MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH

About Whitman-Walker

Whitman-Walker envisions a society where all persons are seen for who they are, treated with dignity and respect, and afforded equal opportunity to health and wellbeing.

Through care, advocacy, research, and education, we empower all persons to live healthily, love openly, and achieve equality and inclusion.

For over 50 years, we have been meeting the needs of our communities with the endless dedication of our diverse teams.

About Whitman-Walker Institute

Whitman-Walker Institute's (the "Institute") mission is to expand the body of knowledge needed to strengthen Whitman-Walker's programmatic foundation of care, advocacy, research, and education.

The Whitman-Walker Institute focuses on the strategic integration of research, policy, and education to improve the health and well-being of underserved communities nationwide, particularly LGBTQ people and people living with HIV.

We do so through innovative research, effective stakeholder education, and shaping the systems of care that erect barriers to good health.

The Institute is a part of the Whitman-Walker Health System. The Institute also supports Whitman-Walker Health in its mission of caring for the community, providing mission-critical support to Whitman-Walker Health through expanded research, education, policy, and advocacy initiatives.

Job Summary

The Medical Director of Research will be responsible for designing and executing a portfolio of externally funded research studies as Principal Investigator, Site Principal Investigator, and Co-Investigator for research originating from both internal and external collaborators;

the role will also serve as a key clinical and administrative lead within the Research Department, overseeing the clinical needs and staffing of all relevant research studies and working closely with Institute and departmental leadership to ensure the long-term sustainability of our clinical research programs.

The Medical Director of Research will collaboratively develop and lead a portfolio of clinical research, serving as the primary point person on all aspects of scientific oversight and jointly overseeing relevant financial and operational decision-making in collaboration with the Department's operational staff.

A significant focus of the role will be on generating new scientific advances through designing, implementing, and disseminating clinical research within their areas of expertise, serving as a member of departmental leadership in the oversight of research operations, and collaborating with other members of the Institute and Health Center departments and programs.

The Medical Director of Research will be particularly well-suited and expected to represent real-world patient and community interests in the development and testing of biomedical intervention strategies with the goal of understanding and eliminating health inequities locally and nationally through both internal research programs and external partnerships.

The Medical Director of Research will also be expected to maintain an active role in direct, patient care outside of the research context for a portion of their time.

Core Institute Primary Essential Duties :

• Performs and behaves in accordance with Whitman Walker's organizational mission, cultural norms, and core values of dignity, respect, affirmation, and humility
• Maintains a respectful, non-judgmental, and compassionate manner with patients, clients, and staff
• Demonstrates excellent care and concern for research participants, following all relevant protections and safeguards to minimize risks and ensure voluntary participation and confidentiality
• Adheres to Whitman-Walker policies and procedures, with special attention given to research ethics, compliance, funder policies, privacy / confidentiality, and HIPAA requirements
• Maintains data integrity through conscientious use of relevant tools and employing a system of checks and balances
• Demonstrates organizational skills necessary to multi-task, meet deadlines, and re-prioritize as needed
• Participates in quality and performance improvement activities
• Helps ensure all staff are following organizational and departmental policies and procedures
• Liaises between departments in the Institute and across Whitman-Walker more broadly to manage workload and workflow
• Actively works to advance the organizational mission of Whitman-Walker by supporting and collaborating with departments throughout the Whitman-Walker Health System and Whitman-Walker Health

Role-Specific Primary Essential Duties - Research :

• Identifying scientific and / or clinical knowledge gaps and developing and implementing new research to address them
• Soliciting funding through fostering relationships with industry stakeholders as well as proposal development and grant writing
• Overseeing fiscal and regulatory aspects of the clinical research portfolio as well as individual grants, subcontracts, and contracts;

ensuring the financial sustainability and revenue cycles of the clinical research portfolio

• Mentoring, managing, training, and supervising clinicians, study staff, fellows, trainees, and students, including clinical supervision of relevant research clinicians
• Ensuring clinical and research staff compliance with all laws, policies, protocols, and operating procedures
• Developing, conducting training, and supervising staff on clinical protocols and procedures and ensuring active compliance with all relevant regulatory standards for clinical research
• Overseeing and enhancing clinical workflows within research as well as clinician coverage and availability across active protocols
• Performing clinical duties across research studies and maintaining a panel of patients in standard clinical practice with all duties required of a staff physician
• Developing and promoting partnerships with academic and other external collaborators
• Fostering innovations around the interplays between research, policy, and education to further the mission of the Institute as well as the connections between these areas and clinical practice
• Spearheading new and existing research protocols from initial conceptualization through execution and dissemination
• Overseeing research protocol development and implementation
• Identifying or creating key methodological elements of study design such as sample selection, measures, interview guides, experimental procedures, recruitment techniques, and protection of human participants
• Engaging with local and national communities to understand interests and needs, centering and amplifying their voices, and representing those within research both internally and with our external partners
• Analyzing and disseminating data in both written form and through presentations to key stakeholders, including research and community audiences, in consultation with statistical and data-related experts internally and through our partnerships with other key external entities
• Oversight of routine reporting requirements to funding agencies, ethical boards, and relevant Whitman-Walker departments such as Finance and Compliance
• Consulting with both internal and external partners on scientific advancement and other strategic initiatives within their areas of expertise

