The VA San Diego Healthcare System is seeking an experienced physician to serve as our Chief of Medicine. This position will report directly to the Chief of Staff (COS).

The Chief of Medicine will be responsible for oversight, direction, and joint program development with the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine. This position requires an academic appointment with our academic affiliate, the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

The Chief of Medicine is responsible for oversight of all physician staff, providers, and administrative staff in Medicine Service.  In particular, the Chief of Medicine is responsible for the full array of clinical operations and administrative functions of inpatient General and Internal Medicine, along with the subspecialties of Allergy, Cardiology, Dermatology, Emergency Medicine, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Geriatrics, Hematology/Oncology, Hospital Medicine, Infectious Disease, Nephrology, Palliative Care, Pulmonary, Rheumatology, and Sleep Medicine.

This position offers a unique blend of administrative responsibilities and the chance to engage in teaching and research, with 10-45% of the role dedicated to clinical work. You will lead performance improvement initiatives, ensuring alignment with VA San Diego Healthcare System (VASDHCS) and Medicine Service goals while supervising Section Chiefs and administrative staff. Collaboration with hospital leadership on strategic initiatives is essential, as is serving as the primary liaison with UCSD School of Medicine to foster interdepartmental partnerships.

In addition to overseeing fiscal management and personnel administration, you will promote research and education opportunities for academic physicians, managing VA-approved research activities.

Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8am - 4:30pm excluding Federal Government holidays. This position is not eligible for telework or hybrid work.

We offer:

• $315,000 - $400,000 compensation package based on training, specialty, experience, and local labor market.
• Recruitment/Relocation Incentive is authorized for a highly qualified applicant.
• Guaranteed salary increases.
• CME: $1,000/year.
• Malpractice: VHA physicians are covered under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
• No employment contracts, noncompete clauses, or restrictive covenants.
• 26 days paid vacation; 13 days paid sick time; 11 paid federal holidays.
• Federal Retirement Pension and separate 401K with 5% agency match.
• Health, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance.

To explore this opportunity further, please forward copy of your Curriculum Vitae to Jacob (Jay) Colón@ Jacob.Colon@va.gov 

Qualifications:

• U.S. Citizenship.
• Unrestricted U.S. Medical License.
• Successful completion of an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA) accredited fellowship in their specialty.
• Board Certification within their specialty.
• 3 years of supervisory experience.
• Record of academic accomplishments commensurate with the rank of associate or full professor (required for academic appointment of this position).

 Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior VA Experience
• 5 years of supervisory experience.
• Experience in administering programs, clinical operations, teaching, and research.

About Va San Diego Healthcare System

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest integrated health care system in the United States, providing care at 1,321 health care facilities, including 172 VA Medical Centers and 1,138 outpatient sites of care of varying complexity (VHA outpatient clinics) to over 9 million Veterans enrolled in the VA health care program. VHA Medical Centers provide a wide range of services including traditional hospital-based services such as surgery, critical care, mental health, orthopedics, pharmacy, radiology and physical therapy. In addition, most of our medical centers offer additional medical and surgical specialty services including audiology & speech pathology, dermatology, dental, geriatrics, neurology, oncology, podiatry, prosthetics, urology, and vision care. Some medical centers also offer advanced services such as organ transplants and plastic surgery.

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