Chief, Division of Surgical Oncology

University of California - Los Angeles (UCLA); Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 425,000 - 875,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) invites applications for the role of Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology. This tenured position is at the Associate or Full Professor level and anchors a program focused on multidisciplinary cancer care, translational research, and surgical education across UCLA Medical Center campuses.

Successful candidates will demonstrate leadership, clinical excellence, scholarly achievement, and a strong commitment to teaching, mentorship, and

Qualifications

• MD degree or equivalent.
• Eligible for California medical licensure.
• Board certification in General Surgery.
• Academic credentials for UCLA faculty appointment.

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and strategic direction for the Division of Surgical Oncology.
• Advance clinical care, translational research, and multidisciplinary cancer programs.
• Foster education, mentorship, and faculty career development.
• Collaborate with UCLA Health and other disciplines to raise division prominence.

Skills

Leadership

Collaborative teamwork

Mentorship/teaching

Scholarly achievement

Education

MD degree or equivalent

California medical licensure

Board certification in General Surgery

Academic credentials for UCLA faculty appointment

Job description

Position overview

Position title: Chief, Division of Surgical Oncology

Salary range: The posted UC (University of California) salary scales Academic Personnel Programs Compensation Plan Table 5 set the minimum pay determined by rank and step at appointment. See Table 5 accordance with AB 168 and SB 1162, the initial/base salary range for this position is $425,000-$875,000. This position includes membership in the health sciences compensation plan, which provides for eligibility for additional compensation. Academic Personnel Programs Health Sciences Compensation Plan

Application Window

Open date: November 4, 2026

Next review date: Monday, Dec 7, 2026 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time)

Final date: Monday, Jan 4, 2027 at 11:59pm (Pacific Time). Applications will continue to be accepted until this date, but those received after the review date will only be considered if the position has not yet been filled.

Position description

The Department of Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA invites applications for Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology. This tenured faculty position will be at the Associate or Full Professor level.

The Division of Surgical Oncology offers a state-of-the-art approach to cancer therapy that is centered around multi-disciplinary tumor boards and integrated practice clinics and prioritizes clinical/translational research and applied basic laboratory investigations related to the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of malignant solid tumors. Physician investigators within the division have special interest in pancreatic, breast, colon, and gastric cancers, as well as sarcoma, melanoma, and pseudomyxoma peritonei. The program is based at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center and Wadsworth Veterans Administration Medical Center and now is extending into local communities. The Division of Surgical Oncology cultivates the next generation of cancer surgeons through world-class training, pioneering simulation programs, and specialized workshops; including the UCLA General Surgery Residency Program, UCLA Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship Program, and Center for Advanced Surgical & Interventional Technology (CASIT) state-of-the-art surgical education and simulation training. UCLA is also home to the UCLA Surgeon-Scientist Basic Cancer Research Training Program, an NIH-funded T32 training grant that provides surgical residents with premier, multi-year mentored fellowship opportunities to pursue high-impact translational cancer research.

The ideal candidate is a distinguished surgical oncologist with outstanding accomplishments in leadership, clinical care, research, education and service, as well as a passion for interdisciplinary/interprofessional collaboration and institutional growth in a complex and evolving environment. Beyond distinction in their own surgical subspecialty, the ideal candidate will demonstrate the breadth of perspective and leadership capacity to understand, integrate, and advance the diverse surgical disciplines represented within the Division. They will possess the ability to lead across subspecialty boundaries and elevate the collective impact and national prominence of the Division. The successful candidate will combine exceptional clinical insight with superb communication skills and emotional intelligence, experience with strategic planning and financial stewardship, dedication to teaching, mentorship and faculty career development, a strong record of scholarly achievement, and unwavering commitments to professionalism, ethical leadership, and fostering an equitable environment through community engagement and the provision of equitable care. The successful candidate will also demonstrate a commitment to advancing multidisciplinary cancer care through collaboration with the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and colleagues across medical oncology, radiation oncology, and other clinical and research disciplines, while strengthening the Division's local, regional, and national prominence.

All candidates must hold an MD degree or equivalent, have appropriate academic credentials for a faculty appointment within the DGSOM at UCLA at the rank of associate or full professor, hold current board certification in General Surgery, and be eligible for medical licensure in California. Diplomates in Complex General Surgical Oncology are welcomed.

Confidential inquiries, nominations, or submissions of interest (i.e., curriculum vitae, informative personal statement, and response to UCLA's mission statement) are invited and will be considered until an appointment is made:

James S Economou MD, PhD and Mediget Teshome, MD, MPH, FACS (committee co‑chairs) c/o Bridget Hough, Director of Academic & Executive Search, UCLA Health
Email: [e-mail]

The University of California seeks to recruit and retain a diverse workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of California, to maintain the excellence of the University, and to offer our students richly varied disciplines, perspectives and ways of knowing and learning.

The shared values of the DGSOM are expressed in the Cultural North Star, which was developed by members of our community and affirms our unswerving commitment to doing what's right, making things better, and being kind. These are the standards to which we hold ourselves, and one another. Please read more about this important DGSOM program at DGSOM UCLA Medical School Cultural North Star Program.

All aspects of searches are confidential and all candidates are expected to review and abide by UC Regents Policy 1111 on Statement on Ethical Values and Standards of Conduct.

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, bullying and other demeaning behavior, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation. With this commitment as well as a commitment to addressing all forms of academic misconduct, UCLA conducts targeted employment reference checks for finalists to whom departments or other hiring units would like to extend formal offers of appointment into Academic Senate faculty positions. The targeted employment reference checks involve contacting the finalists' current and prior places of employment to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the University's Faculty Code of Conduct.

Department

https://www.uclahealth.org/departments/surgery

Division

https://www.uclahealth.org/departments/surgery/divisions/surgical-oncology

Qualifications

Basic qualifications

MD degree or equivalent

Preferred qualifications

• Eligible for California medical licensure.
• Hold current board certification in General Surgery
• Possess academic credentials for an appropriate appointment in the UCLA faculty series

Application Requirements

• Curriculum Vitae - Your most recently updated C.V.
• Cover Letter
• Reference check authorization release form
• UCLA Mission Statement - As the nation's premier public research university, UC's mission is the creation, dissemination, preservation and application of knowledge for the betterment of our global society. We have a particular responsibility to the people of California which we express in the excellence of the education we provide, the impact of the research we do, the comprehensive, life‑saving medical services we provide, and the public service mission we are devoted to. The University of California promotes the social mobility of its students, equips them with the tools and experience that furthers their ambitions, and regards their accomplishments across the life span as evidence of the profoundly positive impact of higher education. The UCLA campus has expressed these goals in its strategic plan as follows: Deepen our engagement with Los Angeles, Expand our reach as a global university, Enhance our research and creative activities, Elevate how we teach, Become a more effective institution.
• Other (Optional)

Reference requirements

Referencing will be done with candidate permissions at the appropriate time in the search process.

Help contact

[e-mail]

About UCLA

As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements.

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected status under state or federal law.

As a condition of employment, the finalist will be required to disclose if they are subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct.

• Misconduct means any violation of the policies or laws governing conduct at the applicant's previous place of employment, including, but not limited to, violations of policies or laws prohibiting sexual harassment, sexual assault, or other forms of harassment, discrimination, dishonesty, or unethical conduct, as defined by the employer.
• UC Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Policy
• UC Anti-Discrimination Policy for Employees, Students and Third Parties
• APM - 035: Affirimate Action and Nondiscrimination in Employment

Job location

Los Angeles, CA