Visible Heart Lab Director

University of Minnesota Twin Cities; Minneapolis (MN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player in medical research seeks a visionary leader to direct the Visible Heart Laboratories. This role offers a unique opportunity to advance translational research in cardiovascular physiology and medical device innovation while mentoring the next generation of medical technology professionals. The director will collaborate with industry leaders and academic institutions to drive impactful research and education initiatives. This position not only influences the future of cardiovascular research but also fosters a diverse and inclusive environment, making it an exciting opportunity for those passionate about advancing medical technology and education.

Qualifications

• PhD, MD, or DVM degree required for the Director position.
• Expertise in human physiology and anatomy is essential.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage the Visible Heart Laboratories as chief research officer.
• Collaborate with industry and academic leaders to enhance research opportunities.
• Mentor students and oversee educational programs in medical technology.

Skills

Medical technology innovation

Human physiology

Anatomy

Pre-clinical research

Leadership

Mentoring

Funding acquisition

Collaboration

Education

PhD

MD

DVM

Job description

The Institute for Engineering in Medicine at the University of Minnesota invites nominations and applications for the next Director of the Visible Heart Laboratories, a world-class translational research and education center at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The next Director will further the mission of the Visible Heart Laboratories and the Institute for Engineering in Medicine through its Professional Education and Outreach pillar.

The ideal candidate will be a motivated and visionary leader with significant career accomplishments in medical devices, cardiovascular physiology, cardiac engineering, or related fields. Applications are welcome from individuals with academic, industry, or government experience; they are also welcome from those within and without the University of Minnesota system.
The Visible Heart Laboratories
Website: https://med.umn.edu/vhlab

The Visible Heart Laboratories (VHL) is a premier place to perform translational systems physiology research from cellular and tissue studies to organ and whole-body investigations. Since 1997, the VHL has conducted groundbreaking translational research related to cardiac medical device development and testing, multi-modal cardiac imaging, heart and organ anatomy, muscle pathophysiology, heart and organ preservation methods, biomechanical testing of cardiothoracic and skeletal muscle tissues, and mixed-reality methods for clinical and bioengineering education. Over 200 graduate students, medical students, and post-doctoral fellows have trained in the VHL (along with hundreds of undergraduate students) and have disseminated their findings in hundreds of conference presentations and journal publications. The VHL pioneered a method for reanimating animal and human hearts while using a clear perfusate that enables unparalleled visualization of internal structures, including how medical devices interact with the organ. As part of its education outreach mission, VHL has created and maintains the world’s largest library of plastination and 3D-printed heart specimens that are available as physical models and through the online Atlas of Human Cardiac Anatomy. This library is available to industry medical device designers, clinicians, and students for any purpose related to research and education.

The VHL has a long-standing collaboration with Medtronic that supports translational research and education activities in all areas of cardiovascular anatomy and physiology as well as providing a premier pre-clinical testing platform for next-generation medical devices. The contract enables the VHL to include an unparalleled collection of state-of-the-art clinical medical equipment (with a collective value of several million dollars) for conducting research projects. A second contract with Stratasys has resulted in VHL becoming the leading center in the world for high-resolution 3D printing of hearts for surgical planning, patient education, and device development research.

The VHL recently celebrated its 25th-anniversary. A description of the event is at https://med.umn.edu/surgery/news/25-years-visible-heartr-laboratory-research-training-u-m
The Institute for Engineering in Medicine
Website: https://www.iem.umn.edu/

The Visible Heart Laboratories is a center within the Institute for Engineering in Medicine (IEM) at the University of Minnesota.

The mission of IEM is to translate science and engineering into medical practice by catalyzing engineering and medical science partnerships; integrating cell, molecular, and genome science and medical technology; and building a diverse and equitable culture that connects biomedical engineering ecosystems and possibilities. IEM is an interdisciplinary center that is supported by the Medical School and by the College of Science and Engineering.

IEM is organized around four pillars: The Strategic Research Initiatives pillar facilitates the development of research concepts and teams to advance the impact of engineering in medicine and works with groups that combine clinical and engineering expertise to create competitive applications for large government, industry, and foundation proposals. The Professional Education and Outreach pillar trains and engages the current and next generation of medical technology innovators to bring engineers to clinicians and vice versa. The Inspire pillar inspires middle school, high school, and community college students from diverse communities to pursue STEM degrees and careers in healthcare, biomedical science, and engineering in supportive, culturally inclusive environments for students in all pathways. The Innovation pillar provides leadership and opportunities in technology-based medical innovation both within academia and in collaboration with industry while growing medical technology education, translational research, and commercialization at the University of Minnesota extending out to the biomedical business ecosystem.

The next Director of VHL will be part of the leadership of the IEM Professional Education and Outreach (PEO) pillar working to educate and connect clinicians and engineers from the University and the surrounding medical technology community.

The Position:
The VHL Director position is an annually renewable, 12-month academic administrative appointment. The director will also hold a faculty appointment in either a Medical School or College of Science and Engineering department that aligns with the Director’s background and experience. The type (tenure/tenure track, or research) and rank (assistant professor, associate professor, or professor) of the faculty appointment will be negotiated and will depend on the qualifications and experience of the Director.

The VHL Director reports to the IEM director. For the related faculty position, the VHL Director reports to their faculty department head or chair.

Duties/Responsibilities:
The director serves as the chief research and administrative officer for VHL and is responsible, in consultation with others, for setting the and implementing clear strategic priorities for VHL and for maintaining and growing the reputation of VHL as a world-class cardiovascular translational research center. The director collaborates with leaders of IEM and with other stakeholders across the University and in industry to execute on those priorities and must have the ability to work across disciplines inside and outside the University. The director maintains and grows the VHL portfolio of translational research in cardiovascular physiology and anatomy, device development, and related fields. As a member of the IEM PEO pillar leadership team, the director helps to maintain and grow connections to the University clinical community and the medical technology business community as well as maintaining and growing education opportunities for medical technology professionals.

The position includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Maintain and sustain the long-standing research contract with Medtronic.
• Direct ongoing pre-clinical research contract work.
• Develop new research opportunities that relate to the VHL core mission.
• Teach all or part of existing courses in physiology and medical device design and business development.
• Mentor trainees including graduate and undergraduate students.
• Continue to offer programs that help students to gain entrepreneurial mindsets, solve complex problems, and launch new ventures.
• Oversee the development, implementation, administration, and evaluation of VHL programs, including regular reporting of VHL accomplishments.
• Lead strategic planning that outlines goals, metrics, and outcomes for VHL.
• Develop and oversee financial planning and sustainability for VHL, which includes preparing, prioritizing, and monitoring the VHL budget.
• Expand engagement with existing and new VHL stakeholders, including UMN entities (Medical School, College of Science and Engineering, and numerous institutes and centers), industry partners, and non-profit and government entities.
• Develop outreach strategies related to program communications, development, partnerships, and fundraising.
• Identify and pursue new sponsored research opportunities from industry, government, and foundations.
• As a member of the IEM PEO pillar leadership team, promote existing programs and develop programs that connect clinicians, engineers, and industry through research and education.

Leadership Transition:
Once the next director has started in the position, the current director, Dr. Paul Iaizzo, will assume the title of Senior Advisor to the VHL. Dr. Iaizzo will continue as principal investigator for the long-standing Medtronic-VHL research contract with the new director serving as a co-principal investigator. Dr. Iaizzo will also continue to mentor and advise graduate and undergraduate students. After the transition period (the length of which is to be determined) comes to an end, the director will assume the role of principal investigator for the Medtronic-VHL research contract.

The University of Minnesota values and is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. For this position, we welcome and encourage applications from a diverse community and particularly from persons in groups that are underrepresented in medicine and engineering. We further welcome candidates whose experience in teaching, research, or community service has prepared them to contribute to the University’s commitment to diversity and excellence.

Required Qualifications:

• A PhD, MD, or DVM degree.
• Expertise in human physiology, anatomy, or related fields.
• Excellent knowledge of pre-clinical research.
• Experience in medical technology innovation, including leading medical technology innovation teams.
• Record of leadership and the ability to develop and describe a vision in alignment with the organization’s goals and policies.
• Ability to pursue and obtain competitive funding.
• Experience in mentoring students.
• Ability to communicate and collaborate with engineering and clinical faculty, academic administrators, and with partners from industry.
• Commitment to advancing and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion among faculty, staff, and students.

Preferred Qualifications:

• A record of distinguished scholarly research and teaching that can be the basis for a tenured faculty position in a Medical School or College of Science and Engineering department.
• A distinguished research record in areas related to cardiovascular physiology and anatomy.
• Knowledge and experience with hands-on, active-learning, cardiovascular research environment.
• Hands-on experience with large animal models for pre-clinical research.