Description
CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY
SUNY Upstate Medical University is seeking an energetic, forward-thinking surgeon to serve as Chair of the Department of Surgery. SUNY Upstate, the only academic medical center in central New York State, serves more than 1.8 million people across a region stretching north to Canada, and south to Pennsylvania. Beyond the main campus, Upstate provides clinical care through satellite sites and the use of telemedicine to meet the care needs of rural communities across the Central New York region. With more than 13,000 employees, Upstate is the region's largest employer and an economic driver for Central New York. The Chair, Department of Surgery reports to Lawrence Chin, MD, Dean, Norton College of Medicine, Senior Vice President, SUNY Upstate Medical University.
Position Overview
The Chair, Department of Surgery is the clinical, academic, and administrative head of the Department, providing vision and direction for the Department to support exceptional quality and value-based care, excellence in medical education, and impactful research. The Chair will provide strategic, innovative, and operational leadership to drive program and service growth. This is an exceptional opportunity for a dynamic, motivated, and clinically excellent academic surgeon with well-developed business acumen and leadership skills.
The Chair is responsible and accountable for the clinical and academic performance of over 50 faculty across thirteen divisions within the Department and serves as Clinical Chief of Surgery at Upstate University Hospital.
The Chair serves as the Chair and an Executive Board member of the practice plan partnership, University Surgical Associates. This involves fiduciary responsibility for the practice plan and oversight of the business manager. The Chair, if elected, may serve on the governing board of the University's faculty practice plan, Upstate University Medical Associates (UUMAS).
The Opportunity
The Department of Surgery is well established and well respected both internally at SUNY Upstate and externally within the region it serves. It is one of twenty-six departments at the Norton College of Medicine (NCOM) and the largest surgical department, supporting over 100 faculty, APPs and staff. The Department has had a history of stability and solid financial performance for many years, with multiple long-term faculty who enjoy the practice environment within the Department.
This is a unique opportunity to lead a distinguished department and drive transformative healthcare delivery and research initiatives across Central New York. The Department and institution see an opportunity and need for the Department to grow, to ensure access and meet the general and specialty surgery needs of the region, now and into the future. The Department is also committed to sustaining and advancing its strong training program and supporting clinical and translational research opportunities for faculty and residents; the Chair will support the growth of the Department's educational programs, including the residency program, fellowship programs, and medical student clerkship.
The short-term priorities, challenges, and opportunities for the next Chair include:
- Building professional and personal credibility and trust with Department faculty, the Dean, and SUNY Upstate leadership; developing effective relationships based on open communication, active listening, and fair, thoughtful decision-making, emphasizing responsiveness and follow-through with all key stakeholders
- Partnering with Department faculty and practice leadership to identify and pursue near-term opportunities to improve patient access and grow outpatient and surgical volume; implementing operational improvements to drive excellence in team performance, patient experience, referring physician satisfaction, faculty engagement, and Department financial performance
- Establishing visibility, credibility, and dialogue with clinical colleagues across Central New York, including a major emphasis on referring physicians; understanding and assessing clinical referral patterns and relationships and academic relationships, identifying opportunities for improved coordination and collaboration
- Advancing Department faculty recruitment, retention, mentorship and development activities as required to support and facilitate academic growth
- Working with NCOM education specialists and department faculty, residents, and staff to educate students, residents, and fellows and create a positive learning environment
- Collaborating with University and NCOM leadership and faculty to advance scientific knowledge and successfully compete for external funding
- With support and involvement of Department faculty and in collaboration with SUNY Upstate leadership, developing a unifying vision and strategic plan for the Department.
