The Department of Pediatrics at Children’s Mercy seeks a creative and scholarly leader to serve as Division Director of the Health Services and Outcomes Research (HSOR) division and Population Health leader to the Children’s Mercy Research Institute (CMRI). The Division Director will be responsible for leading the research, educational, and quality missions of HSOR, an academic division focused on conducting high quality, impactful research that leads to improved health outcomes and reduced health disparities for children and their families. The Division Director will foster collaborative ties throughout Children’s Mercy, bridging the division’s expertise in community and population-level health with the basic science, genomic, and clinical research enterprise across the Department of Pediatrics and CMRI.

This is a faculty position offering academic appointments at the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine and the Kansas University School of Medicine, rank to be commensurate with experience.

Established in 2013, HSOR has quicky developed a national and international reputation for impactful translational science contributing to the publication of 69 peer reviewed papers in FY 2024. HSOR has a strong record for successful extramural funding with 37 current awards, 16 of which are HSOR PI led, and with 16 applications submitted in FY 2024. HSOR faculty and staff are experts in community engaged health research; health communication; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion research; behavioral obesity discovery and intervention; and computational approaches capable of drawing insights from large and diverse data sets. Along with faculty-led independent research, HSOR is also home to the Biostatistics and Epidemiology Core (BEC), the Community Engaged Research Team, and the Formative Research Team (FRT). All three groups have exceptionally strong and accomplished leaders:

• The BEC is a team of faculty and staff biostatisticians who both conduct independent investigation and collaborate with researchers at Children’s Mercy, applying their range of expertise in study design and analytic methods including multi-level and mixed modeling, latent variable modeling, longitudinal models, survival analysis, patient reported outcomes, clinical trial design, and statistical genomics.
• The Community Engaged Research Team facilitates the CMRI Community and Youth Research Advisory Boards to promote equitable community-research partnerships. In addition, this team collaborates with CM researchers and local and regional community partners to ensure that studies address community priorities and utilize patient, caregiver, and community centered recruitment, data collection, and dissemination methods. The Community Engaged Team is a tremendous resource for all campus faculty interested in community impact research.
• The Formative Research Team (FRT) consults and collaborates with researchers to design studies grounded in social and behavioral theory; design and conduct rigorous in-depth interviews, focus-groups, and surveys; analyze qualitative data; and disseminate and integrate findings into interventions and their evaluations. The FRT team has used their skills to impact health service intervention research locally and internationally.

Through strategic team science collaboration with colleagues locally, nationally and internationally, HSOR has leveraged Children’s Mercy strengths in clinical care, genomics, and clinical pharmacology to improve care, enhance research and speed translation of best practice into the community. 

The foremost qualities necessary for this position is vision for the field of health outcomes research, including the use of qualitative and quantitative data as well as evolving technologies to favorably impact health research and populations. Other desired characteristics include 1) a track record of extramural funding; 2) history of mentorship that includes developing young investigators into independent scientists; 2) interest in academic infrastructure and research finances; 3) successful collaborations with administration, hospital, medical, and research partners; 4) unwavering commitment to the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion; and 5) commitment to developing a culture of high team accountability and professionalism.

The individual selected for this position will be a strategic and highly communicative leader with a doctoral degree (PhD, MD/PhD or MD). The Division Director of HSOR reports to the Chair of Pediatrics.

About Children’s Mercy

Children’s Mercy is one of the United States’ leading non-profit, independent pediatric health systems, offering a comprehensive suite of departments, centers, and clinics. Founded in 1897, Children’s Mercy is dedicated to holistic care, impactful research, breakthrough innovation and educating the next generation of caregivers. Guided by our mission, vision and values, our aim is to create a world of wellbeing for all children. Children’s Mercy is consistently ranked among the best children’s hospitals in the nation by US News & World Report, and we were the first hospital in Missouri or Kansas to receive Magnet designation for excellence in patient care from the American Nurses Credentialing Center — an honor we have received five consecutive times. 

