Division Chief for Pain Medicine

University of Virginia; Charlottesville (IN); On-site; USD 250,000 - 420,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Virginia's Department of Anesthesiology invites an accomplished physician-leader to serve as Division Chief of Pain Medicine. The role provides strategic, clinical, academic, and operational leadership for a multidisciplinary team caring for complex pain conditions.

The Chief will establish a clear vision, advance quality and safety, foster faculty development, support research, and strengthen partnerships across UVA Health.

Qualifications

• An MD/DO with Pain Medicine fellowship training and medical licensure eligibility.
• Record of clinical excellence and leadership in pain medicine.
• Demonstrated ability to recruit, mentor, and develop faculty and trainees.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic, clinical, academic, and operational leadership for the Division of Pain Medicine.
• Develop and execute a vision and strategic plan aligned with UVA Health and the School of Medicine.
• Lead initiatives to improve quality, safety, access, and efficiency of pain care.
• Foster multidisciplinary collaboration across anesthesiology, nursing, behavioral health, and surgery.
• Oversee education, research support, and faculty development within the division.
• Recruit and retain talented faculty; plan workforce and succession strategies.
• Ensure robust pain medicine education for residents, fellows, and trainees.

Skills

Multidisciplinary leadership

Pain medicine expertise

Academic leadership

Clinical operations

Program development

Education

MD/DO with Pain Medicine fellowship

Job description

The University of Virginia (UVA) Department of Anesthesiology seeks an accomplished physician-leader to serve as Division Chief of Pain Medicine. The Division Chief will provide strategic, clinical, academic, and operational leadership for a multidisciplinary division caring for patients with complex acute and chronic pain. The successful candidate will establish and advance a clear vision for the division that supports the missions of the Department of Anesthesiology, UVA School of Medicine, and UVA Health.

The Division Chief will be responsible for promoting excellence in clinical care; advancing quality, safety, access, and operational efficiency; supporting faculty and trainee development; strengthening research and scholarship; and fostering productive partnerships across UVA Health. The Chief will also ensure that the division contributes meaningfully to the academic missions of the department and School of Medicine and maintains a strong presence within the broader pain medicine community.

UVA's Pain Management Division provides outpatient and inpatient consultation and treatment, including multidisciplinary evaluation, medication management, behavioral approaches, and interventional pain care. Its clinical work includes spine-related pain, cancer pain, complex regional pain syndrome, and other challenging pain conditions. The division provides education for anesthesiology residents, residents and trainees from multiple specialties, and pain medicine fellows. The incoming Chief will have the opportunity to shape the division's next phase while leading and supporting a collaborative team of physicians and other pain-care professionals.

Position Responsibilities

The Division Chief will:

