Executive Medical Director of Inpatient Behavioral Health Strategy and Operations

Children’s Mercy + Camber Mental Health

Olathe, Kansas

Children’s Mercy Hospital and Camber Mental Health seek to recruit a strategic and visionary leader as the next Executive Medical Director of Inpatient Behavioral Health Strategy and Operations (Executive Medical Director) at the Mental Wellness Campus in Olathe, KS. Children’s Mercy Hospital, a leading independent non-profit children’s health organization, and Camber Mental Health, a national leader in delivering specialized mental and behavioral healthcare, have joined efforts to meet the urgent mental healthcare needs of the greater Kansas City community. This will be a significant opportunity to provide overall leadership for inpatient behavioral health services in a joint 50-50 partnership setting, overseeing clinical excellence and compassionate care for patients in the facility while influencing strategy and implementing solutions for behavioral health across the Children’s Mercy Hospital enterprise.

Children’s Mercy’s proud partner and operator for the Mental Wellness Campus is Camber Mental Health, which is the leading regional provider of pediatric and adult mental health services with a network of psychiatric hospitals and residential treatment centers serving Kansas, Missouri, and beyond. Camber Mental Health provides life-saving treatment at its four hospitals in Kansas City, Olathe, Wichita, and Hays, and will open its fifth hospital next year in St. Louis. With over 30 years of experience developing and enhancing innovative, neuroscience-based therapies, Camber stands at the forefront of inpatient mental and behavioral healthcare, offering specialized treatment for youth aged 6 to 18 and adults.

In June 2023, Children’s Mercy announced a comprehensive initiative, Illuminate, to address the mental health needs of children and teens in the greater Kansas City community. Over the course of five years, 14 projects will be launched, impacting the lives of more than 80,000 children.  The Mental Wellness Campus, a $53 million investment through the Illuminate initiative, opened its doors in December 2024. The state-of-the-art 72-bed mental health inpatient hospital allows for expanded inpatient pediatric and adult mental health treatment capacity and improved access in the greater Kansas City area and across the region. The new 58,000 sq. ft. hospital serves as an inpatient mental health healing campus, featuring 48 pediatric beds and 24 adult beds in fully separate units, six private courtyards, walking paths, and dining and activity space. The design and healing environment are centered on patient and staff safety, supportive care and treatment spaces, and patient wellness.

The Executive Medical Director reports directly to the President of the Mental Wellness Campus and will also have a faculty line reporting relationship to the Division Director of the Division of Developmental Behavioral Health within the Department of Pediatrics at Children's Mercy Kansas City. The successful candidate will play a key role on the safety and quality committee and be an active participant in reporting to the eight-member board and management group of the Mental Wellness Campus. The Executive Medical Director will be a strategic leader for the Mental Wellness Campus, providing leadership and medical expertise to quality, safety, and the credentialing process, guiding the institution through the challenges and opportunities ahead. Candidates should have leadership experience in an inpatient psychiatric setting with capacity for pediatric care or an academic psychiatry department that performs inpatient pediatric behavioral health. Evidence of excellence in clinical operations, an ability to inspire around a shared vision, and talent for building and managing teams are required. The successful candidate will have an MD or DO, be board certified or board eligible in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and General Psychiatry, and be an effective, clear, and authentic communicator. The Executive Medical Director will be a sincere listener and bring evidence of a steadfast commitment to collaboration and standards of excellence in behavioral health.

Please direct all inquiries, nominations, and applications to Isaacson, Miller, the national executive search firm assisting with the search. All replied will be held in strict confidence. Correspondence and applications, which should include a CV and letter of interest, should be submitted electronically to the team at Isaacson, Miller via: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/childrens-mercy-hospital-camber-mental-health/medical-director-inpatient-mental.

Children’s Mercy hires individuals based on their job skills, expertise and ability to maintain professional relationships with fellow employees, patients, parents and visitors. A personal interview, formal education and training, previous work experience, references, and a criminal background investigation are all factors used to select the best candidates. The hospital does not discriminate against prospective or current employees based on the race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, creed, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, ancestry or veteran status. A drug screen will be performed upon hire. Children’s Mercy is smoke and tobacco free.