The AAMC serves and leads the academic medicine community to improve the health of all.
Founded in 1876 and based in Washington, D.C., the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) is a not-for-profit association representing all 137 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 47 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and 90 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 128,000 faculty members, 75,000 medical students, and 110,000 resident physicians.
Through its many programs and services, the AAMC strengthens the world’s most advanced medical care by supporting the entire spectrum of education, research, and patient care activities conducted by our member institutions. The AAMC and our members are dedicated to the communities we serve and steadfast in our desire to earn and keep the public’s trust for the role we play in improving the nation’s health.
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) seeks an experienced individual who will report directly to the AAMC Chief Scientific Officer to help lead the Association’s efforts in integrating implementation research into the clinical care mission in academic medicine. The incumbent will play a key role in determining promising practices for integrating clinical effectiveness research which may include such areas as, quality improvement, patient safety, care delivery models and implementation research, into the medical research portfolio of AAMC member teaching hospitals and medical schools; and to facilitate the uptake of research findings by patients, health care providers, administrators and policy makers. Internally within AAMC, the incumbent will work closely with Scientific Affairs leadership as well as Health Care Affairs and Medical Education Affairs to coordinate implementation research with care delivery and education activities. Externally, the incumbent will help lead Association efforts aimed at assessing the needs of member institutions and assisting them in expanding their capacity to engage in clinical effectiveness, quality improvement, care delivery and implementation research; to facilitate their research agendas that will help enhance the translation of research results into clinical practice; to inform changes in health care delivery systems and models; and to connect the academic research enterprise more synergistically to health care delivery systems and educational activities.
Major Responsibilities
Under the general supervision of the AAMC Chief Scientific Officer, the Senior Research Director, Clinical Effectiveness and Implementation Research will help lead AAMC’s efforts in enhancing the capacity of medical schools and teaching hospitals to engage in clinical effectiveness, dissemination and implementation research. Major responsibilities include:
• Working with member medical school and teaching hospital communities to meet the challenge of linking more effectively clinical effectiveness, quality improvement and implementation research to health care delivery and patient outcomes
• Directly engaging with constituents and maintain liaisons with institutional leaders involved in clinical effectiveness, quality improvement and implementation research activities to highlight or help develop innovative methodologies for testing dissemination and implementation initiatives, identifying facilitators or barriers to the implementation of evidence-based interventions, and developing AAMC strategies and programs to advance such initiatives.
• Fostering activities and partnerships within member institutions to align their infrastructure, incentives, policies, and career pathways that will facilitate clinical effectiveness, quality improvement and implementation research
• Engaging the AAMC’s constituencies on the broad range of issues in the AAMC’s implementation research portfolio, identifying priority issue and program areas, developing an action agenda, identify measurable outcomes, and implementing the agenda, contingent on leadership and budget approvals. In consultation with the AAMC Leadership Team and governance, the Senior Director may be asked to support task forces, ad hoc panels, or other consultative groups on specific issues and initiatives, as appropriate.
• Maintaining close relationships with Federal policy makers interested in the implementation research and dissemination science fields on related issues and programs, as well with as other external stakeholders.
• Tracking regulatory and policy developments affecting the implementation research and dissemination science fields, and keeping AAMC staff and constituents informed of various initiatives, proposals and developments, as appropriate and serving as the Association’s leader in developing comments on such developments, after consulting with constituents and colleagues.
• In addition to her/his issues portfolio, serving a key advisor to the Chief Scientific Officer on research matters generally. In addition, the Senior Director will be a fully engaged “citizen” of the AAMC, assisting in Association-wide projects as appropriate.
• Engaging with AAMC constituent organizations, as appropriate. These entities include leadership councils, professional development groups (such as the Group on Research Advancement and Development), the Advisory Panel on Research, and others.
• Working closely with the Chief Scientific Officer, assisting in the development of specific goals, proposed outcomes, and performance measures related to the AAMC’s goals and priorities. The Senior Director, again working with the Chief Scientific Officer, will be charged with developing annual personal and shared performance goals.
• In collaboration with other Senior Directors, being responsible for identifying and recommending support staff candidates and in managing and directing such staffers once they are employed by the Association. The Senior Director is charged with developing performance objectives and periodic evaluations for such staff.
Position Requirements
• An MD, PhD, MD/PhD or equivalent degree
• Demonstrated background in the development of implementation science, theory and methods and practical applications to health outcomes and clinical effectiveness research
• Significant experience in establishing research programs in clinical effectiveness, quality improvement, and/or implementation research in an academic medicine setting
• Record of involvement in public policy matters related to quality improvement, health outcomes or implementation research
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively with hospital, academic and faculty leadership; evidence of the ability to understand and synthesize the perspectives of various constituents and stakeholders.
• Familiarity with issues confronting academic medicine, especially as they relate to faculty and institutional leaders in the research mission area.
• Strong leadership skills, including evidence of the ability to build consensus among diverse stakeholders.
• Evidence of excellent writing and editing skills, both on scholarly papers and monographs, as well as in writing persuasive public policy and advocacy materials.
• Evidence of excellent public speaking skills.
• Proven ability to work in a team and to provide both leadership and mentorship to colleagues and subordinates.
Other Personal Characteristics
• Organized, results and action oriented, able to prioritize and willing to hold others and self accountable regarding commitments and goals
• Strong social presence; confident yet low ego
• Sense of humor with engaging personable style of interaction
• Flexible and resilient
• High degree of personal and professional credibility and integrity
• Politically savvy regarding constituent and stakeholder issues
• Comfortable speaking to internal and external groups with well honed interpersonal skills
• Servant leader
• Team Player
Qualified candidates are invited to apply online at http://aamc.sparklist.com/t/176155/1414616/17542/17/.
For additional information or questions, please contact Rachael Lemberg at mailto:[email protected]