Some Children’s Mercy facts and figures:

• 390 licensed beds
• Nearly 800 faculty
• Over 50 specialties
• 600,000 total visits
• 190,000 emergency and urgent care visits
• 20,000 surgical cases
• Primary service area includes150 counties in Missouri and Kansas
• Level 1 Children’s Surgery Center by the American College of Surgeons
• Only pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center between St. Louis and Denver
• Comprehensive solid organ transplant center with sustained, exceptional outcomes

Education

Education is a core tenet of Children’s Mercy. Children’s Mercy provides education opportunities to nursing students, medical students, residents and fellows, supporting over 1,400 learners annually. Children’s Mercy is the pediatric clerkship site for both UMKC and KU medical students and provides elective rotations and sub-internships to students at any accredited allopathic or osteopathic medical school. Children’s Mercy is highly active in Graduate Medical Education with accredited residencies in pediatrics, med/peds, child neurology, pediatric dentistry, pediatric optometry and pharmacy. Children’s Mercy offers more than 40 fellowship programs across numerous areas, developing the next generation of subspecialists. Certificate and master’s programs are also operated in conjunction with its academic partners, the University of Kansas (KU) and the University of Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC). Finally, our robust clinical training resources are augmented by research opportunities for learners at all levels.

Research

Children’s Mercy is dedicated to becoming a leader in pediatric research. A directed strategic planning initiative established the Children’s Mercy Research Institute (CMRI) to focus on research and research infrastructure. Through the generosity of two philanthropic gifts totaling $150 million, the hospital constructed a nine story, 375,000 square foot research facility to provide scientists with state-of-the-art technology. In addition, these generous gifts help support funding for scientific programs and recruitment. Research conducted today includes basic, translational, and clinical research in numerous areas including pharmacology, cancer, cardiology, genetic diseases and health outcomes. Areas of research strength include Precision Therapeutics, Genomic Medicine, Population Health, Emerging Pathogens and Innovations in Health Care Delivery. Beyond these areas of emphasis, Children’s Mercy and the CMRI also provide encompassing resources for Children’s Mercy faculty to pursue research, from developing a research question, biostatistical planning, grant application and management, and coordination of clinical trials. 

About Kansas City

Crossing into both Missouri and Kansas, the Kansas City Metropolitan Area is an affordable and comfortable place to live and raise a family. The metro’s anchor city, Kansas City, Missouri, is the largest city in the state and has great museums, a busy downtown, multiple professional sports franchises, an exciting music scene and many charming neighborhoods. Throughout the Metro area, you will find highly ranked public schools, beautiful parks and other green spaces, and lots of amazing people. Kansas City is large enough to provide the amenities of a metropolitan area, while small enough to allow for easy commutes, assessable amenities and a very high quality of life.

Ideal Qualifications and Experience

• PhD, MD/PhD or MD/DO is required
• Current academic rank of Associate Professor or Professor
• A strong record of academic achievement as evidenced by extramural funding for health services, dissemination/ implementation science and/or population health.
• Demonstrated interest in advancing research as it pertains to division activities and interactions with the broader Children’s Mercy community
• A commitment to our true north pillars: quality and safety, people, patient experience, delivery and stewardship
• Fosters and models our values: kindness, curiosity, inclusion, team and integrity
• A deep commitment to fostering and supporting programs that address equity, inclusion and diversity
• A track record of partnership with academic medical centers
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability and commitment to collaborate with leadership at partner institutions

Nominations and Applications (cover letter and curriculum vitae) should be submitted via e-mail to:  Facultyjobs@cmh.edu ; ssullivant@cmh.edu; mjmclaughlin@cmh.edu.

Attention:  Drs. Matt McLaughlin and Shayla Sullivant, Search Committee Co-Chairs

All materials will be treated as confidential.

Children’s Mercy is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. For additional information, please visit our website at www.childrensmercy.org.