Division Director-Allergy, Immunology, Pulmonary, And Sleep Medicine

The Department of Pediatrics at Children’s Mercy (CM) seeks to recruit a scholarly leader to serve as Director of our comprehensive, academic Division of Allergy, Immunology, Pulmonary, and Sleep Medicine (AIPS). The Division Director will oversee the clinical, educational, research, quality improvement, and service missions of the division. This position also offers academic appointments at the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine and the University of Kansas School of Medicine.

The incoming physician leader will embody the Children’s Mercy vision “to create a world of wellbeing for all children” by embracing our values of kindness, curiosity, inclusion, team, and integrity in a way that represents an uncompromised commitment to excellence. This exceptional physician leader will be responsible for leadership, strategy, oversight, and vision for the Division of AIPS ensuring alignment with the goals and objectives of the hospital and its partners. The Division has grown significantly in the past decade and is now primed for continued growth and expansion.

Characteristics for this position includes: 1) a track record of developing and mentoring young physicians into future leaders in pediatrics; 2) experience in academic/ research infrastructure and finances; 3) successful collaborator with other departments, administration, and hospital executive leadership; 4) an open communicative style of management; 5) commitment to developing a culture of empathy, inclusivity, accountability, and innovation. 

General Information. The Division of Allergy, Immunology, Pulmonary, and Sleep Medicine has two Sections: Allergy & Immunology and Pulmonology & Sleep Medicine. Our team is comprised of 9 Allergy/Immunology physicians, 11 pediatric Pulmonary/Sleep physicians, and 7 nurse practitioners.  We are supported by registered nurses, nurse clinical coordinators, nurse research coordinators, respiratory therapists, sleep laboratory technicians, social workers, pharmacists, and nutritionists. The Division has three fellowship programs: Allergy/Immunology, Pediatric Pulmonology, and a dedicated Pediatric Sleep Medicine fellowship that have all produced successful future leaders.

The Allergy and Immunology Section (A&I) has active programs and clinics in general allergy and immunology along with multidisciplinary clinics. A&I is active in scholarly work with NIH and extramurally funded projects in food allergy, asthma, artificial intelligence, 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, and allergic disorders. Our Food Allergy Center is a FARE (Food Allergy Research Education) Network Excellence Center; the Center cares for children regionally and performs more than 300 oral challenges annually. Our SuperQ Express Clinic cares for over 200 children with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome and is supported by Immunology and Sleep providers. A&I also provides care to over 600 patients a year in focused Immunology Clinic, part of the Jeffery Modell Foundation Network.

The Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Section has programs focused on many facets of pediatric pulmonology and sleep medicine. In addition to the care and management of general pediatric pulmonary patients, Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine faculty support multidisciplinary programs in the Infant Home Ventilator Clinic, Pediatric Tracheostomy and Ventilator Clinic, Muscle-Nerve Clinic, Sickle Cell Clinic, Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Clinic, Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic, Cystic Fibrosis Clinic, and AAIR clinic for severe refractory asthma. The AAIR Clinic participates in the national Severe Pediatric Asthma Consortium and is supported by both pulmonary and allergy providers. Our Cystic Fibrosis Center is fully accredited by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and is engaged in advancing clinical care and research in the field.  Pulmonary providers participate in numerous national consortiums and databases, and pursue scholarly work in asthma, cystic fibrosis, mechanically dependent children, and childhood interstitial lung disease.

Our Sleep Medicine faculty support our Sleep Center, Narcolepsy Clinic, Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) adherence clinic, and the Sleep Laboratory. The Laboratory is the only American Academy of Sleep Medicine accredited pediatric sleep laboratory in the region that can perform sleep studies on children of all ages, including newborns. The Sleep Laboratory has 14 beds and performs over 2500 sleep studies a year.  Sleep Medicine faculty also support many multidisciplinary clinics, such as SuperQ Express, Jaw AirWay and Sleep (JAWS) Clinic for children with complex craniofacial anomalies, Beckwith Wiedemann Syndrome (BWS) clinic, and Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) clinic.  

Further details for all aspects of the Division can be found on the CMH Allergy & Immunology, Pulmonary & Sleep Medicine webpages.

 About Children’s Mercy

Children’s Mercy is a nationally recognized, free-standing children’s hospital founded in 1897 to provide care for poor and ill children of Kansas City. As a freestanding, independent children’s hospital, CM provides comprehensive pediatric care across the spectrum of primary to quaternary care delivered by 750 doctors in more than 40 subspecialties. Our primary service area encompasses 150 counties in Missouri and Kansas. In 2023, CM conducted nearly 600,000 total visits, including 55,000 telemedicine visits, almost 204,000 emergency and urgent care visits, and 20,000 surgical cases. CM is an American College of Surgeons verified Level 1 Children’s Surgery Center, and the only pediatric Level I Trauma Center in the region.  CM is proud to be named one of the best children’s hospitals in America by U.S. News & World Report, ranking in all 11 specialties with 8 specialties ranking among the top 30 programs in the United States. In addition, we ranked first in Missouri for children’s hospitals in 2023 and 7^th in the region. We enthusiastically complement our nationally ranked subspecialty care with robust community support programs that keep kids safe and healthy.

Education

CM is the pediatric clerkship site for both UMKC and KU medical students. Graduate medical education supports over 1,400 trainees annually, with accredited residencies in pediatrics, med/peds, child neurology, pediatric dentistry, pediatric optometry, and pharmacy. We have over 40 fellowship programs, provide training for psychology interns and post-doctoral fellows, and have post-doctoral PhD scientists in clinical and laboratory-based research programs.

Research

Children’s Mercy is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of children through engagement in world-class, collaborative translation research. Through the generosity of two substantial philanthropic gifts, in 2020 CM opened the nine story, 375,000 square foot Children’s Mercy Research Institute (CMRI) providing state-of-the-art technology with ample dry and wet lab spaces. These generous gifts and many others support enhancement of scientific programs and targeted recruitment. Research conducted today includes basic, translational, and clinical research across many pediatric subspecialties. Areas of strength include Precision Therapeutics, Genomic Medicine, Population Health, Emerging Infections, and Innovations in Health Care Delivery. CM holds a T32 training grant in Pediatric Clinical Pharmacology and is an impactful member of the Frontiers Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) at the University of Kansas. This regional CTSI program comprises four universities (including three medical schools) and three health systems on both sides of the Missouri-Kansas state line.

 About Kansas City:

The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is an affordable and comfortable place to live and raise a family. The metro’s anchor city, Kansas City, Missouri, is the largest city in Missouri and has many great museums, a busy downtown, multiple professional sports franchises, an exciting music scene and many charming neighborhoods. The metro area includes four of the seven largest cities in Kansas, including Kansas City (Kansas), Overland Park and Olathe. Kansas City is large enough to provide the features of a metropolitan area, but still allows for a high quality of life including easy commutes, assessable amenities, highly ranked public schools, great parks and other green spaces, and lots of amazing people.

Ideal Qualifications and Experience

• An MD or equivalent and board certification in Allergy/Immunology or Pediatric Pulmonology
• A strong record of clinical and academic achievement
• Experience in developing and mentoring young physicians
• Experience with academic/research infrastructure and finances
• A commitment to the CM True North pillars: quality and safety, people, patient experience & family, delivery, and stewardship
• A model of the CM values: kindness, curiosity, inclusion, team, and integrity
• A deep dedication supporting programs that address equity, inclusion, and diversity
• Strong interpersonal skills and enthusiasm to pursue productive collaborations with partner institutions

This is a clinical faculty position offering an academic appointment at the University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine, rank to be commensurate with experience. CM is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The AIPS Division Director reports to the Chair of Pediatrics. We are committed to increasing the diversity of our faculty and staff and fostering their success when hired. Members of underrepresented groups are welcome and strongly encouraged to apply. For additional information, please visit our website at www.cmh.edu.

 Nominations and applications (cover letter and curriculum vitae) should be submitted via e-mail to the Search Committee Co-Chairs Dr. Ara Hall and Dr. Steve Pfeiffer and Pediatric Administration:

ashall@cmh.edu

spfeiffer@cmh.edu

pedsadmin@cmh.edu

 More information may be requested at physicianjobs@cmh.edu.

All materials will be treated as confidential.

Children’s Mercy Kansas City is an independent, non-profit, 390-bed pediatric health system, providing over half a million patient encounters each year for children from across the country. Children’s Mercy is ranked by U.S. News & World Report in nine specialties. We have received Magnet® recognition five times for excellence in nursing services. In affiliation with the University of Missouri-Kansas City and the university of Kansas School of Medicine, our faculty of more than 800 pediatric specialists and researchers is actively involved in clinical care, pediatric research and educating the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists. 

The Children’s Mercy Research Institute (CMRI) integrates research and clinical care with nationally recognized expertise in genomic medicine, precision therapeutics, population health and health care innovation. In 2021 the CMRI moved into a nine story, 375,000 square foot space emphasizing a translational approach to research in which clinicians and researchers work together to accelerate the pace of discovery that enhances care. We invite you to visit Children’s Mercy Hospital virtually at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtlXT3xK-bI

Kansas City is a thriving cultural and economic city with more than 2 million residents. Our city’s long list of attractions includes world class museums, a vibrant arts scene, professional sports, superb shopping, great jazz clubs, and the best places to enjoy barbeque! The city offers low cost-of-living, excellent commute times, and a vibrant downtown, eight-block dining, entertainment and shopping district.  Kansas City offers excellent opportunities for both public and private school venues and is home to several colleges and universities. It’s a community with a heart – friendly, easy-going and forward-thinking – a great place to live and pursue a career. For more information about activities in Kansas City go to www.visitkc.com

 For more information about Children’s Mercy Kansas City and about Kansas City itself, visit childrensmercy.org/careers/take-your-place/

EEO Employer/Disabled/Vet