Description

Position:            Division Chief, Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine

Reports to:        

John F. Sweeney, MD, FACS

Joseph Brown Whitehead Professor and Chair

Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine Director, Surgical Services, Emory Healthcare

Surgeon in Chief, Emory Healthcare

Position Summary
The Division of Surgical Oncology of the Emory School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, is dedicated to the multi-modality evaluation and surgical treatment of a wide variety of cancers and tumors, using minimally invasive and robotic methods when appropriate. Division of Surgical Oncology faculty are the surgical staff of the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Emory’s center for cross-disciplinary cancer care, prevention, education, and research and Georgia's first and only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. As part of Winship, Division of Surgical Oncology faculty participate in local and national research efforts studying cancer prevention and experimental treatments, molecular therapy, immunology, and genetics. The Division enables General Surgery residents to participate in Surgical Oncology clinical and research endeavors and offers a Complex Surgical Oncology Fellowship.

The Division Chief of Surgical Oncology will serve as the leader for surgical oncology services, will provide strategic vision, and will oversee clinical operations, research, and teaching activities at Emory Healthcare, the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, and all affiliate sites of the Emory University School of Medicine.

The candidate will work in partnership with the chief surgical officer of the Emory Winship Cancer Service Line to guide and support the transformation of care delivery to advance a culture of excellence in surgical oncology. The Chief will be dedicated to the delivery of the highest quality patient care and consistency in clinical care standards, driven by patient safety requirements and clinical outcomes monitoring.

As the leader of the Division of Surgical Oncology of the Emory School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, the candidate will be responsible for clinical services, faculty recruitment and development, the growth and advancement of research, scholarly activity and teaching excellence of the division.

Leadership Characteristics
 
Leadership

Commitment to the development, implementation and promotion of Surgical Oncology initiatives designed to deliver patient care that is safe, personal, coordinated and of the highest quality and value.

Understand the organization and external landscape of Surgical Oncology and anticipate and articulate the critical issues, opportunities and threats in the foreseeable future.

Exhibits an appreciation for the need for preparation, collaboration, planning, communication, and benchmarking of results in their approach to problem solving and program building.

•         Is committed to the professional and leadership development of colleagues, mentees, and self.
•         Acts with honor and integrity in personal and professional actions.
•         Develops strong partnerships with all relevant constituents and contributes to the success of all entities.
•         Foster environment that supports successful recruitment, retention and development of faculty and staff.
•         Regionally and nationally recognized to facilitate mentorship and faculty development

Management

•         Skilled at organizing and managing human resources, including resolving conflict.
•         Understands and passionately advocates for compliance with institutional and external regulations.
•         Ability to delegate effectively while maintaining focus on strategy and overall goals of the Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of                  Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine and Emory Healthcare.
•         Understands the nuances of administration of educational and research activities.
•         Work collaboratively with counterparts in other Surgery subspecialties, Anesthesiology, nursing and operative room staff and other related              staff in the development and implementation of care pathways and protocols to ensure an optimum level of care is being delivered.
•         Demonstrated experience and knowledge of strategic planning, finances including budgets and the basic principles of faculty practice plans,          strategic planning, operations improvement, and health system development and management.
•         Demonstrated experience working in and fostering a diverse faculty, staff, and education environment and a continued commitment to do so.

 Mission Performance

•         Demonstrates enthusiastic advocacy for the Division of Surgical Oncology’s multiple missions.
•         Demonstrates an appropriate understanding of and enthusiasm for each of the three missions of an academic health sciences center.
•         Demonstrates commitment to the teaching mission through didactic activity, participation in curriculum oversight and planning, and                      developing innovative approaches to education and training.
•         Understands the broad research mission – basic, translational, and clinical – and is committed to its success and sustainability.

