Director and Professor

Company: University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Location: Lafayette
Posted on: March 18, 2023

Job Description:

Position Title: VP Research: Director and ProfessorDepartment: 5000-VP ResearchResponsibilities:Title: Director, Louisiana Center for Health Innovation
(LCHI); Professor, College of Nursing and Health Sciences; The Dr. J.
Robert Rivet Endowed Chair & The Acadian Ambulance Service/BORSF Eminent
Scholar Endowed Chair in Health InformaticsOrganization: University of Louisiana at LafayetteReports to: Vice President for Research, Innovation, and
Economic Development & Dean, College of Nursing and Health SciencesLocation: Lafayette, LouisianaWebsite: http://lchi.louisiana.eduSummary of Opportunity:The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL
Lafayette), a Carnegie R1 Top-Tier Research University seeks an
entrepreneurial, innovative, and dynamic leader with research experience to
lead the Louisiana Center for Health Innovation (LCHI) and to become the holder
of a prestigious "Super Chair" resulting from integrating two Endowed Chairs
within the College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CONHS). This Super Chair is
the only one of its kind in the State of Louisiana, and its priority is
improving population and public health outcomes through translational science, community-engaged
research, and innovation.The vision of the Center is to improve population
health, health equity, and public health outcomes by focusing on translational
research; applying innovations in clinical and health informatics and data
analytics; supporting the acceleration of pre-clinical and clinical trials;
engaging underserved and vulnerable populations; and supporting entrepreneurial
activities that seek to improve population health outcomes. The LCHI Director
will build on the foundations of a large, multi-year, multi-million-dollar
ongoing strategic innovation partnership between the University and the
Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), and strong partnerships between UL
Lafayette, UL System universities, and a vibrant healthcare ecosystem
comprising of healthcare providers, payers, and other stakeholders within the
region and across the State of Louisiana. Significant opportunities exist for
clinical and research collaborations with health systems including Our Lady of Lourdes
and/or Ochsner/Lafayette General Health system.The successful candidate will lead efforts and
build coalitions across the stakeholders in the community to accelerate and
translate externally funded research results to improved health outcomes. The
LCHI Director will develop and lead teams in addressing challenges faced by
clinical researchers in the rapidly evolving, data-intensive healthcare
systems. The candidate will provide leadership in the research and educational
activities of the CONHS, one of the most prestigious nursing schools in the
state and region. This individual will enhance interdisciplinary collaborations
and expand relationships in place with nursing and allied health programs
throughout the state and build on the relationships within the healthcare
community throughout the region and the state. The selected candidate will have
an academic appointment at the rank of Professor in addition to being the
holder of the Super Chair resulting from the integration of the Dr. J. Robert
Rivet Endowed Chair and the Acadian Ambulance Service/BORSF Eminent Scholar
Endowed Chair in Health Informatics, within the CONHS.In addition to benefiting from the substantial
annual endowment yields of the Super Chair, the LCHI Director will leverage an
annual allocation of operating funds from the Office of Vice President for
Research, Innovation, & Economic Development to LCHI in taking the research
program to the next level. The LCHI combines faculty from multiple colleges
across the university in such diverse areas of expertise as computer science,
health informatics, big data, nursing, and psychology. In addition, the LCHI is
staffed with full-time research professionals in health informatics, data
analytics, business intelligence, visualization, enterprise computing, and
software development. Further, the Center accesses experienced administrative,
project management, proposal development, and contract management staff in
place at the Informatics Research Institute that houses the Center. Organizational Overview:About the Louisiana Center for
Health InnovationLCHI is a
cross-disciplinary enterprise that coalesces faculty with expertise in computer
science, health informatics, big data, nursing, and psychology. In addition,
the LCHI is staffed with full-time research professionals in health
informatics, data analytics, business intelligence, and software development.
