Director, UTRGV Institute for Neurosciences; Chair, Department of Neurosciences

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine (UTRGV SOM) invites applications and nominations for the position of Director, UTRGV Institute for Neurosciences; Chair, Department of Neurosciences.

The UTRGV SOM Institute for Neurosciences, to be housed in Harlingen, was established in 2017 with the $15 million gift from The Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation and a gift of land. The Institute commitment would support multiple faculty recruits, including PhDs and MDs across the breadth of the specialties, and support of a separate facility, totaling approximately 50,000 square feet, to house the clinical, education, and research footprint of the Institute, equipment funding for clinical and research infrastructure, and a multi-purpose clinical building. An Endowed Chair will support the recruitment of a visionary wanting to grow the footprint of extramural funding for translatable clinical application.

Reporting to the Dean, UTRGV School of Medicine, the Director/Chair will play an instrumental role in advancing research, clinical care, and education in the neurosciences to support UTRGV SOM’s focus on conducting research that directly addresses the health care issues of the Valley and the training of the next generation of physician scientists. The Director/Chair will have the freedom to create a truly innovative, collaborative, and entrepreneurial environment and is expected to work in close collaboration with faculty throughout UTRGV to facilitate interdisciplinary neurosciences research, education, and clinical care.

Established in 2013 by the Texas Legislature, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine (UTRGV SOM) received its preliminary accreditation in October 2015 from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and opened in the summer of 2016 welcoming 55 students into its charter class. The UTRGV SOM’s administrative offices are on the UTRGV campus in Edinburg. Regional facilities include the Clinical Education Regional Academic Health Center in Harlingen, the Medical Research Regional Academic Health Center in Edinburg, the South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute Genomics Center, and the UTRGV Smart Hospital, a 15,000-square-foot state-of-the-art simulation teaching hospital, also in Harlingen.

UTRGV seeks an accomplished academic neuroscience research leader with an MD, and/or PhD, and appropriate academic qualifications for appointment at the rank of Professor. Candidates must possess a strong record of progressive administrative and leadership experience along with strong interpersonal and communication skills necessary to foster teamwork and collaboration in neurosciences across UTRGV.

Nominations, expressions of interest, and applications may be submitted confidentially to the consultants assisting UTRGV with this search at: UTRGVNeurosciences@wittkieffer.com. Applications should include a cover letter and curriculum vitae. Inquiries by phone should be directed to Marvene Eastham at: 713-266-6779 or Claudia Teschky: 630-575-6172. All replies will be treated with confidentiality. The review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer including protected veterans and persons with disabilities. All faculty appointments are designated as security sensitive positions.