Chief Clinical Research Operations
UK HealthCare
Lexington, KY - United States
The University of Kentucky and UK HealthCare seek an accomplished, visionary and collaborative executive to serve as the founding Chief Clinical Research Officer (CCRO). This individual will help propel clinical and translational research across the health system and university, which are in the midst of historic investment and growth.
The University of Kentucky is a leading land-grant and public research university located in the beautiful Bluegrass region of Central Kentucky. Counted among the highest level of Carnegie Research institutions, the University is at the cusp of aggressive efforts to continue its rise to one of the nation’s premier public research universities. Along with its integrated and rapidly growing health system, UK HealthCare, the University has a number of additional leading centers and institutes including the UK Center for Clinical and Translational Science, a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center (UK Markey Cancer Center), a National Institute on Aging-designated Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, The Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center, Kentucky Neuroscience Institute and the Gill Heart & Vascular Institute. UK HealthCare is also home of a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the tiniest and sickest newborns, the region’s only Level 1 trauma center and Kentucky’s top hospital ranked by U.S. News & World Report.
Lexington is a cosmopolitan city of 517,000 inhabitants that was voted among the 50 best places to live in the U.S. The city is strategically located with non-stop flights to 17 major U.S. cities via Blue Grass Airport (LEX), located 15 minutes away from downtown as well as within a day’s drive to many major cities. Lexington is also home to an outstanding public school system.
The University of Kentucky offers an intellectually vibrant and collegial research community spanning multiple colleges and centers with a strong commitment to inclusive excellence. In FY24, University of Kentucky researchers held a grants and contracts portfolio that totaled $488 million. UK’s educators and thought leaders are transforming the health care landscape where seven health profession-related colleges teach the next generation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals, spreading the highest standards of care.
Reporting jointly to the co-Executive Vice Presidents for Health Affairs for UK HealthCare, and the Vice President for Research for the University of Kentucky, the CCRO will have the opportunity to design and implement a strategy to ensure clinical research is advanced across the organizations. Given the high priority for success in this area, the CCRO will work collaboratively with UK and UK HealthCare’s leadership and be given the authority to enact needed changes to enhance infrastructure and align UK’s substantial clinical and translational research assets.
The ideal candidate will be an accomplished clinical researcher and administrator with demonstrated expertise in building clinical/translational research programs at an institution-wide level, ideally in an academic medical and health sciences center, medical school, large department/center, life sciences company, or in a similarly complex, research-intensive environment. The successful candidate will have outstanding relationship-building, partnership development, and communication skills. The ability to set a compelling strategic vision and operationalize systemic changes is required. Candidates should possess an M.D. or D.O. and/or terminal degree in a biomedical research or related field.
Interested parties can apply directly through the WittKieffer Candidate Portal, using the buttons below or by sending resumes, confidential nominations, and inquiries to Jeff Schroetlin, Kerry Quealy, and Stacey Carbol preferably via e-mail, to [email protected].