Further, LCHI accesses experienced administrative, project management, proposal
development, and contract management staff at the Informatics Research
Institute (IRI) that houses the Center. The Center's
vision is in alignment with the strategic research priorities of the University;
the economic development priorities of the region and the state of Louisiana to
grow the healthcare sector; the vision of the Secretary of the Louisiana
Department of Health to leverage their partnership with UL Lafayette to improve
public health outcomes in Louisiana; and the vision of the Louisiana's
Congressional delegation to improve Louisiana's reputation as a healthcare
innovator by leveraging UL Lafayette's and UL Systems' assets in the areas of life
sciences and computing. The director will help steer the University's efforts
to enhance these alignments with thoughtful leadership, compelling vision, and
purposeful execution. About the Informatics Research
InstituteLCHI is a
component of the University Research Division's Informatics Research Institute
(IRI). For over 20 years, the University has collaborated with the Louisiana
Department of Health to develop data-driven analytical tools, decision support
systems, and business intelligence solutions that promote health delivery,
population health, and health outcomes across the state. This partnership
involves software architect/developers, database administrators, research
scientists, and administrative support of the University, working alongside
multiple LDH stakeholders, including the Secretary's leadership team in
designing, developing, and maintaining systems across the agency for the
assessment and evaluation of policy implementation, performance, and quality
outcomes while ensuring privacy and security of data. LCHI has been established
to coalesce the University's healthcare innovation work into a center with a
focused health-oriented mission. IRI and its component research centers enable
multidisciplinary R&D in the transformation of information to solve
problems that benefit society. IRI is home to the Center for Visual and
Decision Informatics (CVDI), a multi-university, multi-industry consortium
established and funded by the National Science Foundation that focuses on data
science and producing the next-generation innovations in Big Data management,
analytics, and visualization.IRI has a staff
of approximately 15 professionals and an annual funded research portfolio of
over $3 million in health informatics that will support the LCHI Director's
efforts to build a national research program. The University's active
partnerships with healthcare partners within the regional healthcare ecosystem,
LDH, and REACHnet/PCORnet give LCHI potential access to over 5 million patient
records across Louisiana and southeastern Texas regions.About the College of Nursing and Health
SciencesIn its 71 years as an academic college, the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and
its graduates have a strong positive reputation for rigor and success
throughout the state of Louisiana and the southern region of the United States.
With an enrollment of approximately 2,000 students, the College offers degree
programs at the baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral levels in Nursing, Health
Information Management, and Health Services Administration. The College also
offers graduate certificate programs in Cardiovascular Nursing and Population
Health. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at UL Lafayette is one of
the nation's premier programs and one of the country's largest traditional
nursing programs. Other nationally recognized programs in the College include
the Master of Science in Nursing program, which is ranked in the top 12% of
online master's nursing programs, and the Doctor of Nursing Practice program,
ranked in the top 35% of programs by US News and World Reports. The Department
of Nursing holds the prestigious designation as a Center of Excellence in
Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing. The Department's Simulation
Program is one of only approximately 140 programs worldwide to have achieved
accreditation by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. The Department has
also achieved distinction as an End-of-Life Hall of Fame Program. Faculty in
the College are national leaders in their respective disciplines, with several
achieving Fellow status in honor societies and professional organizations,
including the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), National Academies of
Practice (FNAP), American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP), and
American Health Information Management Association (FAHIMA). The College has established and maintained
extensive partnerships with health care institutions throughout Louisiana and
beyond, ensuring substantial opportunities for undergraduate and graduate
students to engage in direct care clinical activities and potential faculty
research activities. Partnerships with
hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities, schools, community health
centers, and psychiatric institutions are vital to the success of these
programs, providing the entire spectrum of opportunities for clinical practice.
Support from partnering institutions provides resources to enable nursing
students to achieve designated program outcomes.About the University of Louisiana at
LafayetteThe University of Louisiana at
Lafayette has achieved the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher
Education's elite R1 designation. That places UL Lafayette among the nation's
top tier of public and private research institutions, those with "very high
research activity," according to Carnegie. About 3%, of the nation's colleges and universities have
R1 status, which is synonymous with academic excellence, research, innovation,
and global impact. In the most recent NSF Higher Education R&D Expenditures
(HERD) report for FY 2020, the University reported more than $164M in R&D
expenditures, which doubled in the past six years. The National Science
Foundation recently ranked UL Lafayette in the Top 7 Universities in the US for
industry-funded research. The mission of the University of Louisiana at
Lafayette is to offer exceptional education informed by diverse world views
striving to develop innovative leaders who advance knowledge. Through research,
and with a motto of commitment to research for a reason, the University
engages the intellectual curiosity of its faculty and students in solving grand
societal challenges and in fostering economic growth and well-being in the
state. Founded in 1898, the University is accredited by the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, UL Lafayette is a public
research university with very high research activity with an enrollment of
16,225 students and 628 full-time faculty members. UL Lafayette is the largest
of nine universities in the University of Louisiana System. The University
offers more than 80 majors and more than 30 graduate programs. The University
is in a region known for incredible food, music, hospitality, and joie de vivre
- an exuberant enjoyment of life. Located in the heart of Cajun and Creole
country, you will find this rich heritage celebrated within our traditions and
day-to-day life. About the Regional Healthcare EcosystemOnce known as a hub for the oil and gas
industry, Lafayette is now recognized as a hub for healthcare innovation, with
the healthcare industry becoming the largest employer in Lafayette Parish. The
