Do you envision finding a meaningful role with an inclusive and compassionate team? At Children’s Mercy, we believe in making a difference in the lives of all children and shining a light of hope to the patients and families we serve. Our employees make the difference, which is why we have been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a top pediatric hospital, for eleven consecutive years.

Children’s Mercy is in the heart of Kansas City – a metro abounding in cultural experiences, vibrant communities and thriving businesses. This is where our patients and families live, work and play. This is a community that has embraced our hospital and we strive to say thanks by giving back. As a leader in children’s health, we engage in meaningful programs and partnerships throughout the region so that we can improve the lives of children beyond the walls of our hospital.

About the program and organization

Our Heart Center is one of the 15 largest clinical pediatric cardiac programs in the USA. We serve a population of over 5 million, consisting of diverse urban, suburban and rural communities with a multi-state geographic catchment that includes Missouri, Kansas and adjacent portions of Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Annually, we perform over 500 cardiac operations, 600 cardiac catheterizations including over 200 invasive EP procedures, 18,000 outpatient visits, and 20,000 echocardiograms.

Children’s Mercy Kansas City is an independent, non-profit, 390-bed pediatric health system, providing over half a million patient encounters each year for children from across the country. Children’s Mercy is ranked by USNWR in 9 specialties. Our faculty of nearly 800 pediatric specialists and researchers are actively involved in clinical care, pediatric research and educating the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists.

Position Summary

The Ward Family Heart Center (TWFHC) is a service line led by co-directors (Aliessa Barnes, MD and James O’Brien, MD) who report to the Interim Physician-In-Chief (Doug Rivard, DO). The Director of Research would report to the Co-Directors of the Heart Center. This is a new leadership position with significant administrative responsibilities; candidates must have significant prior leadership experience. Direct reports to the Director of Research currently include the Administrative Director for Research and Quality (David Cloutier, MS, MBA); as the research enterprise grows, direct reports are expected to increase in number and scope.

In addition to leading their own research program and seeking extramural funding to support that effort, duties will include, but are not limited to:

• Establish the vision and strategic direction of TWFHC Research Program.
• Develop short and long-term plans for Heart Center Research strategy and staffing that are aligned with organizational plans and vision.
• Recruit and retain faculty and staff to build the academic profile of TWFHC and the recruitment of clinical and translational scientists positioned to lead our field.
• Lead a culture of research mentorship: help accelerate investigators’ progress towards independence and eliminate barriers to successful extramural funding
• Lead alignment of research resources, protected faculty time, research metrics and accountability to achieve desired research goals.
• Create and maintain a robust training / educational program for grant education, development, submissions and awards specific to pediatric cardiac science.
• Develop the research enterprise in a manner that is integrated seamlessly with the clinical enterprise, thus facilitating synergies and enabling clinicians and scientists to work together to identify and address clinically relevant problems.
• Serve as a liaison with the Children’s Mercy Research Institue (CMRI) to ensure collaboration both at the operational and strategic levels.
• Work with Heart Center leadership to develop staffing and budgetary plans and to monitor the financial performance of the program.
• Work with the Department of Philanthropy to identify sources of philanthropic support.
• Regularly assess research staffing to ensure capacity and adequacy to achieve the research mission. 

Candidate Profile

The ideal physician candidate should be board-certified or board-eligible in Pediatric Cardiology; PhD candidates should have a career focus on pediatric cardiac research. Applicants’ current academic rank could range from Assistant Professor to Professor. Familiarity with federal funding and/or industry / foundation sponsored clinical trials is required. We value prior experience as a Principal Investigator or Project Director under federal grants or cooperative agreements, familiarity with award processes, experience as a PI on industry sponsored clinical trials and/or investigator initiated research, and/or knowledge of regulatory requirements of the FDA, GCP, and applicable IRB/IACUC requirements.

The successful applicant must share our unwavering commitment to excellence, integrity, collegiality, antiracism, and respect for inclusion of individuals with diverse backgrounds. They should have experience with leading teams. Desired style and personality traits include flexibility, creativity, transparency, accessibility, thoughtfulness, insight, confidence, fairness, humility and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. LEAN experience is preferred; CMKC is fully committed to LEAN, and provides a wide range of LEAN training opportunities.

Potential resources include startup funding, CMRI space, and the recruitment of faculty and staff.

Please request the appendix from physicianjobs@cmh.edu for additional details regarding the Children’s Mercy Research Institute, TWFHC clinical and research program, funding and academic productivity.

EEO Employer/Disabled/VE

Please apply with CV and Cover Letter to link above or send to physicianjobs@cmh.edu

For more information:

Aliessa Barnes MD

Co-Director, Ward Family Heart Center

Chief, Section of Cardiology

Phone (816) 983-6225

apbarnes@cmh.edu

For more information about Children’s Mercy Kansas City and about Kansas City itself, visit cmkc.link/TakeYourPlace.

At Children’s Mercy, we are committed to ensuring that everyone feels welcomed within our walls. A successful candidate for this position will join us as we strive to create a workplace that reflects the community we serve, as well as our core values of kindness, curiosity, inclusion, team and integrity.

Additionally, it’s important to us that we remain transparent with all potential job candidates. Because we value the safety of the patients and families we serve, as well as the Children’s Mercy staff, we want to let you know that the seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccines are a condition of employment for all employees in our organization. New employees must be willing to be vaccinated if found non-immune to measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) and chicken pox (varicella) and/or without evidence of tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccination since 2005. If you become a finalist for this position, and have any concerns about receiving these vaccines, medical and/or religious exemptions can be further discussed with Human Resources.

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 all are 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.

CM is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce. Our patients and families come from all walks of life, and so do we. We know that our greatest strengths come from the people who make up our team so we hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it makes our hospital stronger and our patient care more compassionate. If you share our values and our enthusiasm for service, you will find a home at CM. In recruiting for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that you can bring, including education, ideas, culture, ethnicity, race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, age, languages spoken, veteran status, color, religion, disability and beliefs.