Job Abstract

The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Medical Faculty Associates are pleased to announce a national search for the Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine. This is a full-time, non-tenure track, faculty position that provides a remarkable opportunity to lead an exceptional academic and clinical department known nationally for providing outstanding patient care, fostering the medical and biomedical education of the next generation, and pursuing innovative clinical and translational research. 

Founded in 1824, the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) is the 11th oldest medical school in the country and the first in the nation’s capital. Since its establishment, the school has been at the forefront of medical education and has grown to include highly ranked programs in multiple healthcare professions and biomedical sciences in addition to the flagship MD program. With dozens of top-tier residency programs, SMHS is a highly competitive and esteemed destination for medical school graduates across the country. Outside of the classroom, students and trainees enjoy unmatched opportunities to engage with nearby government, non-governmental, and non-profit organizations — many of these opportunities enabled by the school’s prime location in the nation’s capital.

The GW academic medical enterprise invested in a new center for Population Health and Health Equity. A significant undertaking that highlights GW’s commitment to addressing health disparities is the opening in early 2025 of a new community-based teaching site, the Cedar Hill Regional Medical Center, staffed by GW faculty physicians in the Anacostia region of Washington DC, an area with a historically underserved community in regard to healthcare access. Further expansion of ambulatory clinical sites is in development throughout the national capital region. 

The Chair will serve in the senior leadership group of the faculty practice organization, the GW Medical Faculty Associates, to ensure the delivery of high-quality clinical care, achievement of program objectives, and departmental and faculty engagement to support efficiency and financial goals. The Chair, through their leadership position within GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, is responsible for faculty development and mentoring toward academic advancement through impactful research and scholarship. Additionally, the chair will actively foster a robust culture that supports learning for physicians, advanced practitioners, students, residents, and fellows, and stimulates team performance and innovation, while ensuring ongoing attention to quality and accreditation standards.

The Chair will be charged with leading a unified academic clinical department fostering excellence in clinical care, undergraduate and graduate medical education and fellowship training, and research priorities in the various sections and disciplines in the department, as well as engaging with programs associated with relevant graduate education in the biosciences (PhD, MPH, MS) and with the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.

Applicants must be nationally recognized physicians with an outstanding record of accomplishments in leadership, clinical care, education, and scholarship. An M.D. degree, or equivalent; board certification in Emergency Medicine or comparable credentials; and possession of, or eligibility for, a medical license in the District of Columbia, are required. 

Applicants possessing the appropriate qualifications and experience to be appointed at the academic rank of Professor of Emergency Medicine are invited to apply. The School of Medicine & Health Sciences is committed to building a culturally diverse faculty and strongly encourages applications from candidates from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine.

To apply, complete an online application and upload a detailed curriculum vitae, and letter of interest that highlights the applicant’s personal vision and relevant leadership experience. Review of applications by the search committee will begin on June 17, 2024, and will continue until the position is filled. Only complete applications will be considered.

Candidates are requested to address their letter of interest to the Search Chair:

Jeffrey S. Akman, MD
Leon M. Yochelson Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health
Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health
GW Medical Faculty Associates
School of Medicine and Health Sciences
George Washington University

Director, Faculty Administration

Office of Faculty Affairs

George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences

smhsfacaffairs@gwu.edu

A fuller position description is also available upon request