community is home to several leading healthcare companies, including:Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Center: Our Lady of Lourdes provides care across the full spectrum of life for pediatric and adult patients across a range of illness and injury, including those that are extremely complex. It employs more than 2,800 staff, including more than 840 doctors in a variety of medical and surgical specialties, including the area's only Level 3 Surgical Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.Founded by the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady in 1949, Our Lady of Lourdes is focused on the healing ministry of Jesus Christ. As part of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, the largest locally owned, not-for-profit health system in Louisiana, our hospitals have access to statewide resources and patient populations.Ochsner Lafayette General: The region's largest non-profit, community-owned health system, with over 4,000 employees, Ochsner is the largest and the fastest-growing Level 2 Trauma Center between Houston and Atlanta. Ochsner Lafayette General also has clinical affiliations with several other hospitals and professional medical centers across South Louisiana. Ochsner Lafayette General Medical Center and Ochsner University Hospital & Clinics, Acadiana's only two teaching hospitals, provide graduate medical education across many disciplines.LHC Group: In early 2021, the CONHS was the beneficiary of a historic and transformational $20 million investment by LHC Group. The donation was the largest single private investment in an academic college in the 123-year history of the University. The investment from LHC Group, a national leader in the provision of home health and post-acute care services, is a lead gift towards the construction of a new nursing and health sciences building that will facilitate the expansion of current programs and the ability to create new programs. The LHC Group donation will also propel the growth of the research and scholarly mission of the College by funding numerous faculty and student research and development opportunities.Acadian Companies: with over 4,000 employees, Acadian is the nation's largest, privately held, medical transportation company. Acadian Ambulance is an employee-owner private ambulance service that covers most of the state of Louisiana, a large portion of Texas, and one county in Mississippi and Tennessee.Cardiovascular Institute of the South: Provider of state-of-the-art, cutting-edge, advanced cardiovascular care throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Illinois. While each of these companies and
organizations is an innovator in its own right, they collaborate to create a
powerful ecosystem and an interconnected continuum of care model. The
University's strong partnerships with these companies and the
interconnectedness of these healthcare organizations have positioned Lafayette
to be designated by The White House as the "Living Lab for Health
Innovation," a place for the best new ideas, technologies, and
paradigms in healthcare to be created, tested and validated. With funding from
the US Economic Development Administration and support from the community, the
University has established a healthcare accelerator - Accelerate South - to
help take entrepreneurial healthcare companies with ideas to the next level by
providing them access to this Living Lab, in addition to access to capital,
mentorship, talent, and the marketplace. Our goal is to lead the nation in
healthcare transformation through research, innovation, and partnerships. We
are looking for a transformational leader for LCHI - a change agent that will
lead this charge. Qualifications:Qualification and Role SummaryThe selected candidate will possess an earned terminal degree and appropriate credentials to be tenured as a full professor in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences.The LCHI Director will provide leadership in R&D activities of the Center and secure funding from diversified extramural sources; will build collaborative partnerships with other academic and research programs to advance the goals of the Center and the educational mission of the University; will develop initiatives to promote the Center's contribution to the University's innovation portfolio, through inventions, and development of technologies that can be commercialized; will fully contribute to and benefit from the connected healthcare ecosystem within the region; and will provide direction and management in all aspects of the Center's operations. As the holder of the Dr. J. Robert Rivet Endowed Chair and Acadian Ambulance Service/BORSF Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Health Informatics, the successful candidate will provide leadership in health-informatics-related research and education activities in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. This individual will expand research opportunities, especially those involving interdisciplinary collaborations in the CONHS, strengthen the College's research infrastructure, mentor faculty and graduate students as they develop their own research, and teach one graduate-level course per year.Requirements:Vision and Entrepreneurial Agility: Evidence and/or ability to creatively develop new ideas and initiatives. Demonstrated track record and or ability to provide strategic vision for a dynamic enterprise.Credibility: Earned doctorate in an appropriate discipline with an emphasis in one or more of the following areas: health informatics; public health; health education; health administration; nursing; computing; or informatics. Experience in clinical informatics or biomedical informatics. Leadership experience in a Translational and Integrative Sciences unit is preferred. This individual must have standing in an area/field and be viewed as a thought leader required to promote LCHI's and the College's work and activities.Grantsmanship: Demonstrated track record of funded research with a preference towards federal funding. Relevant experience working with federal agencies (e.g., HHS, CDC, NIH, NINR, foundations, and private sector sponsors) is desired.Collaborative and Collegial: Evidence of building effective interdisciplinary partnerships and research projects in a thoughtful and transparent manner.Relationship and Stakeholder Management: Demonstrated experience in building, sustaining, and deepening relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders, including faculty, staff, students, donors, external healthcare ecosystem partners, state and federal agencies, and others. Teaching: This individual will also be expected to teach one graduate class a year, focusing primarily on growing the college and university research programs.People and Project Management: The ability to inspire and empower faculty and staff, oversee large and complex projects, and meet deadlines is required.SalaryCommensurate with qualifications and experience.ApplicationsThe search committee will review applications immediately and continue until the position is filled. Candidates should send a letter of intent, curriculum vitae, a research statement, name, address, and telephone number of at least four references. Additional materials of the candidate's choice may also be sent.Applications should be addressed to Interim Dean Lisa Broussard, College of Nursing and Health Sciences.Job Ad#(req1888)

Keywords: University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette , Director and Professor, Executive , Lafayette, Louisiana