrative levels, including experience managing space and financial resources.
• Demonstrated leadership in diversity and inclusive excellence efforts.
• Demonstrated teaching ability and commitment to university and public service.
• A strong history of written and verbal communication with a track record of working in a matrix organization, and interpersonal skills that demonstrate the capacity to work collaboratively and effectively with others.
• Demonstrated ability to inspire colleagues and staff to achieve excellent results.

Contact

To apply, inquire, or provide nominations, please contact:

Kendra Thompson

Senior Consultant
AMN Healthcare

kendra.thompson@amnhealthcare.com

The base salary range for this position is $550,000 - $750,000. This position includes membership in the Health Sciences Compensation plan (https://aadocs.ucdavis.edu/policies/apm/apm-670.pdf).

The UC Davis School of Medicine is part of the UC Davis Health System, which is comprised of the UC Davis Medical Center, the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing, and the UC Davis Medical Group, an 800-member physician practice network. UCDHS has more than 10,000 faculty and staff and an annual budget of ~ $1.6 billion; UC Davis is an established leader in the use of telecommunications and information technology to advance health. U.S. News & World Report recently ranked the SOM among the top 50 medical schools in the nation.

UC Davis commits to inclusion excellence by advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in all that we do. We are an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer, and particularly encourage applications from members of historically underrepresented racial/ethnic groups, women, individuals with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQ community members, and others who demonstrate the ability to help us achieve our vision of a diverse and inclusive community. For the complete University of California nondiscrimination and affirmative action policy see: http://policy.ucop.edu/doc/4000376/NondiscrimAffirmAct. If you need accommodation due to a disability, please contact the recruiting department.

UC Davis and UC Davis Health System are smoke- and tobacco-free campuses. Smoking, the use of smokeless tobacco products, and the use of unregulated nicotine products (e-cigarettes) will be strictly prohibited on any property owned or leased by UC Davis and/or UC Davis Health System, indoors and outdoors, including parking lots, industrial and residential space.

As a condition of employment, you will be required to comply with the University of California SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Vaccination Program Policy. All covered individuals under the policy must provide proof of full vaccination or, if applicable, submit a request for exception (based on medical exemption, disability, and/or religious objection) or deferral (based on pregnancy) no later than the applicable deadline. New University of California employees should refer to Appendix F, Section II.C. of the policy for applicable deadlines. Federal, state, or local public health directives may impose additional requirements. 

Under Federal law, the University of California may only employ individuals who are legally able to work in the United States as established by providing documents as specified in the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Certain positions funded by federal contracts or sub-contracts require the selected candidate to pass an E-Verify check. More information is available http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify.

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation. With this commitment, UC Davis conducts a reference check on all finalists for tenured positions. The reference check involves contacting the administration of the applicant’s previous institution(s) to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the University’s Faculty Code of Conduct. To implement this process, UC Davis requires all applicants for any open search for assistant/associate/full professor to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” into RECRUIT as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, only finalists considered for positions with tenure or security of employment will be subject to reference checks.

UC Davis supports family-friendly recruitments. UC Davis covers travel expenses for a second person to accompany an invited faculty recruitment candidate who is a mother (or single parent of either gender) of a breast or bottle-feeding child less than two years of age. http://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/programs/work-life/index.html

UC Davis recognizes the necessity of supporting faculty with efforts to integrate work, family and other work-life considerations. To recruit and retain the best faculty, the campus sponsors a Work Life Program that provides programs and services that support faculty as they strive to honor their commitments to work, home and community. http://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/programs/work-life/index.html

The UC Davis Partner Opportunities Program (POP) is a service designed to support departments and deans offices in the recruitment and retention of outstanding faculty. Eligibility for POP services is limited, for full program details please visit http://academicaffairs.ucdavis.edu/programs/partner-opp/index.html.

For questions regarding how these policies/programs affect academic appointees, contact: (530) 752-7643

The University of California, Davis is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer with a strong institutional commitment to the achievement of diversity.

AMN Leadership Solutions

At AMN Healthcare, we are guided by the fundamental belief that attaining and supporting the best performing healthcare leadership talent is vital to meet strategic objectives, improve patient care, enable organizational growth, and spur innovation. AMN Leadership Solutions provides the full depth, experience, and resources of AMN Healthcare, B.E. Smith, and Merritt Hawkins to help healthcare organizations identify and secure those leaders and make those objectives a reality. As people who have served in healthcare leadership roles, we are a trusted and credible advisor. We know that healthcare leadership is more than a job. It's a responsibility and a passion. It’s a calling that has a higher purpose.