Associate Dean of Clinical Services

ASO DEAN & ASO/FULL PROF

The University of Florida (UF) College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is recruiting a positive, effective and visionary leader for the Associate Dean (AD) of Clinical Services (small animal emphasis) for the UF Veterinary Hospitals (UFVH). This leadership position will report to and advise the CVM Dean on matters related to the management and operations of the UFVH and will be responsible for future development and implementation of strategic plans, service growth and the delivery of excellent patient-centric care. The AD will collaborate with CVM and UFVH leaders, including academic department chairs, associate deans, directors and service chiefs, to (1) ensure effective delivery of outstanding patient/client-centered care, (2) ensure that the UFVH meets the major needs for clinical training of professional students, interns, residents and fellows and (3) provide an effective environment to conduct clinical research and clinical trials within the UFVH. Rank and salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience of the candidate.

The UF Small Animal Hospital enterprise spans 3 locations, over 20 specialty services, 90 small animal clinicians, 86 small animal house officers, 427 clinical support staff (346 support the small animal operations) and 63,847 small animal patients in FY23. The small animal hospital in Gainesville is a Level 1 Veterinary Emergency & Critical Care Society (VECCS) certified facility and an American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) accredited hospital. The UFVH has a $54.6M annual operating budget. The UFVH supports a growing Clinical Trials program and the most sophisticated and integrated Patient Quality and Safety program in academic medicine.

Specific activities for which the AD will have primary or shared responsibilities include:

• Leadership - AD will develop and execute strategic plans for the Small Animal Hospital to be the leader in academic veterinary clinical medicine; actively develop programs to improve quality of life and wellbeing for staff, house officers and faculty as it pertains to the work environment; develop and provide mentorship to foster leadership skills for managers, service chiefs and new personnel.
• Administration - AD will oversee operations of the UF Small Animal Hospital, pharmacy, as well as the satellite emergency clinic (UF Pets Emergency Hospital) and the Small Animal Hospital located at the World Equestrian Center, both located offsite in Ocala, FL. This includes oversight of facilities, equipment and maintaining compliance with UF, state and federal regulations.
• Personnel Management – AD will oversee small animal clinical activities of faculty in the UFVH, as well as all activities of locums, house officers and hospital staff.
• Financial Responsibility – AD will work with the Hospital Board to develop and oversee small animal annual service budgets and have primary responsibility for regular monitoring of all aspects of small animal business operations and satellite business operations. Work directly with the Dean, Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer on fiscal performance, revenues, expenditures, fee structures and accounts receivables.
• Clinical Service Activities – AD will oversee the quality of small animal clinical services provided by UFVH clinicians and staff. Oversee the Assistant Dean/ Chief Medical Officer and the Patient, Quality and Safety Program. The AD is responsible for maintaining the highest level of patient care and exceptional client experiences by maintaining VECCS and AAHA accreditation.
• Clinical Educational Activities – AD will work with the CVM Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs and UFVH service chiefs to provide an exemplary clinical training program for CVM DVM professional students to meet the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education accreditation standards. This includes implementation of clinical teaching innovations and the development of new or enhanced clerkship training opportunities in UFVH clinical services. In addition, the AD will oversee programs for small animal professional training of house officers, including interns, residents and fellows in conjunction with the Director of House Officer Programs.
• Clinical Research Activities – AD will work with the CVM Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Studies, academic department chairs and CVM faculty to oversee use of the small animal facilities, equipment and personnel in the conduct of clinical research and clinical trials and will be responsible for compliance with hospital rules and regulations pertaining to patient safety and confidentiality.
• Outreach, Public Relations and Marketing – AD will oversee the organization of annual events and continuing education opportunities that pertain to and promote clinical services of the UFVH. In addition, the AD will coordinate major outreach activities including UFVH marketing operations, engagement with the community of referring veterinarians (RDVMs) and efforts to determine the level of satisfaction with UFVH clinical services among key stakeholders, including RDVMs and clients. The AD will work with the Office of Advancement to cultivate philanthropic support that benefits the small animal operations.

The University of Florida is the No. 1 public university in the county by The Wall Street Journal. The CVM is part of the UF Health Science Center, which includes five other health-related colleges (Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Public Health & Health Professions) and is one of only three academic health centers in the nation where all six health-related colleges are located on a single campus. In addition to the college’s health center affiliation, the UF CVM is aligned strategically with the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and has strong ties with the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Together, these alliances create opportunities for vibrant research collaborations that are fostered through campus-wide research institutes and centers, including the Breathing Research and Therapeutic Center, The McKnight Brain Institute, Clinical Translational Science Institute, the Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology, the One Health Center of Excellence, Artificial Intelligence, and many others.

Rank and salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience of the candidate.

Applicants must have a DVM (or equivalent) and should have 6 or more years of professional experience in academic veterinary medicine or specialty practice.

Applicants must demonstrate leadership skills in managing complex organizations with an understanding of delivering high quality client/patient-centric care in a learning environment.

Applicants must have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a solid foundation in building a collaborative and transparent work environment and demonstrated experience in conflict resolution and team building.

Advanced clinical training and board certification in a clinical specialty is preferred.

Applicants with significant experience in business/hospital management and organizational management will be given additional favorable consideration.

The successful candidate will have an academic appointment as Associate Professor or Professor (Clinical or Tenure Track as appropriate) in the UFCVM and, accordingly, will have the opportunity to develop a focus area for scholarly activity. The successful candidate may also contribute to the CVM teaching mission by participating in professional DVM student education. Potential areas for scholarly activities will be defined through negotiations with the Dean, and may include one or more broad initiatives related to clinical research, clinical service, academic veterinary hospital management or other areas that are relevant to the AD’s background and interests.

Interested individuals must submit:

1. Current curriculum vitae
2. Letter of intent indicating interest in the position, qualifications, leadership philosophy and vision and how the applicant’s experience supports that vision and their career goals.
3. Contact information of three individuals who are willing to write letters in support of their application. The letters of recommendation should be from individuals that can speak to all aspects of a candidate’s capabilities relative to the job duties listed here.

Email inquiries: Dr. Shelia Carrera-Justiz, Search Committee Chair at [email protected] are welcome; however, applications must be submitted online. Applications for requisition number 528995 and supporting documents must be submitted online, by 11:55 p.m. (ET) of the posting end date of November 13, 2023. Review of applications will begin on November 14, 2023 and will continue until a suitable candidate has been hired. Interviews will be scheduled during November and early December, 2023. Individuals who wish to nominate a candidate should submit a letter of nomination, including the name, position, address, telephone number and email address of the nominee to Dr. Shelia Carrera-Justiz at [email protected].

Final candidates will be required to provide an official transcript to the hiring department upon hire. A transcript will not be considered “official” if a designation of “Issued to Student” is visible. Degrees earned from an education institution outside of the United States are required to be evaluated by a professional credentialing service provider approved by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES), which can be found at http://www.naces.org/.

The University of Florida is An Equal Employment Opportunity Institution. If accommodation due to a disability is needed to apply for this position, please call 352/392-2477 or the Florida Relay System at 800/955-8771 (TDD). Hiring is contingent upon eligibility to work in the US. Searches are conducted in accordance with Florida's Sunshine Law.

Application must be submitted by 11:55 p.m. (ET) of the posting end date.

This position has been reposted. Previous applicants are still under consideration and need not reapply.