Division Chief of Acute Care Surgery

Job Description

Job Description

This is a faculty position at the professor level , providing a unique chance to influence the future of trauma and critical care within our healthcare system and surrounding community.

As the Chief, you will lead a team of trauma surgeons, acute care surgeons, intensivists, advanced practice providers, and trauma quality specialists . Your role will involve managing trauma program operations and fostering growth in clinical, academic, research, and quality initiatives. You will collaborate closely with hospital and nursing leadership, as well as departments such as emergency medicine, critical care, orthopedics, neurosurgery, radiology, and prehospital services to ensure exceptional, verified trauma care for both adult and pediatric patients.

• Develop the vision and strategy for trauma surgery at the region's sole academic medical center.

• Comprehensive trauma services that include resuscitation, both operative and non-operative management, critical care, and rehabilitation coordination for Level 1 adult and pediatric trauma centers .

• Innovative future initiatives such as the expansion of damage-control resuscitation, advanced hemorrhage control, REBOA, robotic surgery, and trauma-informed multidisciplinary pathways.

• Integrated performance improvement (PI) program featuring strong analytics, trauma registry support, and participation in TQIP/NTDB.

• Regional expansion aimed at increasing access to high-quality trauma and acute care surgical services throughout northeastern New York via aligned protocols and outreach efforts.

• Provide strategic and operational guidance for the Division of Acute Care Surgery and Critical Care .

• Manage daily operations, including faculty and administrative staff, budget oversight, incentive plans, and division quality programs.

• Supervise the surgical intensive care units (SICU, CVICU, and Stepdown Unit).

• Coordinate clinical coverage (ED, OR, ICU, inpatient floors) and trauma call schedules in line with verification standards.

• Encourage collaboration among surgery, emergency medicine, critical care, orthopedics, neurosurgery, radiology, anesthesiology, rehabilitation, social work, and prehospital partners.

• Promote academic development through teaching, mentoring, and scholarship with medical students, residents, fellows, APPs, and faculty.

• Advance clinical and translational research; present findings at regional and national conferences; contribute to multicenter studies and registry-driven outcomes research.

• Oversee a comprehensive trauma Performance Improvement & Patient Safety (PIPS) program, including case reviews, loop closure, trend analysis, and action plans.

• Develop and refine trauma clinical pathways, massive transfusion protocols, sepsis bundles, geriatric trauma, and pediatric trauma care standards.

• Drive innovation in trauma surgery through minimally invasive techniques (laparoscopic and robotic), best practices in critical care, and prehospital integration.

• Create robust emergency general surgery pathways.

• Ensure ongoing compliance with American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma verification standards, including resource requirements, surgeon availability, credentialing, education, and PI processes.

• Manage trauma registry operations, data quality, and timely submissions to NTDB/TQIP ; review benchmark reports and lead performance improvement initiatives based on findings.

• Maintain readiness for verification/consultative site visits , including document preparation, policy/procedure alignment, and multidisciplinary staff engagement.

• Ensure compliance with New York State Department of Health trauma center regulations, EMTALA , and Joint Commission standards related to trauma care, quality, and patient safety.

• Oversee trauma education requirements (ATLS, ACLS, PALS), CME, and competency for clinical staff; support OPPE/FPPE processes and credentialing for trauma providers.

• Collaborate with emergency management on disaster preparedness , surge planning, mass casualty incident response, and hospital-wide drills.

• Work with nursing and administrative leadership on trauma policies, bylaws, call coverage , and on-call response times ; ensure 24/7 access to essential trauma resources.

• Establish a faculty development program that emphasizes teaching excellence, scholarly productivity, and leadership.

• Collaborate with section chiefs, the trauma medical director, administrative leadership, and APP supervisors to enhance team dynamics, engagement, and retention.

• Partner with the department chair on faculty development, recruitment, and workforce planning.

• MD/DO or equivalent with board certification in General Surgery and fellowship training in Surgical Critical Care or Trauma Surgery ; eligibility for New York licensure.

• Preferred experience as a Trauma Medical Director or Associate Director at a verified trauma center (ACS COT preferred).

• Academic credentials suitable for appointment at the professor level .

• Demonstrated success in program leadership, performance improvement, multidisciplinary collaboration, and faculty management.

• Familiarity with ACS verification standards , TQIP/NTDB , PI methodology, and regulatory compliance.

• A Master's in Business Administration, Healthcare Administration, or completion of a formal leadership program is highly desirable.

• Active involvement in clinical research and quality improvement initiatives.

• Attractive base salary (ranging from 540K to 571K) based on experience and academic rank, along with additional incentive bonus opportunities.

• Generous sign-on bonus .

• Relocation assistance to facilitate your move.

• Comprehensive health insurance options ( medical, dental, vision ).

• Ample paid time off and holiday schedule.

• Retirement plan plus a 403(b) option.

• Annual CME allowance and dedicated time for CME activities.

• Occurrence-based malpractice coverage.

• Employee wellness programs and mental health support.

This position does not qualify for a J1 waiver , but candidates holding an H1B or O1 visa are welcome to apply.