Chair, Emergency Medicine at Aga Khan Education Service, Kenya (AKESK)

The position

The Faculty of Health Sciences in East Africa consists of the Medical College and the School of Nursing and Midwifery with future plans for allied health sciences. The Medical College has 4-year Master of Medicine degrees in Anaesthesia, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Pathology, Radiology, and 5-years for Surgery. Currently, the University offers fellowship programmes in the following specialties: Cardiology, Infectious Diseases, Neonatology, Adult Neurology, Paediatric Neurology, Haematology, Oncology, Onco-Pathology and Nuclear Medicine. 

The Aga Khan University, East Africa invites applications for the position of Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine.

Reporting to the Dean, Medical College, the Chair will provide clinical, academic, administrative and research leadership in the department through the development and implementation of departmental work plans consistent with the vision and mission of the University. The Chair will also be expected to be the liaison between the department, other AKU departments and relevant external bodies and/or agencies.

The requirements

• Appointable as an Assistant Professor or higher;
• Be a holder of MBChB or equivalent degree in the relevant field, and post-graduate degree in Emergency Medicine;
• Shall be a recognized specialist in Emergency Medicine or possess a PhD over and above a master’s degree;
• Experience as a successful administrative leader at an academic institution and should have served as a division chief, vice chair, or chair who has developed academic leaders, mentored and developed junior faculty, and identified and recruited diverse students, trainees, staff and faculty;
• Understanding of the complex financial pressures facing academic medical centers and health care delivery organizations and experience with strategies to control and reduce cost of care (length of stay, appropriate use of facilities and resources);
• Capable of defining the research vision for the entire Department and providing basic research and grant mentorship and experience leading a successful research program, either clinical, population-based basic science or data science with proven track record of significant growth in funding, publications and national or international reputation. Maintain an understanding and be prepared to take advantage of research funding and development trends as they evolve;
• Experience of expanding and fostering strong clinical programmes and leading complex clinical programs focused on access, high quality, and outstanding patient satisfaction;
• Having a vision to recognize areas for growth and ability to lead and support faculty as they develop new opportunities a create a strong and impassioned vision for building excellence in all aspects of the academic mission;
• National reputation for personal academic accomplishments with a record of scholarly academic accomplishments as reflected in number and impact of publications, history of successful research funding, and service in national and international societies;
• Business mindset with healthcare reimbursement moving from a volume-based system to a value-based system and with an increasing focus on managing the health of populations, the successful candidate should understand and implement a strategy for these market expectations.

Desired Personal Characteristics and Behaviours:

• Exemplify scholarly excellence and provide guidance and support to other academic leaders;
• Outstanding organizational and administrative abilities, with an in-depth understanding of internal processes in a university or healthcare system; and the ability to identify areas for improvement in terms of efficiency and effectiveness;
• A strategic thinker with the ability to support strategic planning and implementation effectively;
• Commitment to community engagement and partnership with a desire to have impact at a national or international level;
• Highly organized with strong process-management skills;
• Ability to build teams and provide leadership within a horizontal organizational structure;
• Lead with a collaborative, transparent, and open approach, with the ability to make sound decisions that drive the college, faculty and staff forward;
• Fair, consistent, strategic, and inspiring to faculty and staff;
• High integrity and ethical standards;
• Clear and articulate communication skills.