• Strategic Leadership: Develop and execute a clear vision and strategic plan for the Division of Pain Medicine that advances the clinical, educational, research, and community missions of the Department of Anesthesiology, UVA School of Medicine, and UVA Health.
• Clinical Excellence: Lead the delivery and continued development of safe, evidence-informed, patient-centered, multidisciplinary pain care across outpatient, procedural, and inpatient settings.
• Clinical Programs and Practice Standards: Lead the development and implementation of clinical pathways, protocols, practice standards, and processes that improve the quality, consistency, safety, access, and efficiency of pain care.
• Multidisciplinary Collaboration: Partner with physicians and other clinicians across anesthesiology, nursing, behavioral health, rehabilitation, oncology, palliative care, surgery, primary care, and other specialties to advance coordinated care for patients with complex pain conditions and optimize clinical workflows.
• Quality and Patient Safety: Work with departmental and health-system leadership to monitor clinical outcomes, address quality and patient-safety concerns, and lead appropriate quality-improvement initiatives within the division.
• Operational Leadership: Partner with departmental and health-system administrative leaders to optimize clinical operations, access, resource utilization, and the efficient delivery of pain medicine services.
• Division Governance and Communication: Provide effective leadership and communication within the division, including regular division meetings addressing clinical operations, education, scholarship, faculty development, quality improvement, and other strategic priorities. Represent the division in relevant departmental and health-system leadership activities.
• Faculty Recruitment and Workforce Planning: Assess the division's clinical and academic workforce needs and work with departmental leadership to recruit outstanding faculty and develop a workforce model aligned with the division's current and future needs.
• Faculty Development and Mentorship: Recruit, mentor, develop, and retain faculty and promote opportunities for professional growth, leadership development, scholarship, and academic advancement. Work collaboratively with departmental faculty-development leadership to support faculty career progression.
• Faculty Evaluation and Recognition: Participate in the faculty evaluation, reappointment, and promotion processes and provide meaningful assessment of division faculty members' contributions to the clinical, educational, research, and community missions. Promote appropriate recognition of faculty accomplishments and support nominations for institutional, regional, and national awards and leadership opportunities.
• Education: Ensure a strong educational environment for residents, fellows, and other trainees rotating within Pain Medicine. Collaborate with the Pain Medicine Fellowship Program Director, residency leadership, and other educational leaders to support trainee educational goals, evaluation, curriculum development, mentorship, and recruitment.
• Research and Scholarship: Promote and facilitate clinical research, translational investigation, educational scholarship, quality-improvement scholarship, and other academic activities within the division. Encourage collaboration across disciplines and support faculty in developing productive academic programs.
• National and Academic Engagement: Promote the academic mission and national visibility of the division and encourage meaningful faculty participation and leadership in regional and national pain medicine organizations, scientific meetings, guideline development, and other professional activities.
• Financial Stewardship and Compliance: Partner with departmental administrative leadership to promote responsible fiscal stewardship, appropriate resource utilization, billing and documentation compliance, and the financial sustainability of the division's clinical programs.
• Faculty Onboarding: Work with departmental leadership to support effective orientation and integration of new faculty joining the Division of Pain Medicine and the Department of Anesthesiology.
• Culture and Professionalism: Promote UVA's ASPIRE values and foster a professional, collaborative, respectful, and inclusive environment in which faculty, staff, and trainees can succeed.
• Clinical Practice: Maintain an active clinical practice appropriate to the appointee's expertise, leadership responsibilities, and the clinical needs of the division.

Reporting Relationships and Related Appointments

The Division Chief will report to the Chair of the Department of Anesthesiology and will work closely with departmental executive leadership, including the Executive Vice Chair, Vice Chair for Clinical Operations, and other Vice Chairs and administrative leaders whose areas of responsibility intersect with the division's clinical, educational, research, and faculty-development missions.

The Division Chief will also serve as Medical Director of the Pain Management Center, providing clinical and operational leadership for the Center in partnership with departmental and health-system administrative leadership. The scope of leadership effort associated with the Division Chief and Medical Director responsibilities will be determined as part of the final position structure.

Qualifiations

Candidates must hold an MD, DO, or equivalent medical degree; have completed an appropriate residency and Pain Medicine fellowship training; be eligible for medical licensure in the Commonwealth of Virginia and clinical appointment at UVA; and hold or be eligible for subspecialty certification in Pain Medicine through an applicable American Board of Medical Specialties member board.

Candidates should have a record of clinical excellence, academic accomplishment, leadership, and effective interdisciplinary collaboration consistent with appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.

The strongest candidates will demonstrate:

• A record of effective leadership of clinical teams, programs, or academic initiatives.
• Expertise in multidisciplinary pain medicine and commitment to high-quality, evidence-informed patient care.
• Experience recruiting, mentoring, developing, and retaining faculty.
• Commitment to resident and fellow education and mentorship.
• Experience advancing quality, patient safety, clinical operations, and access to care.
• Academic achievement through research, scholarship, education, quality improvement, or other scholarly contributions.
• The ability to build productive relationships across specialties, disciplines, departments, and the health system.
• Experience with program development, strategic planning, and responsible stewardship of clinical and academic resources.
• Evidence of regional or national engagement in pain medicine or a related field.