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Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (Children’s) and Emory University School of Medicine (Emory), Department of Pediatrics, are seeking a physician leader with a strong clinical and academic foundation to serve as Pediatric Abdominal Transplant Surgical Director of one of the largest and most diverse abdominal pediatric transplant programs in the country, focusing on kidney, liver, and dual organ transplantation.

 

The Pediatric Abdominal Transplant Surgical Director will serve as the primary surgical leader for kidney and liver transplant patients at the Egleston/Arthur M. Blank campus, providing strategic leadership and oversight of quality, safety, and clinical operations. They will collaborate with the System Medical Director of Transplant, Medical Director of Kidney Transplant, and Medical Director of Liver Transplant to design care delivery advancing care consistency, efficiency, and a culture of excellence in abdominal transplantation. The Pediatric Abdominal Transplant Surgical Director, in collaboration with the Transplant Medical Directors, will craft the long-term vision for transplant medicine and surgery at Children’s and Emory.

 

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

 

The Pediatric Abdominal Transplant Surgical Director will have clinical, administrative, quality/process improvement, research, and teaching/education responsibilities. Examples include:

• The surgical director, collectively with the medical director, are responsible for ensuring the ongoing operation of the program in compliance with the criteria set forth in Appendix B of the UNOS Bylaws, and notification to the OPTN Contractor if at any time the program deviates from such criteria.
• Oversees the delivery of abdominal transplant surgical services at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and collaborates with the respective medical directors/hospital administrators in developing resources (including personnel and programs) related to these services.
• Assures appropriate and continuous coverage of inpatient, outpatient, and call services at all relevant clinical sites.
• The Surgical Director is an expert in liver and kidney transplant, defined as direct involvement in liver and kidney transplant patient care within the last 2 years; including:
  • Management of patients with end stage liver or renal disease
  • the selection of appropriate recipients for transplant,
  • donor selection,
  • histocompatibility and tissue typing,
  • performing the transplant operation,
  • immediate postoperative and continuing inpatient care,
  • the use of immunosuppressive therapy including side effects of the drugs and complications of immunosuppression,
  • differential diagnosis of liver or kidney dysfunction in the allograft recipient,
  • histologic interpretation of allograft biopsies,
  • interpretation of ancillary tests for liver and kidney dysfunction,
  • long term outpatient care
• Partners with System Medical Director Transplant Services and Director Transplant Services to form the System Transplant Leadership Team for overall management of Transplant Services and development of clinical programs of excellence identified in the current Transplant Strategic assessment.
• Responsible, with medical directors, for operational efficiencies in the Liver and Kidney Transplant Programs; such activities may include review urgency of new referrals, ensuring surgical participation in post-transplant clinics, co-chair selection committee/multidisciplinary listing meetings for each organ, participation in quality meetings, surgical M and M overall presentations, and overall program performance.
• Collaborates with and is a member of the Emory Transplant Center Leadership team to:
  • Organize and participate in organ procurement call with Emory Transplant Center,
  • Ensure Emory’s Organ Placement Office is operating to aid Children’s Transplant services and is functioning optimally,
  • Participate with appropriate Emory adult transplant personnel in Living Donor transplant and ensure all regulatory aspects are followed, and
  • Participate as Children’s surgical representative in relevant Life Link meetings.
• Participates in Children’s Surgical Administration leadership meetings.
• Engages in Transplant Quality meetings, and as needed, ad-hoc meetings with System Transplant Quality Director and associated Quality personnel in Transplant Services.
• Collaborate with Heart Transplant Program’s surgical leadership to ensure regulatory compliance and participation in process improvement.
• Assures participation of transplant surgical personnel in quality improvement, safety, and patient satisfaction initiatives.
  Presents at Children’s Transplant Grand Rounds annually and participates in national transplant meeting.

 

Candidate Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following credentials:

 

Education and Credentials

• Doctor of Medicine (MD/DO) from an accredited school of Medicine
• Board certified in Surgery. Completion of an ASTS fellowship in Abdominal Organ Transplantation
• A controlled Substance Registration Drug Enforcement Administration Certificate
• Eligible for medical licensure in Georgia. Meet eligibility requirements for credentialing as part of Children’s professional staff.

 

Experience and Skills

• Ideally meets OPTN requirements for surgical director/primary surgeon for Pediatric kidney and liver transplant programs. Can consider candidates who meet OPTN requirements for surgical director/primary surgeon for Pediatric kidney OR liver transplant programs.
• Experience in deceased donor, liver and kidney transplantation, hepatobiliary surgery, living donor transplantation, dual organ transplantation.
• National reputation of excellence in clinical care and/or education and research.
• Administrative or leadership roles in a pediatric transplant setting.
• Experience building and maintaining partnerships between various clinical and non-clinical stakeholders.

 

Procedure for Candidacy

Interested candidates should complete the online application. Inquiries should be directed to Mark Lotz, Children’s Director of Executive and Physician Recruiting, via email at mark.lotz@choa.org.  

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