Job Vacancy Announcement – Part Time (20 Hours) Staff Clinician 1/ Training Director in The Office of the Clinical Director
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Division of Intramural Research Programs (IRP)
Office of the Clinical Director (OCD)
Program Overview
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) clinical fellows training program is embedded within the NIMH Intramural Research Program (IRP) in Bethesda, Maryland. The program consists of two main training opportunities: including an ACGME accredited post-graduate year 4 (PGY-4) psychiatry residency (12-month program) and a clinical research fellowship training program (1 to 5 years). The goals of these training opportunities include providing a rich research training experience in the NIMH IRP, helping physician trainees discover areas of interest and expertise, career planning and mentorship, and developing professional skill sets to enable trainees to become leaders in academia, industry or in private and community professional settings.
The broader NIMH IRP conducts extensive research into the mechanisms of and treatments for a range of mental illnesses including psychotic, affective, and anxiety disorders in adults, childhood disorders, as well as genetic studies, and basic/translational laboratory research. The IRP conducts clinical trials that are designed to expedite the exchange of information between scientists and clinicians so that basic findings can be moved quickly from the laboratory setting to the treatment of patients at the bedside. Clinical trials are of primary importance to the research mission of the NIMH. The clinical research portion of the program comprises tenured and tenure-track clinical investigators, staff clinicians, and fellows in about a dozen clinical Branches and free-standing sections.
The incumbent will serve as a Staff Clinician 1 who will be the Director of the Clinical Fellowship Training Director in the NIMH IRP. The NIMH Clinical Fellowship Training Director oversees recruitment and oversight of the NIMH ACGME-accredited PGY-4 psychiatry residency as well as the NIMH Clinical Fellows (PGY-5 and beyond) enrolled in clinical trials at the NIH Clinical Research Center (CRC), a 200-bed hospital with inpatient, outpatient, and day-hospital facilities serving 18 different NIH Institutes/Centers at the Bethesda, Maryland campus.
Position Overview
Working within the NIMH Office of Fellowship Training Program, the Director of the Clinical Fellowship Training program will oversee supervision by NIMH PIs of all NIMH IRP trainees including PGY-4s, NIMH Clinical Fellows, the NIMH-Georgetown MedStar C-L fellow, visiting medical students, and others. The incumbent will create and oversee the didactic curriculum and training, overseeing fellow research projects, and providing mentorship. The incumbent will engage in ongoing activities to recruit potential trainees to the program.
The incumbent may serve as the study principal investigator or associate investigator on one or more protocols. Incumbent may manage human subjects’ studies in any of the following areas: data collection, data release policies, design protocols, dissemination of results, informed consent, patient examination, patient safety, protocol adherence monitoring, randomization recruitment, referral for abnormal findings, and reporting adverse events. The incumbent provides direction and recommendations for the establishment, revision, or re-evaluation of the goals and objectives of the clinical and training programs under their purview.
Through extensive established contacts with professional colleagues, medical, and public health officials both in this country and abroad, the incumbent keeps abreast of recent advances in clinical areas and identifies problems and opportunities and appropriate data sources; elicits critical responses and cooperative enterprises at a variety of levels and within a range of relevant disciplines; and coordinates NIH-wide programs in the assigned specialty area.
Performs other related duties as assigned.
Program Director Responsibilities
The Program Director must have responsibility, authority, and accountability for: administration and operations; teaching and scholarly activity; resident recruitment and selection, evaluation, and promotion of residents, and disciplinary action; supervision of residents; and resident education in the context of patient care.
The Program Director must:
- be a role model of professionalism;
- design and conduct the program in a fashion consistent with the needs of the community, the mission(s) of the Sponsoring Institution, and the mission(s) of the program;
- administer and maintain a learning environment conducive to educating the residents in each of the ACGME Competency domains;
- have the authority to approve or remove physicians and non-physicians as faculty members at all participating sites, including the designation of core faculty members, and must develop and oversee a process to evaluate candidates prior to approval;
- have the authority to remove residents from supervising interactions and/or learning environments that do not meet the standards of the program;
- submit accurate and complete information required and requested by the DIO, GMEC, and ACGME;
- provide a learning and working environment in which residents have the opportunity to raise concerns, report mistreatment, and provide feedback in a confidential manner as appropriate, without fear of intimidation or retaliation;
- ensure the program’s compliance with the Sponsoring Institution’s policies and procedures related to grievances and due process, including when action is taken to suspend or dismiss, or not to promote or renew the appointment of a resident;
- ensure the program’s compliance with the Sponsoring Institution’s policies and procedures on employment and non-discrimination;
- ensure residents must not be required to sign a non-competition guarantee or restrictive covenant;
- document verification of education for all residents within 30 days of completion of or departure from the program; and
- provide verification of an individual resident’s education upon the resident’s request, within 30 days.
Qualifications
The ideal candidate for this position is required to have a Doctor of Medicine or a Doctor of Osteopathy degree from an accredited medical or osteopathic school; in addition, a Doctor of Philosophy in Neurosciences and related fields is welcome. Position requires board certification in psychiatry, and a current unrestricted license to practice medicine.
The ideal candidate for this position would have professional knowledge of training requirements in medical education, and skill in applying, concepts, principles, and methodology of the field of psychiatry and clinical neuroscience, sufficient to apply experimental theories and new developments to the solution of complex biomedical research problems not susceptible to treatment by accepted methods; to make decisions or recommendations significantly changing or developing important public policies or programs. This may also include knowledge of, and advanced skills in, the conduct of psychiatric training and practice, including an in-depth understanding of research methodology in order to place trainees in the best basic, clinical or translational settings in the IRP.
The ideal candidate for this position would have mastery of the concepts, principles, processes and techniques of program management and the methods used to analyze and evaluate information on the progress of assigned activities in order to make and implement recommendations that have significant impact on the overall substance and direction of the program.
As a reference, ACGME outlines the following qualifications and responsibilities for Program Directors:
- Must include specialty (Psychiatry) expertise and at least three years of documented educational and/or administrative experience, or qualifications acceptable to the Review Committee.
- Must include current certification in the specialty for which they are the program director by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) or by the American Osteopathic Board of Neurology and Psychiatry, or specialty qualifications that are acceptable to the Review Committee.
- Must include ongoing clinical activity.
How to Apply
Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, a statement of research interests, and contact information for three references to paom@mail.nih.gov by May 18, 2024. Please include "Staff Clinician Application" in the subject line. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Appointees may be a US citizen, Legal Permanent Resident or non-US citizen who are eligible for a valid work authorization. The position is subject to a background check. Questions should be directed to: Maryland Pao at paom@mail.nih.gov. Applications from women, persons from underrepresented groups, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged.
Applications will be accepted until May 18, 2024.
Benefits
The Staff Clinician will be appointed at a salary commensurate with their qualifications and experience. In addition, A full civil service package of benefits may be available including leave, and thrift savings plan (401K equivalent), will be provided.
HHS and NIH are equal opportunity employers
DHHS, NIH, and (insert IC) are equal opportunity employers. NIH is dedicated to building a diverse community through its training and employment programs.