Description
The University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine (SOM) is recruiting a Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine. The successful candidate will lead a growing department and work closely with health system and SOM leadership to advance UW Medicine's mission to improve the health of the public through excellence in clinical care, research, and education in an emerging department poised for advancement.
The Department operates three emergency departments in Seattle: including the UW Medical Center Montlake and Northwest campuses, and one at Harborview Medical Center, the only level I adult and pediatric trauma and burn center for a four-state region. These emergency departments combined treat over 130,000 patients per year, providing care for their communities and the region. The Department maintains robust academic programs, including a residency, five fellowships, and a top-20 NIH funded research portfolio.
The chair will work closely with SOM and health system leadership to craft a vision for the Department that leverages the existing strengths of the Department, recognizes the opportunities for innovation in emergency medicine, and serves the needs of patients. This vision includes the opportunity to design a new, state-of-the-art emergency department at Harborview Medical Center, implementing workflows and technology to improve patient outcomes, integrating emergency services with the continuum of hospital and ambulatory care, and building collaborations to provide the highest quality of care. The chair will be a strong supporter of research, providing guidance and expertise to investigators at all different career stages. The chair will also be focused on workforce development, including supporting the Department's educational programs, recruiting faculty, and providing mentorship to develop faculty as clinicians, educators, researchers, and leaders. With the rapid pace of transformation in academic medicine and emergency medicine, the chair will support a culture that emphasizes well-being during a period of change.
The chair will be a visionary leader with a strong commitment to advancing education, research, clinical care, health equity, and well-being.
ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT
The Department of Emergency Medicine was created in 2009, originally existing as a division within the Department of Medicine. The division transitioned to a full academic department in 2017. The Department has more than 100 full-time faculty, 66 residents, 10 fellows, and more than 50 staff. Faculty provide care for patients at UWMC Montlake, UWMC Northwest, and Harborview Medical Center. The Department consists of sections of population health, EMS, ultrasound, and critical care. The Department works closely with Airlift Northwest, which transports more than 4,500 patients every year across Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho, and Oregon.
The Department offers a four-year, ACGME accredited residency training program in emergency medicine, matching 18 residents per class. Residents train at Harboview Medical Center, UWMC-Montlake, and Seattle Children's. The Department also offers fellowships in advanced emergency medicine ultrasonography, emergency medical services, global emergency medicine and rural health, medical education research, and population health research. There are also collaborative fellowships in critical care medicine with the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine and in clinical informatics with the Department of Family Medicine. The Department also supports Medic One, a key component of King County's Emergency Medical Service system and paramedic training program at Harborview Medical Center.
The Department of Emergency Medicine has secured over $10.8 million in research funding in the past two years. The Department includes four R01-funded principal investigators and multiple faculty leaders of research programs in resuscitation science, population health, and future practice innovation. Current projects span diverse areas such as Medicare policy impacts on hospital observation stays, community-based HIV treatment delivery for refugees, optimal cooling and biomarker predictors after cardiac arrest, addiction treatment engagement, post-cardiac arrest recovery, and prehospital whole-blood resuscitation for hemorrhagic shock. The Department also supports robust prehospital and emergency medical services research programs focused on cardiac arrest and a data science research initiative. Additional collaborative studies address diagnostic accuracy, pediatric trauma recovery, and medical education. The Department hosts two research centers of excellence, including The UW Center for Health and the Global Environment (CHanGE), which focuses on the health impacts of climate change and the development of interventions to reduce climate-related health risks. The UW Resuscitation Engineering Science Unit (RESCU) also develops and translates next-generation technologies to improve survival from trauma and shock by integrating clinicians, scientists, and engineers. Investigators are supported by a comprehensive research infrastructure that provides centralized administrative, regulatory, biostatistical, and financial support alongside emergency department-based research operations, including dedicated research coordinators and assistants for patient screening, consent, and enrollment, and basic and translational science laboratories.
ROLE OF THE CHAIR
Reporting to the CEO, UW Medicine, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean of the UW SOM (CEO/EVPMA/Dean), the chair provides leadership across all aspects of the Department. The chair is responsible for all clinical operations, education, and research in the Department and will work closely with SOM and UW Medicine leadership to maintain alignment of the Department with the needs of the school and health system and to ensure the fiscal health of the Department. The chair will focus on faculty development, mentorship, and promoting an inclusive culture as a key tenet of this role.
The chair oversees division heads, medical directors, residency leadership, and vice chairs. The chair also collaborates with other chairs, SOM leadership, and health system leadership to advance multidisciplinary projects and with clinical leaders to implement clinical initiatives.
The position is a full-time and tenured academic position at the rank of Professor. Professors hold indefinite appointments that align with a 12-month service period (July 1-June 30). Faculty with 12-month service periods are paid for 11 months of service over a 12-month period (July-June), meaning the equivalent of one month is available for paid time off. University of Washington faculty engage in teaching, research, and service. Candidates are expected to engage in clinical care.
COMPENSATION
The base salary range for this position will be $27,084 - $33,334 per month ($325,008 - $400,008 annually), commensurate with experience and qualifications, or as mandated by a U.S. Department of Labor prevailing wage determination. This range is inclusive of base salary provided through the UW Physicians (UWP) practice plan, in addition to base salary provided by the University. Please note that only compensation provided by the University is included in University benefit determinations and calculations. Compensation provided by UW Physicians (UWP) practice plan may provide eligibility for separate benefits offered by that organization.
Other Compensation:
In addition to base salary, Department Chairs receive an administrative supplement tied to their administrative role as chair and may be eligible to receive semi-annual additional compensation in lieu of incentive.
UW Physicians Benefits:
Compensation provided by UW Physicians (UWP) practice plan may provide eligibility for separate benefits offered by that organization. Please see additional benefits that may be available: https://faculty.uwmedicine.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/3.-UWP-Benefit-Summary-2025-0.50-FTE-or-Greater-with-UWP-Salary.pdf.
Qualifications
The candidate will possess an MD, MD/PhD, DO, or foreign equivalent degree, and be board-certified in emergency medicine (or equivalent). They will have a distinguished record in academic medicine, demonstrated leadership in emergency medicine, and the ability to work collaboratively to advance impactful initiatives. The candidate will also possess strong administrative acumen and experience with financial and clinical operations in emergency medicine.
Candidates must be eligible for and able to maintain a Washington State medical license. In order to be eligible for University sponsorship for an H-1B visa, graduates of foreign (non-U.S.) medical schools must show successful completion of all three steps of the U.S. Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) or equivalent as determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Application Instructions
To apply, please upload a CV and cover letter. We request that each applicant write a statement about their experiences in helping to create a welcoming and inclusive environment for research, teaching, mentoring, and/or service. In a 1-page statement, the applicant should detail their experiences or plans for supporting the success of faculty, staff, students, trainees from all backgrounds. Application materials must be submitted to Interfolio via the following link:
The UW School of Medicine has retained Isaacson, Miller to assist with this important recruitment. Screening of complete applications will begin immediately and continue until the completion of the search process. Inquiries, nominations, and referrals should be sent via the Isaacson, Miller website: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/university-washington-school-medicine/chair-department-emergency-medicine.
