Qualifications & Requirements
Clinical LeadershipProvide overall clinical oversight for all acute care psychiatric services.
- Establish and maintain standards for high-quality, evidence-based psychiatric
- Serve as a clinical resource and consultant for complex diagnostic, treatment, and systems-based challenges.
- Foster integration and continuity of care across emergency, inpatient, consultation-liaison, ambulatory, and community settings.
- Promote patient-centered, family-centered, trauma-informed, and recovery-oriented models of
Administrative and Operational Leadership- Develop and implement strategic plans for acute psychiatric
- Partner with hospital leadership to optimize quality, safety, patient experience, access, and operational performance.
- Lead efforts to improve patient throughput, reduce unnecessary length of stay, and enhance care transitions.
- Establish and monitor clinical quality metrics, service excellence indicators, and operational performance measures.
- Ensure compliance with institutional, regulatory, accreditation, and professional
- Collaborate in budgeting, resource allocation, workforce planning, and program development initiatives.
Leadership of Multidisciplinary Teams- Foster a culture of mutual respect among physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers, therapists, advanced practice providers, case managers, and administrative staff.
- Promote effective interdisciplinary communication and
- Lead multidisciplinary efforts to address complex patient care and systems
- Champion a culture of inclusivity and professional well-being initiatives throughout acute care services.
Faculty Leadership and Development- Recruit, retain, mentor, and develop outstanding faculty
- Support faculty advancement, promotion, and academic
- Identify and cultivate future clinical
- Conduct performance reviews of direct report leaders and support their professional growth and develop plans for growth and improvement.
- Facilitate faculty engagement and workforce satisfaction
Academic Mission- Support excellence in medical student, resident, fellow, and interdisciplinary professional
- Promote scholarly activity, quality improvement, innovation, and research initiatives within acute psychiatric services.
- Encourage dissemination of clinical and operational innovations through presentations and publications.
- Serve as a visible academic leader within the department, institution, and
Strategic and Health System Leadership- Represent acute psychiatric services in departmental, hospital, and health system leadership forums.
- Partner with leaders in Emergency Medicine, Hospital Medicine, Neurology, Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Nursing, Care Management, and other
- Advance innovative models of integrated behavioral
- Participate in system-level planning related to behavioral health strategy, capacity management, quality improvement, and service growth.
QualificationsRequired- D. or D.O. degree from an accredited institution.
- Board Certification in
- Eligible for medical
- Academic accomplishments sufficient for appointments at the rank of Associate Professor or full Professor.
- Demonstrated leadership experience within hospital-based psychiatric
- Outstanding interpersonal, communication, and collaborative leadership
Preferred- Significant experience in one or more acute care settings, including, inpatient psychiatry, emergency psychiatry, consultation-liaison psychiatry, or psychiatric hospital operations.
- Experience leading physician leaders and multidisciplinary
- Demonstrated success in quality improvement, patient safety, operational leadership, and clinical program development.
- Established record of teaching, mentorship, and academic
Leadership CompetenciesThe successful candidate will demonstrate:
- Exceptional clinical judgment across the full spectrum of psychiatric
- Integrity, professionalism, and emotional
- Ability to inspire trust and credibility among faculty, trainees, staff, and health system
- Collaborative leadership style that values diverse perspectives and
- Strong conflict management and relationship-building
- Commitment to excellence, innovation, and continuous
- Ability to lead through influence, partnership, and consensus-
How to ApplyInterested faculty are invited to submit a brief letter of interest (2 pages maximum) describing their relevant experience and vision for this role, along with a current curriculum vitae, to Abby Parcell ([redacted])
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. Informal inquiries are welcome.
Job Description
The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences seeks an accomplished academic psychiatrist to serve as Associate Vice Chair of Acute Care Psychiatric Services & Associate Clinical Service Unit Director. This individual will provide strategic, clinical, operational, and administrative leadership for the department's acute psychiatric continuum of care, including Psychiatric Emergency Services, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, and Inpatient Psychiatry.
The Associate Vice Chair of Acute Care Psychiatric Services & Associate Clinical Service Unit Director is the senior physician leader responsible for advancing excellence in patient care, quality, safety, workforce engagement, education, and clinical innovation across acute care psychiatric services. Working collaboratively with departmental, hospital, and health system leadership, this leader will ensure the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based, patient-centered psychiatric care while fostering a culture of professionalism, accountability, collaboration, and respect.
The Associate Vice Chair of Acute Care Psychiatric Services & Associate Clinical Service Unit Director will provide direct supervision and mentorship to the Medical Directors of Emergency Psychiatry, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry, Medicine-Psychiatry, and Inpatient Psychiatry Services and will serve as a key member of the department's clinical leadership team.
Reporting Relationships
Reports to:
- Vice Chair of Adult Psychiatry & Psychology Clinical Services, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and Director of the Clinical Service Unit, Duke University Health System.
Direct Reports:
- Medical Director, Emergency Psychiatry
- Medical Director, Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry
- Medical Director, Inpatient Psychiatry
- Medical Director, Medicine-Psychiatry
- Other designated clinical, administrative, or programmatic leaders
