Dean and Senior Vice President​/Chief Academic Officer of UT Medical

Overview

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine, Knoxville (UTHSC COM-Knoxville) and UT Medical invite applications and nominations for a collaborative leader with strategic vision and demonstrated ability to balance operational and academic priorities to serve as Dean of UTHSC COM-Knoxville, and as Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer of UT Medical. This role offers the opportunity to shape the academic future of East Tennessee’s only university-affiliated academic medical center, advancing a shared vision for excellence in patient care, medical education, research, and community health impact.

UTHSC COM-Knoxville is a leading academic medical education and clinical research enterprise dedicated to excellence in undergraduate and graduate medical, dental education, and clinical and translational medical research. The College sponsors a robust portfolio of fully accredited residency and fellowship programs in medicine, dentistry, and oral and maxillofacial surgery, while serving as a major clinical training site for third- and fourth-year medical students from University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine, Memphis (UTHSC COM-Memphis) and other institutions.

UTHSC COM-Knoxville consists of 548 faculty, hosts an average of 50 medical students each month, and currently trains 273 residents and fellows, of which 252 are in 20 Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited specialty and subspecialty programs, alongside 15 residents and fellows in Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) accredited dentistry and oral surgery programs and six fellows in other subspecialty programs, reflecting UTHSC COM-Knoxville’s commitment to excellence in graduate medical education.

UT Medical is the primary clinical partner for UTHSC COM-Knoxville, forming a fully integrated academic health system that supports a rapidly expanding research enterprise. Joint research efforts are strategically aligned with the health needs of the Appalachian region, with particular emphasis on health disparities, oncology, cardiovascular and vascular disease, advanced perinatal care, and the development of translational and data-driven technologies. Recent growth in research infrastructure has strengthened investigator-initiated and collaborative clinical and translational research, including expanding cross-state oncology collaborations with the University of Tennessee Knoxville and multiple University of Tennessee Health Science Center colleges.

As the region’s academic health system, three-time Magnet® recognized hospital, and Level I Trauma Center, UT Medical serves as a major referral center for Eastern Tennessee, Southeastern Kentucky, and Western North Carolina. Guided by a mission to serve through healing, education, and discovery, the 710-bed anchoring hospital is home to the region’s only dedicated Heart Hospital, the only transplant center, the region’s first certified comprehensive stroke center, a private-room Level III neonatal intensive care unit, and a regional perinatal center.

Reporting to the Executive Dean, College of Medicine-Memphis and the President and Chief Executive Officer of UT Medical, the Dean and SVP/CAO is charged with strategic leadership across all academic programs, ensuring excellence in medical education, graduate medical education, and research, while fostering a culture of innovation, interprofessional collaboration, and scholarly achievement. The ideal candidate would be a diplomat and a flexible convenor, an experienced clinician educator and mentor, and someone who can support and grow the research mission.

Additionally, the Dean, SVP/CAO will be a community-oriented leader with experience growing programs and forging strong hospital partnerships, who can represent the campus internally and externally.

Qualified candidates must hold an M.D., D.O., or Ph.D. with applicable leadership experience in an academic medical center setting. Progressive academic leadership experience in an LCME-accredited medical school or academic health system is expected, as well as demonstrated success in advancing medical education, GME program growth, and academic-clinical partnership development. The successful candidate will qualify for an appointment as an associate or full professor at UTHSC COM-Knoxville.

UTHSC COM-Knoxville and UT Medical have retained Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist with this search. Inquiries, nominations, referrals, and CVs with cover letters should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website for the search: