The Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation (MMI) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) is accepting applications for a clinical geneticist with a proven track record of academic medical center leadership to serve as the Director of Genetic Medicine (Academic Rank DOQ). The Director of Genetic Medicine will provide leadership and oversight of all clinical, educational, and research programs within the department and is responsible for developing the strategic plan for delivery of genetic services in the state and region. The Director holds an endowed professorship through the Friedland Family Foundation to support any clinical, educational, or research needs.
The director also serves as the Division Chief of Medical Genetics within the Department of Pediatrics in the College of Medicine and as the Service Line Chief of Genetics at Children's Hospital of Omaha. The director is expected to work with area healthcare partners and to negotiate, execute, and manage all contracts for the clinical services provided. The director is also expected to be the representative of genetics from MMI, Department of Pediatrics, and Children's Hospital to the broader community. The director reports to the Director of the Munroe-Meyer Institute, with important relationships with the Chair of Pediatrics and the Service Line Director of Genetics at Children's Hospital.
Essential functions include:
Work in partnership with the MMI Institute Director on all clinical, research, staffing, program development, recruitment/hiring, budgetary, and philanthropic initiatives
Work with the MMI Director of Business Services to monitor fiscal and budgetary performance of the genetic service lines
Work in partnership with departmental leadership in the evaluation of faculty and staff performance
Oversee genetic services throughout the lifespan for the state of Nebraska and the region, including prenatal, pediatric, adult, and cancer genetic services.
Foster collaborative partnerships with all MMI Departments, other educational institutions, and colleges on campus as well as across the community and state
Serve as the Director of Rare Disease Center of Excellence
Specific knowledge, skills and abilities:
Effective professional management skills, including the ability to plan, organize and schedule work with a focus on key priorities and deadlines
Excellent communication skills
Ability to build and lead high-performing teams, providing clear direction and guidance
Sound judgement in decision-making flexibility and adaptability to change
Review of applicants will occur on a rolling basis as recruitment is ongoing. Rank will depend on qualifications. Applicants should upload with their application a letter of interest and curriculum vitae.
About MMI Genetic Medicine:
The Department currently has 4 full-time clinical geneticists (one of whom is also a biochemical geneticist) and one part-time clinical geneticist. A newly recruited physician-scientist will be starting in April of 2023. There are also 21 FTE genetic counselors with 2 additional FTE that are currently being recruited, 6 of the genetic counselors are faculty at MMI and serve as course directors for the genetic counseling training program. The Department is supported by 4 genetic counseling associates and 4 office associates/assistants.
The members of the Department of Genetic Medicine leadership team report to the Department Director and include the Director of Genetic Counseling Services, the Genetic Residency Program Director, and the Department Administrator. Additionally, the Genetic Counseling Program Director in the College of Allied Health Professions (CAHP) works collaboratively with the Department Director since all of the faculty and fieldwork supervisors are members of the Department of Genetic Medicine.
The Genetics Residency Program is a collaborative program with the Department of Pediatrics who provide the funding for trainees and the program coordinator. The program is approved for two residents, typically one per year. The program has a recent successful track record of attracting highly competitive individuals. The currently enrolled or matched residents will be completing their training in March of 2023, June of 2023, and June of 2025.
The Genetic Counseling Training Program began matriculating its first class in the fall of 2019 with eight students per year. The fourth class has matriculated in August of 2022 and all graduates to date have secured employment, several of whom have been retained in the department.
The Department has participated in various research projects including the NICUSeq study funded by Illumina, the Genome Answers For Kids study based in Kansas City, and several clinical trials for new drugs targeting inborn errors of metabolism and osteogenesis imperfecta. The department has a dedicated genetic counselor for research and will be hiring it's first physician scientist in the spring of 2023 to begin a research program focused on chromatin structure and its contribution to birth defects.
Children's Hospital Research Institute (CHRI) has provided funding for department members through various grant mechanisms, and any faculty member of the department is eligible for membership within CHRI. The institute has a history of focusing on rare disease research.
About MMI:
MMI is one of the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive intellectual and developmental disability centers in the world. MMI's mission is
A vital enterprise in the nation’s heartland, the University of Nebraska Medical Center has its eye on improving the future of health care in Nebraska and beyond. As Nebraska’s only public academic health sciences center, UNMC is committed to the education of a 21st century health care work force, to finding cures and treatments for devastating diseases, to providing the best care for patients, and to serving our state and its communities through award-winning outreach. UNMC also is committed to embracing the richness of diversity, and is a major economic engine for the state of Nebraska. Led by Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D., UNMC has six colleges, two institutes and a graduate studies program, serving nearly 4,000 students in more than two dozen programs. Our physician assistant program was recently ranked ninth in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, and our primary care program was ranked 17. The university’s physical therapy, pharmacy and public health programs also are ranked among the top in the country.
Read more about how this public academic health sciences center helps Nebraska.