Associate or Professor of Clinical Pediatrics (Divison of Endocrinology)-CHLA

The Department of Pediatrics at The Keck School of Medicine (KSOM) of the University of Southern California (USC) and the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) are recruiting an internationally recognized leader to serve as Research Director of the Division. Candidates are expected to qualify for appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor of Clinical Pediatrics. Rank and track will be commensurate with experience.

Candidates must hold an MD, DO, and/or Ph.D. degree and have a strong record of training and scientific achievement preparing them to positively expand research and clinical practice in areas related to diabetes, nutrition, obesity and endocrinology. The successful candidate will enter an environment already rich in translational, clinical, and basic science research in these areas. The Research Director will assume this new leadership role in the Division to oversee the Division’s integration of research and training activities that seek to further the understanding of endocrine disorders, diabetes, and obesity as well as develop novel approaches to disease prediction, prevention, and treatment. One overarching goal of the Division’s work is addressing disparities and inequities in care for marginalized and historically excluded populations with the intent of advocacy and systemic change.

Research within the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism includes bench, translational, and clinical research components; clinical programs; and community outreach. The Director will work to align research activities, define scientific and clinical priorities for the future, and develop a strong research infrastructure moving forward. The successful candidate will develop a productive, collaborative, and vibrant basic, translational, and clinical research program visible to the hospital, university, community, and region.  

The goals for the Research Director include:

• Build research teams to provide a critical mass for future R01s, training grants, and divisional research efforts.
• Expand diabetes, obesity, endocrinology, and nutrition-related translational research by bridging basic and translational science at the USC Keck School of Medicine and CHLA with clinical ecosystems supporting the CHLA patient population and communities served.
• Design mentorship pathways and trainee programs to develop future basic, clinical, and translational scientists.
• Expand collaborative work with scientists, clinicians, and advocates at the Keck School of Medicine and across USC.
• Support research quality and process improvements in the division and across CHLA research infrastructure including in the area of clinical trials.  

Expected deliverables include:

• Strengthen and expand the division’s research portfolio, across basic, clinical, and translational avenues, particularly in marginalized and historically excluded populations.
• Build research infrastructure required to conduct high-quality and high-impact, basic, clinical, and translational research, including clinical trials.
• Assist in integration of research opportunities into clinical care.
• Support the development of training grants including T32 and K12 applications.

• Secure new R01 (or equivalent) awards in collaboration with other researchers at CHLA and or USC, setting the groundwork for divisional training grants for postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty as well as larger center and regional grants.
• Support research financial sustainability across the division by identifying funding opportunities for pilot research or underfunded research programs.
• Participate in philanthropic efforts to promote research efforts and endowments.
• Recruit and provide mentorship for junior and senior research faculty into the division.
• Improve research opportunities across all levels of experience, from student volunteers to senior faculty.
• Increase opportunities to showcase division research at the local, national, and international level through publications, conferences, and events.
• Support efforts to improve access to clinical research support services at CHLA.
• Develop support in the division for centralized patient research registries, medical record data extraction, and quality improvement studies. 

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is affiliated with the University of Southern California and an academic appointment will also be provided through the USC Keck School of Medicine at a level appropriate to training and experience. CHLA and USC strongly value diversity and are committed to equal opportunity in employment. Individuals with all gender expressions, sexual orientations, racial and ethnic identities, disabilities, and/or veterans are encouraged to apply.

The Division of Endocrinology greatly values inclusivity and is committed to building a vibrant, culturally diverse community of faculty that best reflects the patients and families we serve. Individuals from underrepresented, marginalized, historically excluded, and disadvantaged groups in medicine are especially encouraged to apply.

Minimum Education: Ph.D., M.D., and/or D.O.

Preferred Field of Expertise: Research in Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition, Obesity or Metabolism

If interested, please apply using the link above. For further inquiries, please contact Daisy Villatoro (dvillatoro@chla.usc.edu) or either of the co-chairs of the search committee, Dr Brian Dias (bdias@chla.usc.edu)

The annual base salary range for this position is $202,128 -$243,772. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.