Director (Pittsburgh)
The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS) is conducting a national search for a new Co-Director for the Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP), a national VA Health Systems Research (HSR) Center of Innovation (COIN) co-located at the VAPHS in Pittsburgh and the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia, PA. The new Co-Director will be the Site Director for Pittsburgh.
CHERP’s mission is to advance the equity and quality of Veteran health and healthcare through impactful research facilitated by partnerships, collaborations, engagement, mentoring, and service. To achieve this mission, CHERP’s Impact Goals are to: 1) Improve the equity and quality of health and healthcare for marginalized Veteran populations and generate evidence to inform related healthcare policies; (2) Increase the equity, accessibility, safety, and value of clinical therapeutics for Veterans and generate evidence to inform related healthcare policies; and (3) Advance the science and real-world application of dissemination and implementation methods to improve the equity and quality of VHA healthcare. CHERP investigators also focus on long-term care and aging, primary care practice, complex chronic disease management, and other high priority health services research areas.
CHERP-Pittsburgh is situated in a 75,000 square foot Research Office Building located at the University Drive division of VAPHS. This state-of-the-art facility is a 5-minute walk to CHERP’s closely aligned academic affiliate, the University of Pittsburgh, where faculty hold academic appointments in multiple Schools of the Health Sciences and Departments, including Medicine, Public Health, Biostatistics, Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health and Rehabilitative Sciences.
CHERP provides an outstanding scientific infrastructure to facilitate innovative, high-impact research, including grant proposal development, budget management, biostatistics, qualitative methods, dissemination and implementation science, mentoring and ethics, and equity and engagement. In addition to annual core support from VA HSR, CHERP’s infrastructure is strengthened by the generous financial support provided by VAPHS and CMCVAMC, VISN 4, and the University of Pittsburgh and University of Pennsylvania. In fiscal year 2023, CHERP investigators leveraged its total core support of $2.3 million by successfully competing for over $16.7 million in annual funding from VA research and quality improvement awards, partnered VA operations projects, training programs, and non-VA awards.
The VAPHS CHERP Director, in collaboration with local and cross-site leadership teams, will lead the strategic direction of CHERP and provide scientific, fiscal, and administrative oversight of over 125 Pittsburgh-based investigators, trainees, research team members, and core staff. The Director will also mentor pre- and post-doctoral trainees and early career investigators; facilitate partnered research; grow collaborations with local VA Centers of Excellence, academic affiliates, and community organizations; and respond to special projects and inquiries from VA Central Office and local and regional operational partners. The VAPHS CHERP Director will also have the opportunity to advance their own independent research program as a principal investigator of VA and other research awards.
The VAPHS Director will have at least a 5/8ths VA appointment and will report to the Associate Chief of Staff for Research & Development. It is expected that the candidate will also maintain an academic appointment at the University of Pittsburgh.
Key characteristics of potential candidates include:
- Health services researcher (MD, PhD, PharmD or equivalent) with a strong track record of VA and other federal funding as principal investigator
- Experience aligned with CHERP’s mission and goals
- Strong background in mentoring trainees and early career investigators
- Demonstrated leadership, interpersonal, collaborative, and administrative skills
- Commitment to advancing inclusion, diversity, equity, and access
- Eligible for employment in the federal government and appointment at the Associate Professor or Full Professor level at the University of Pittsburgh
Candidates from backgrounds underrepresented in the field of health services research are strongly encouraged to apply. Salary and other compensation will be commensurate with experience and qualifications according to the commitment from VAPHS leadership.
Interested candidates are invited to submit a CV and letter of interest to Kelly.Burkitt@va.gov. Letters of interest will be considered until December 10, 2024.
Please feel free to reach out to the Search Committee Co-Chairs directly, either Dr. Kelly Burkitt, Director of Research Operations for CHERP or Dr. Walid Gellad, Associate Chief of Staff for Research. All inquiries will be treated confidentially.