Position Requirements
Education and Qualifications
Required
- A Medical Degree or the equivalent
- Scholarly and professional achievement meriting the academic rank of Professor or Associate Professor, with a continuing appointment (tenure) in the Department of Surgery
- American Board of Surgery Certified
- Eligible for licensure in the state of New York
Preferred
- Eight to ten years of related experience in a complex academic medical center
Skills, Knowledge, Experience, and Attributes
- Practical leadership experience in an academic medical center or tertiary teaching institution as a division chief, department chair or vice-chair, or other relevant position
- Knowledge of and experience in developing and implementing clinical programs, including multidisciplinary programs across medical and surgical specialties, with a deep commitment to clinical excellence within a patient-centered model of care
- Knowledge of and experience in the recruitment/retention of faculty and facilitating faculty development/mentoring
- Proven ability to define issues, strategically plan options and define solutions, and implement changes within targeted timeframes
- Experience in fiscal management in a complex environment with a record of successfully managing a budget, and experience leading or significant participation in institutional strategic planning
- Experience with faculty productivity standards and oversight of clinical activities as it relates to patient safety and quality outcomes
- Knowledge of and experience in expanding, developing and implementing medical curricula and educational programs
- Capacity to empower, motivate, challenge, and hold accountable faculty and staff – a visible
and inclusive leader and team player with outstanding interpersonal skills, emotional
intelligence, and an open leadership approach that promotes partnership - Experience in setting fundraising goals and participating in philanthropy
- An approachable and enthusiastic leader who has an open and transparent communication
style that encourages consensus building, collaboration, and cooperation with people at all
levels of the organization - Able to advocate for faculty, staff, students, and patients while partnering with organizational
leadership to balance priorities across the school, hospital and university
SUNY Upstate Medical University
Organizational Overview
SUNY Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, NY, is the only academic medical center in Central New York. It is also the region's largest employer, with over 13,000 employees. Beyond the main campus, Upstate provides clinical care through satellite sites and the use of telemedicine to meet the care needs of rural communities across the Central New York region.
Affiliated with the State University of New York, SUNY Upstate has a mission to improve the health of the community through education, biomedical research, and health care. Upstate Medical University's educational mission is anchored by its four colleges – Medicine, Nursing, Health Professions, and Graduate Studies (biomedical sciences). The <2023 – 2028 Upstate Strategic Plan is the overarching guide for Upstate Medical University.
The Upstate University Health System serves 1.8 million people. It includes Upstate University Hospital, Upstate Community Hospital, Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital, and numerous satellite sites. There are 19 clinical departments, five basic science departments, and two academic departments. SUNY Upstate conducts nearly $57 million in annually funded research dedicated to improving human health and is a Carnegie R2 institution.
Diversity at SUNY Upstate Medical University
SUNY Upstate Medical University's Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, diversity, inclusion, and belonging. Its mission is to ensure a campus environment that respects and values the diversity of all who work, learn, and receive care at Upstate.
Upstate has a long history of inclusion, in which the University celebrates and pays tribute to Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell as the first woman to receive an M.D. degree from an American medical school, and to Dr. Sarah Loguen Fraser, who grew up in Syracuse and went on to become one of the nation's first African American women physicians.
The State University of New York(SUNY)
System Overview
Upstate Medical University is part of The State University of New York (SUNY), the largest comprehensive system of public higher education in the United States, with 64 campuses spread across the state, including research universities, academic medical centers, liberal arts colleges, community colleges, colleges of technology, and an online learning network. Ninety-three percent of New Yorkers live within 15 miles of a SUNY campus, and nearly 100 percent live within 30 miles. With over 7,000 degree and certificate programs, SUNY serves nearly 1.3 million students in credit-bearing courses and programs, and another 2.5 million through continuing education and community outreach programs. SUNY students and faculty across the state make significant contributions to research and discovery, resulting in $921M of externally sponsored activity each year. SUNY's campuses are amongst the state's largest employers, with over 85,000 employees, and the University contributes approximately $30 billion to the New York State economy annually. Nearly three million SUNY alumni are located around the globe, each making their own unique impact.
