Medical Director, Digestive Health Institute

Carle Health and the Carle Illinois College of Medicine invite applications for an accomplished Gastroenterologist and Physician-Scientist to serve as Medical Director of the Digestive Health Institute (DHI). Reporting jointly to the Chief Medical Officer of Carle Health and the Dean of Carle Illinois College of Medicine, this executive leader will set the strategic, clinical, and academic direction of digestive health across an integrated delivery system serving more than 1.5 million people across Illinois-and will help define the next chapter of academic gastroenterology at the nation's first engineering-based medical school.

The successful candidate will hold a joint appointment between Carle Illinois College of Medicine and Carle Health, with substantial protected effort for academic leadership, program building, and scholarship-calibrated to the candidate's research portfolio and career stage. The role offers a distinctive platform to evolve DHI by strengthening clinical operations, expanding regional access, recruiting and developing gastroenterology faculty and advanced practice providers, and establishing a unified culture of clinical and academic excellence. A competitive recruitment package will support these priorities, including authority to expand the GI faculty footprint, a startup commitment commensurate with academic ambition, and clear pathways to endowed professorships and named institute leadership.

A hallmark of this position is the opportunity to build a nationally recognized digestive health program that integrates clinical care, academic scholarship, education, and innovation. Research at Carle Health is closely aligned with clinical practice, enabling rapid translation of discoveries into patient care and providing strong infrastructure to support impactful programs. In close collaboration with colleagues across Carle Health and Carle Illinois College of Medicine, the Medical Director will grow the GI faculty, expand subspecialty programs, and lead translational research at the interface of medicine, engineering, and AI-leveraging the world renown resources of the Urbana-Champaign campus, including the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), the Grainger College of Engineering, and the NCI designated Cancer Center at Illinois.

A key differentiator is Carle Health's investment in advanced imaging, including the Carle Illinois Advanced Imaging Center and the only clinically approved 7T MRI in Illinois. This capability supports both cutting-edge research and high-resolution clinical diagnostics across multiple disease areas.

The Medical Director will also partner with Carle Health's philanthropy team to articulate a compelling vision for program growth and to develop endowed support for digestive health, research, education, and innovation. Faculty are encouraged to pursue interdisciplinary work that advances digestive disease care, cancer-related innovation, and technology-driven discovery while helping establish the next chapter of academic gastroenterology in the region.

Key Leadership Responsibilities

• Provide executive physician leadership for gastroenterology and colon & rectal surgery services across Carle Health.

• Oversee clinical operations, quality, patient experience, and growth across Champaign-Urbana and regional sites.

• Recruit, mentor, and develop faculty and advanced practice providers, fostering a unified group practice culture.

• Lead development of subspecialty programs, regional outreach, and integrated care pathways.

• Strengthen collaboration with Carle Cancer Institute, hepato-pancreato-biliary surgical oncology, and medical oncology to advance integrated GI cancer programs, including clinical trial expansion and multidisciplinary tumor boards.

• Expand extramurally funded clinical research, translational science, and medical education in partnership with the Stephens Family Clinical Research Institute, the Cancer Center at Illinois, and Carle Illinois College of Medicine.

• Advance AI, data science, and interdisciplinary partnerships to support clinical decision-making, workflow improvement, and personalized digestive health care.

• Contribute to medical student and resident education within an engineering-driven academic environment.

• Partner with philanthropy to articulate a compelling vision for program growth, innovation, and investment.

Qualifications

• MD/DO with completion of accredited residency/fellowship, board certification in Gastroenterology.

• 10+ years of clinical GI practice and 5+ years of progressive physician leadership, or an equivalent record of national academic and clinical leadership.

• Demonstrated experience leading a multi-specialty digestive health group or clinical service line.

• Background in clinical quality, credentialing, program development, and academic medicine.

• Sustained record of peer-reviewed scholarship; extramural research funding (NIH, AHRQ, foundation, or industry-sponsored) and a faculty rank of Associate Professor or above are valued, though strong clinician-administrators with national recognition will also be considered.

• Experience within an integrated delivery system preferred.

• Healthcare management degree (MBA, MHA, MHCDS) or equivalent executive leadership experience welcomed; not required for candidates with a strong academic and operational track record.

• Eligibility for Illinois medical licensure.

Carle Illinois College of Medicine at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is advancing a new model of physician leadership grounded in clinical excellence and innovation.

As the world's first engineering-based medical school, Carle Illinois College of Medicine was built at the intersection of engineering and medicine to strengthen how care is delivered. In partnership with Carle Health, we support physicians who provide exceptional patient care while helping improve systems, access, and outcomes.

This joint clinical-academic role offers the opportunity to practice in a physician-led environment while helping shape the next generation of physicians.

Beyond the work itself, Champaign-Urbana offers is a vibrant Big Ten university community with top-ranked public schools, a low cost of living, abundant arts and athletics through the University of Illinois South of Chicago. Faculty families benefit from short commutes, walkable neighborhoods, and an unusually deep cultural and intellectual community for a city of its size.

Physicians in this role will contribute to the education of Carle Illinois College of Medicine students and Carle's General Surgery residents, supporting a culture that values patient-centered care, teamwork, and continuous improvement. Faculty appointments at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will be aligned with experience and accomplishments.

Protected academic time is calibrated to support a meaningful academic portfolio-structured to accommodate active extramural funding and a competitive physician-scientist career trajectory. Opportunities include investigator-initiated studies through the Stephens Family Clinical Research Institute at Carle Cancer Institute and collaboration with the Cancer Center at Illinois, home to more than 75 investigators and over $50 million in annual research funding.

This partnership enables physicians to collaborate across disciplines to solve real clinical challenges with global leaders in engineering and data science.

Together, Carle Health and CI MED are building a future where outstanding care and meaningful innovation go hand in hand.