Harvard Medical School

Position Title/Short Description

Full Text of JOE Listing:

The Harvard Medical School seeks an academic leader to serve as Chair of the Department of Health Care Policy
(https://hcp.hms.harvard.edu/) and as Professor of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School.

The mission of the Department of Health Care Policy (“HCP” or the “department”) at Harvard Medical School is to improve the health of the public through insights garnered through comprehensive health policy research. As one of the few academic health policy departments nationwide housed within a leading medical school, HCP has the rare environment to foster the careers of social scientists (including economists, sociologists, and statisticians) and physician-scholars, and also to develop, where interests overlap, close research ties with clinicians at Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals and researchers at other Harvard schools. The department’s wide-ranging research includes a broad set of topics related to the financing, delivery and economics of health care, quality of health care, special and disadvantaged populations, and access to health care. Such studies are often augmented by foundational contributions in other fields such as economics, psychology, statistics and biostatistics. HCP offers courses at the undergraduate level to Harvard College students as well as at the graduate level to students of Harvard Medical School, the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Harvard Business School and doctoral students in the university wide PhD program in health care policy. The department hosts graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and visiting scholars. HCP continues to find innovative ways to impact the field of health policy globally by collaborating with specialists in and out of the department.

Reporting to the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, the department chair is responsible for the overall academic goals and vision of the department. The chair works collaboratively with the Dean, other Pre-Clinical Department Chairs, School Administration and University Administration to ensure the academic vision is in line with the strategic plans of the School and University by:
• Sustaining the faculty infrastructure of the department. The chair must orchestrate a strategy for faculty recruitment, development and promotion to sustain disciplinary excellence, making good-faith efforts to align with the School’s and University’s strategic plan;
• Fostering an intellectually rich, collaborative community among faculty members, post-docs, staff, and students to advance the department’s research and educational missions;
• Creating and nurturing open lines of communication and collaboration with researchers across Harvard University’s many schools and faculties (particularly the Kennedy School, Business School, TH Chan School of Public Health, and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences) as well as health policy scholars at the Harvard-affiliated hospitals who work in synergistic areas of research;
• Working with faculty across Harvard University to support the doctoral program in health policy;
• Advocating on behalf of the department to ensure that it maintains excellence and currency in research, faculty development and education to sustain the department’s reputation as a leading academic center.

The department chair has direct oversight for all departmental faculty and senior administrative employees and is responsible for the administrative and financial management of the department. The department chair is responsible for the development of curricula in health care policy for HMS students, and for supporting the educational activities in other schools in which HCP faculty participate. The department chair plays a key role in fundraising for the department and the school.

Candidates for this position will have the following qualifications:

• A doctoral degree (PhD, MD, or MD/PhD degree) with scholarly expertise in relevant areas of health policy, economics, medical sociology, or health services research;
• A record of academic accomplishment compatible with appointment at the rank of professor at Harvard Medical School;
• Demonstrated capacity for program development and leadership in research and teaching;
• Experience developing and leading large research teams and a successful track record as principal investigator of federal grants or contracts;
• Experience working in higher education, academic medicine, or health care;
• Strong interpersonal, collaborative and leadership skills.
• Focus on health care policy, domestically or internationally.

Harvard University is committed to fostering a campus culture where everyone can thrive and experience a sense of inclusion and belonging. Community members are encouraged to model our values of integrity, responsible mentorship, equity, and excellence no matter where they are. To support this commitment, the external finalist for this position will be required to complete a questionnaire regarding misconduct and Harvard will make parallel inquiries to his/her/their current and former employers. View this link for the definitions of misconduct and processes Harvard will use.

The Harvard Medical School and HCP are committed to building and nurturing an inclusive professional community in which diverse intellectual perspectives are valued. We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Candidates should apply submit their applications through ARIES (https://academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/13408). Nominations, including self-nominations, are encouraged. Please send questions to:

Committee Chairs:

Drs. Leemore Dafny and Vikram Patel
c/o
Jennifer Ryan, Chief of Staff
Jennifer_Ryan2@hms.harvard.edu
Harvard Medical School
25 Shattuck Street
Boston, MA 02115