Division Chief, Surgical Sciences

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist; Winston-Salem (NC); On-site; USD 250,000 - 350,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base compensation

Paid Time Off

Health and welfare benefits

Retirement plans with employer match

Educational assistance and career development

Education assistance

Job summary

A leading academic health system in Winston-Salem is seeking a Division Chief of Surgical Sciences to drive strategic growth and oversee the research enterprise across multiple surgical subspecialties. The ideal candidate will lead initiatives to secure funding, foster a collaborative research environment, and enhance the department's national reputation through operational excellence. This role offers competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• Strong leadership skills in academic medical settings.
• Experience in developing research initiatives and securing funding.
• Ability to foster collaboration across departments and specialties.

Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic growth of the research enterprise.
• Oversee research infrastructure and regulatory support.
• Drive initiatives to diversify the department’s research portfolio.
• Advocate for research across all surgical subspecialties to grow scholarly impact and national reputation.
• Oversee and expand research infrastructure, including cores, data science, and regulatory support.
• Promote collaboration with CTSI, CRU, and Office of Clinical Research on special projects.
• Improve efficiency of systems to promote regulatory compliance and research productivity.
• Streamline workflows to enhance interdisciplinary collaboration and investigator success.
• Build MD- and PhD-led projects within a coordinated research ecosystem.
• Drive growth of extramural funding by supporting grant applications and identifying opportunities.
• Diversify the research portfolio from discovery to outcomes research.
• Foster partnerships with federal agencies, foundations, and industry for sustained investment.
• Recruit, mentor, and retain a diverse community of investigators and staff.
• Support professional development and research career pathways for faculty and trainees.
• Cultivate collaboration, inclusion, and intellectual curiosity.
• Encourage high-impact publications and national recognition for investigators.
• Facilitate cross-departmental collaborations across Atrium Health Enterprise.

Job description

Division Chief of Surgical Sciences

The Department of Surgery at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist / Wake Forest University School of Medicine seeks an accomplished and visionary academic leader to serve as Division Chief of Surgical Sciences.

Key responsibilities include leading the strategic growth and operational excellence of the department’s research enterprise, supporting basic, translational, clinical, and health services research across multiple surgical subspecialties, and fostering an inclusive, innovative, and funded research environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and implement a unifying vision for the Division of Surgical Sciences that bridges clinical, translational, and basic science research.
• Collaborate with departmental, institutional, and system leadership to align research initiatives with clinical excellence, education, and health equity goals.
• Work with section and institutional leadership to direct strategic planning processes, establish and achieve long‑range goals, and ensure implementation aligns with the institution’s vision and strategic priorities.
• Serve as an advocate for research across all surgical subspecialties, enhancing the department’s scholarly impact and national reputation.
• Oversee and expand research infrastructure, including core facilities, shared laboratory resources, regulatory support, and data science capabilities.
• Ensure healthy collaborative administrative relationships within the Estate of Surgery, the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI), and the Clinical Research Unit (CRU); and work closely with the Director of the Office of Clinical Research on special projects for the Dean’s Office.
• Continuously assess and improve the efficiency of systems and processes to promote operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and research productivity.
• Streamline operational workflows to enhance interdisciplinary collaboration and facilitate investigator success.
• Build systems that enable both MD‑ and PhD‑led projects to thrive within a coordinated research ecosystem.
• Drive growth of extramural research funding by supporting faculty in developing competitive grant applications and identifying new funding opportunities.
• Lead initiatives to diversify the department’s research portfolio across the full spectrum—from discovery science to outcomes and implementation research.
• Foster partnerships with federal agencies, foundations, and industry to sustain long‑term research investment.
• Recruit, mentor, and retain a diverse community of investigators and research staff across surgical specialties.
• Promote professional development and research career pathways for faculty, residents, fellows, and postdoctoral trainees.
• Cultivate a culture of collaboration, inclusion, and intellectual curiosity.
• Encourage and support high‑impact publications, presentations, and national recognition for investigators within the Division.
• Facilitate cross‑departmental and cross‑institutional collaborations that advance multidisciplinary discovery and innovation across the Atrium Health Enterprise.

Benefits and Total Rewards

• Competitive base compensation and pay options including premium and incentive pay.
• Paid Time Off and flexible scheduling programs.
• Health and welfare benefits: medical, dental, vision, life, short‑term and long‑term disability.
• Flexible Spending Accounts for health‑care and dependent‑care expenses.
• Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave.
• Defined‑contribution retirement plans with employer match.
• Educational assistance and career‑development programs.

Atrium Health is a national leader in clinical innovation and health‑care delivery, serving nearly 6 million patients and supporting extensive clinical trials and research studies. The Department of Surgery strives to advance discovery, education, and clinical excellence through an inclusive and collaborative research environment.