 Personal and Interpersonal

•         A style that fosters and supports change and innovation, with an ability to delegate yet maintain overall control and to set high standards.
•         Exhibits self-awareness, humility, and empathy in their interactions with others.
•         Has the courage to act on convictions after adequate communication and gathering of facts and input.
•         Exhibits optimism and a high energy level with an orientation toward innovation and action.
•         Exhibits the values and behavior of a good citizen in their actions within the organization.
•         Encourages trust, transparency, and optimism.
•         Communicates naturally, frequently, and effectively especially within the divisional faculty and trainees.
•         Demonstrates cultural awareness.
•         Demonstrated experience in promoting a culture that is collaborative, team oriented, and one that respects the skill sets and opinions of all            faculty and staff.
•         The candidate will be an effective developer of people who can manage a large and complex portfolio of issues and rapidly assess situations          with multiple outcomes and consequences.
•         The candidate will be a flexible problem-solver with the ability to create or influence win-win outcomes.
•         The candidate must be wise, seasoned, judicious, and principled, must be able to make sound decisions about resources, direction,                           individuals, and risks within a strategic view of the Department’s opportunities and challenges.
•         Able to work collaboratively with a diverse group of faculty, staff and students and with colleagues who may be close at hand or may be                  widely distributed across the enterprise.
•         The candidate should be a trusted counselor to the Chair and to the Department’s senior leadership and a trusted partner to the                              organization’s leadership.
•         The candidate should be committed to working with the Chair to build a workplace culture that is capable of executing change to meet                  business objectives.

Relevant Experience  

•         Demonstrates a career progression that has prepared them for a position of this scope, complexity, and scale.
•         Has served as a leader with knowledge and experience in academic institutions, health centers, teaching hospitals, leadership of                              departments, research institutes, centers of excellence, or other mission critical entities as appropriate.
•         Understands clinical medicine from the perspective of personal clinical practice experience.
•         Has participated in the management of a clinical and/or a research enterprise and demonstrates an understanding of the issues involved.
•         Demonstrates experience in fiscal management.
•         Demonstrates experience in fundraising.
•         Demonstrates experience in advancing a diverse faculty.
•         Has knowledge of the value of health-related research and education and exhibits the capability to help to integrate the medical school and          the clinical enterprise.

Education and Credentials
Candidates must be board certified in surgery and have completed fellowship training relevant to surgical oncology. Given the evolution of subspeciality certification pathways over time, applicants may hold certification in general surgery with advanced fellowship training in surgical oncology, with or without additional subspecialty board certification. The successful candidate will demonstrate a record of clinical excellence, academic achievement, and leadership commensurate with appointment at the associate or full professor level.

Successful candidates should possess excellent clinical skills and a strong track record in research and teaching, have scholarly accomplishments in the health sciences, as well as recognition in the field of Surgical Oncology as evidenced by involvement in clinical societies at a national level.

Qualified candidates would have demonstrated administrative and leadership accomplishments as well as an aptitude for mentoring and staff development.

The successful candidate will have had progressive leadership experience in complex academic environments.

The candidate will exhibit a substantive understanding of the important issues in surgical oncology, as well as a deep understanding of academic health centers.

 Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine

The Department of Surgery has approximately 200+ faculty, 150+ trainees and 300+ staff across the six Emory Healthcare hospitals and the three affiliates – Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), Atlanta VA Health Care System and Grady Health. The Department is comprised of eleven divisions, with ten division chiefs and faculty leadership at affiliate sites at CHOA and Grady Health System as well as a faculty leader representing the Northern Arc Hospitals. The Department interacts directly with three Centers – Emory Transplant Center, Heart and Vascular Center and the Center for Critical Care. The Department of Surgery celebrated its 100-year anniversary in June 2025, marking a century of excellence in its clinical, academic, and research missions.

The Department is committed to providing a safe environment to work and learn and strives to provide a safe environment that is conducive to intellectual engagement, learning, and working in positive ways. The Department is dedicated to promoting a fair and accessible environment for our community through collaboration with our healthcare and university partners. The Department seeks to establish a faculty, staff and trainee composition that reflects the diversity of our constituency and to further ensure their growth and development within our academic community.

 http://www.surgery.emory.edu/ https://www.emoryhealthcare.org/emory-clinic/surgery/index.html 

 https://med.emory.edu/departments/surgery/specialties-and-programs/surgical-oncology/index.html  

For Consideration

Interested candidates may submit a letter of interest & curriculum vitae including current research portfolio to:

S. Ashley McCullough on behalf of

John F. Sweeney, MD, FACS

Joseph Brown Whitehead Professor and Chair Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine

Director, Surgical Services, Emory Healthcare Surgeon-in-Chief, Emory Healthcare

sharon.mccullough@emory.edu

Emory University is an EOAA employer.

Women and members of minority groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

Emory offers a highly competitive salary and fringe benefits package.