Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) is one of the worlds premier cancer centers, committed to exceptional patient care, leading-edge research, and superb educational programs. The blending of research with patient care is at the heart of everything we do. The institution is a comprehensive cancer center whose purposes are the treatment and control of cancer, the advancement of biomedical knowledge through laboratory and clinical research, and the training of scientists, physicians, and other health care workers.
The Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center ( https://www.mskcc.org/departments/medicine ) is seeking an exceptional academic physician and leader to serve as the Division Head of Acute and Supportive Care Services. The Division of Acute and Supportive Care Services is comprised of four Services with over 100 faculty members and includes medical subspecialists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and nurses whose clinical, research, and teaching activities focus on preventing the complications of cancer treatment. The activities in these Services principally focus on the evaluation and management of acutely ill patients and range from emergency care triage to inpatient care, spanning across MSKs network which extends from southern New Jersey to eastern Long Island. Direct reports include Service Chiefs of Hospital Medicine, Urgent Care, General Internal Medicine and Supportive Care. Reporting to the Chair of the Department of Medicine, Dr. Deb Schrag, the inaugural Division Head will have programmatic oversight and responsibility for the Service Chiefs and their Services. The Division Head will shape the strategic and programmatic priorities for the Division, clinical excellence, clinical operational efficiency, talent acquisition and retention, research, grant funding, professional development, mentorship and teaching. Services in the Division of Acute and Supportive Care Services include:
General Internal Medicine Service: General Internal Medicine Service focuses on consultative general medical care of cancer patients as they face medical and surgical treatments and go on to long-term Our clinical work includes perioperative care, including pre-operative evaluations, in the inpatient and outpatient settings and co-management of acute and chronic medical illnesses in patients undergoing cancer treatment. In addition, we provide physician oversight of APP-led survivorship programs and provide direct care for survivors with medically complex long-term complications and for patients with genetic high-risk syndromes. Our faculty are active as clinical and health services researchers, with research interests including clinical genetics, cancer survivorship, and optimizing care appropriateness.
Hospital Medicine Service: At MSK, we pioneered a novel model of inpatient care: utilizing internal medicine-trained hospitalists to provide exclusive inpatient care to hospitalized cancer patients in a comprehensive cancer center. This model is thriving at MSK, with over 50 faculty members and numerous advanced practice providers. Hospitalists now provide approximately 80% of the daytime coverage of the solid tumor services, 50% daytime coverage of the myeloma service, and a dedicated group of night hospitalists (nocturnists) oversee the entire medical service during the hours of 7 pm to 7 am. This model allows our medical oncology colleagues to do what they do best: focus on outpatient oncology practice (thereby helping to meet a key institutional strategic priorityrapid access to outpatient oncology care for new patients) and research, largely freed from the demands of inpatient service. Our hospitalists are outstanding providers of primary palliative care, complementing the work of our specialty Supportive Care Service. In addition to our clinical work, our faculty are departmental and institutional leaders in the realms of medical education and quality improvement. We are building robust, service-based quality improvement and simulation programs, with national experts recently recruited to lead those efforts, as well as a point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) program.
Urgent Care Service: The Urgent Care Service provides care to acutely ill cancer patients at multiple sites. At Memorial Hospital Urgent Care physicians, NPs and PAs staff a 24/7 emergency facility, including an observation unit and rapid treatment program. Patients from all MSK Departments are cared for here. The Manhattan based program also serves as a critical backup for staff stationed in our Symptom Care Clinics (SCCs). Each of the regional care network facilities maintains an SCC typically open between 5 and 6 days per week for 10-12 hours per day. These are staffed by a mix of MDs and advanced practice Our faculty have extensive expertise in managing acute oncologic emergencies as well as the full range of complications of medical, surgical and radiation therapies. The physicians in the SCCs also round on MSK patients admitted to our partner hospitals to provide consultative care and coordination. There is an active focus within the Urgent Care Service on coordinating acute care across all of our sites, including improving our tele-triage capabilities so that we provide outstanding acute care across our distributed campuses.
Supportive Care Service: At MSK, supportive and palliative care is provided by an expert and highly collaborative team. This includes doctors, nurse practitioners, office practice registered nurses, social workers, interfaith chaplains, and clinical pharmacists. The specialists on our Supportive Care Service collaborate not only with the cancer care teams but also with experts in neurology, anesthesiology, critical care, and other areas. We are part of the care for all of our patients from the time they are first diagnosed with cancer. Our Supportive Care Service provides expert care for the symptoms of cancer and its treatment. We also support clear communication between patients, their families, and the care team. In addition, we make sure that cancer care matches up with patients priorities and values. Clinicians across MSK ask for our help in addressing symptoms, discussing patients goals for care, and planning for changes in where care is received. In addition, the Supportive Care Service is leading the multi- component Transitions Initiative to support and integrate primary palliative care by MSK oncology teams and others together with the work of our palliative care specialists in order to enhance the quality and continuity of patient care across all settings. The Transitions Initiative includes projects addressing communication around transitions (discussion, documentation and display of goals of care) and post- acute transitions (facilitating complex discharge planning and transitioning patients to hospice care).
The ideal candidate should possess the following qualifications:
- An accomplished, Board Certified physician with an MD and at least 5 years of leadership experience managing
- A clear vision for achieving excellence in 21st century cancer care; capable of striking a balance between providing consistent care for patients today, but also looking to the future to ensure MSK remains on the cutting
- Physicians from diverse specialties and with varied career trajectories will be considered. Physicians trained in hospital medicine, supportive and palliative care, emergency medicine and/or internal medicine subspecialties will be considered.
- A successful track record of leadership and proven ability to navigate complexity within an academic medical
- An outstanding leader who inspires, builds, and motivates teams through a servant leadership style, building partnerships that bridge disciplinary boundaries and deliver extraordinary patient care.
- A track record of success in either teaching, discovery or clinical program-building. The ideal candidate should have a demonstrated track record of forging collaborations and building an inclusive diverse
- Individuals with a research portfolio that addresses any aspect of care delivery transformation or care quality are especially desired but individuals who have built training programs or focused on faculty development and operational excellence may also be a good fit for this
- Experience in faculty recruitment and development as well as the skills and mindset to build a diverse inclusive faculty who are able to meet the care needs of patients who reside in MSKs catchment area--- the NY-NJ metropolitan area.
- Excellent communication and listening skills; able to unite and inspire a diverse group of faculty and staff
Please send CV, a letter outlining your interest and names/contact information of three references via email to:
Search Committee Chair, Martee Hensley (hensleym@mskcc.org)
Academic Recruitment Manager, Valentina Salkow (salkowv@mskcc.org)
Academic Recruitment Coordinator, Monchell Johnson (johnsom7@mskcc.org)