Role Specific Primary Essential Duties - Clinical :

• Provides integrated, team-based clinical care in a state-of-the-art facility to a diverse patient population.
• Becomes an integrated part of a team approach to primary care.
• Ensures coordinated medical, behavioral health, addictions, legal, and nutritional care in a medical home model.
• Interacts with patients using cultural sensitivity.
• Provides and documents high-quality and efficient medical treatment to patients.
• Evaluate and treat all patients with urgent and chronic medical conditions.
• Performs physical examinations and other preventative health care.
• Records patient data in medical records in accordance with Medicare and other payer rules and requirements.
• Codes patient visits accurately using Medicare and other insurance standards.
• Performs additional diagnostic and / or therapeutic clinical procedures as necessary.
• Collaborates with external healthcare facilities to facilitate access to specialty and inpatient care.
• Actively participates in educational activities related to HIV and primary care standards.
• Provides educational opportunities and is eager to supervise medical students, PA students, NP students, medical residents, and ID fellows.
• Participates in quality improvement activities.
• Ensures compliance with local, state, and federal regulations.
• Works closely with the patient care teams to provide the highest quality, collaborative health care.

Budget Responsibilities

Collaborates with Research Department operations staff and relevant administrative and financial department staff to oversee the financial sustainability and revenue cycles of clinical research (as Director) and project-specific budgetary performance (as Principal Investigator).

Management Responsibilities

• Provides training and supervision of research staff on clinical policies and procedures in collaboration with Research Department operational staff.
• Manages and supervises clinical staff within Research on executing research-related clinical work, including physicians, physician assistants, nurses, and medical techs / assistants.

Core Knowledge, Skills, and Talents Required :

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Ability to manage time and effort in order to meet strategic objectives
• Knowledge of and adherence to all Institute and applicable Whitman-Walker Health and Whitman-Walker Health System policies and procedures
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to collect, organize, analyze, and disseminate significant amounts of information with attention to detail and accuracy
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to function efficiently as part of a multidisciplinary and multi-departmental team
• Excellent organizational skills, including proficiency in the use of computer word processing and data entry programs and the ability to handle multiple tasks simultaneously
• Ability to maintain records and information in an accurate, timely, and confidential manner
• Ability to prepare accurate, concise, and comprehensive reports
• Flexibility to work at the organization's various locations as necessary
• Commitment to health equity

Role Specific- Knowledge, Skills, and Talents Required :

• Excellent scientific writing skills (i.e., grants, manuscripts)
• Excellent ability to prepare and deliver research presentations to multiple audiences
• Excellent knowledge of primary care guidelines and standards of care
• Excellent clinical and communication skills
• Excellent ability to mentor students and early career professionals in medicine, clinical research, and public health, with in-depth knowledge of clinical research methods as applied to their areas of expertise
• Strong commitment to patient-centered clinical care
• Ability to demonstrate cultural humility while providing medical services to a diverse client population
• Extensive knowledge of research methods
• Ability to develop research protocols
• Ability to develop quantitative and / or qualitative analytic plans and work closely with internal and external partners in executing and interpreting such analyses
• Commitment to community-engaged research approaches
• Knowledge of clinical, social / behavioral, or public health approaches to health equity research
• Knowledge of local, state, and federal regulations as they relate to healthcare

Education and Experience Required

• Medical Doctorate or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine with a license to practice medicine in DC
• Board-certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases strongly preferred
• Meets minimum requirements to serve as the primary, Contact Principal Investigator on grants from federal agencies (e.g.

National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Science Foundation)

• At least 3 years of clinical research experience in a Principal Investigator and / or management role
• Research or clinical experience with a focus on the health of LGBTQ+ populations broadly construed (e.g., aging, cancer, cardiovascular disease, mental health, sexual health) and / or HIV treatment and prevention
• Record of research dissemination through presentation to research and / or community audiences; record of peer-reviewed publications strongly preferred
• Demonstrated commitment to research to achieve health equity
• Able to manage and delegate work in a fast-paced clinical research environment

Working Conditions :

Working conditions for this position are normal for an office environment. Individual may be required to work evenings and / or weekends and organization events.

Physical Demands :

• Lifting : No more than 20 lbs. and infrequently
• Movement : Standing and sitting for long periods
• Visual : Long periods on computer.
• Concentration : Extended periods of engagement with computer systems where concentration is key to accuracy in data entry.

Intermittent periods of engagement with a telephone system to respond to inquiries where concentration is key to task performance

Communication : Direct and indirect communication. Written and verbal competency

Whitman-Walker is an equal employment opportunity employer and does not discriminate against applicants, its employees, or former employees based on race, color, religion, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or gender identity.

For accommodation in the application process, please contact Human Resources.