SUNY Health encompasses four academic health centers, five hospitals, four medical schools, two dental schools, the state's only college of optometry, and 25 other campuses dedicated to health professions and services. Together, SUNY Health graduates more than 10,000 health professionals every year, including one of every three medical school graduates, one of every three nursing graduates, and one of every five dentists in the state. Collectively, SUNY Health serves more than 1.3 million patients a year and produces groundbreaking biomedical and health sciences research and innovation. SUNY Health plays a critical role in creating the future of healthcare and medicine in New York State, across the country, and around the world.
The Community
Syracuse, New York
The City of Syracuse, with a population of 148,620 (2020 census), is the county seat of Onondaga County, which, together with surrounding communities, has a metropolitan area population of 662,057 (2020 census). Syracuse is the economic and educational hub of Central New York, a region with over one million inhabitants.
The city has functioned as a major crossroads over the last two centuries, first between the Erie Canal and its branch canals, then of the railway network. Today, Syracuse is located at the intersection of Interstates 81 and 90. Its airport, Syracuse Hancock International Airport, is the largest in the region and is served by several major air carriers that provide non-stop service to over 25 major cities across the US. Syracuse is also home to Syracuse University, a top-tier R1 research university located adjacent to the campus of SUNY Upstate on University Hill.
In 2022, Micron announced a historic investment that will bring leading-edge memory manufacturing to Central New York. The $6.1 billion CHIPS and Science Act grants will fund state-of-the-art semiconductor manufacturing facilities in Clay, NY, which are expected to create 9,000 Micron jobs, 4,500 construction jobs, and 40,000 indirect jobs.
Cultural activities include the Syracuse Stage, touring Broadway shows, the Skaneateles Music Festival, the Everson Museum, Friends of Chamber Music Series, the Rosamund Gifford Author Series, and activities at nearby colleges and universities. Sporting events abound with Syracuse University; Le Moyne College; the Syracuse Mets, a triple-A baseball farm team for the NY Mets; and the Syracuse Crunch, an American Hockey League team that is the minor league affiliate of the World Champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
Recreational attractions for Central New York include the Finger Lakes, Lake Ontario, the Thousand Islands, and the Adirondack Mountains, all within an hour's drive from the city. These areas offer unique opportunities for camping, swimming, boating, fishing, hunting, and biking. Many state parks and smaller lakes are close to Syracuse, and there are numerous golf courses.
EEO Statement
SUNY Upstate Medical University
SUNY Upstate Medical University (SUNY Upstate) does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex,
sexual orientation, color, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, or status as a
disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam Era in the recruitment and employment of faculty and
staff, in the recruitment of students, or in the operation of any of its programs or activities, as
specified by law. SUNY Upstate's Non-discrimination and Equal Opportunity Policy
Application Information
Review of candidate materials will begin immediately (May 2026) and the ability to apply or nominate will continue until the position has been filled. Further application information can be found at: https://caldwell.thriveapp.ly/job/1312. Applications should include a cover letter, resume, and the University's self-identification form. SUNY Upstate Medical University has retained Caldwell Partners, an international executive search firm, to assist with this search. For confidential inquiries, nominations, or referrals, email: [email protected].
Caldwell Contacts
Our goal is to ensure you have a positive experience with our client, SUNY Upstate Medical University, as well as with our Caldwell team. Should you have any questions during this process, please feel free to contact us at any of the emails below:
STEVEN PRICE
Partner
9540 Garland Road
Suite 381, Box 239
Dallas, TX 75218
office: 1 214 765 7845
mobile: 1 404 886 4959
[email protected]
ELIZABETH SIRONI
Associate
1700 Broadway Suite 1700
New York, NY 10019
office: 1 214 765.7841
[email protected]
DIANNA JACOB
Consultant
1700 Broadway Suite 1700
New York, NY 10019
office: 1 212 652 6105
[email protected]
ISABEL PAREJA
Project Coordinator
1700 Broadway Suite 1700
New York, NY 10019
office 1 212 652 6124
[email protected]
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