The Vice Chair of Clinical Affairs will provide leadership, counsel and oversight to the Chair of Surgery regarding the department’s administrative, financial and performance activities.

Expectations

Financial Support

• Actively participate in the development of the Department’s annual budget each fiscal year
  • Develop strategies to optimize department revenue while managing department expense
• Assist with transparently determining faculty and APP annual compensation by having command of the following:
  • AAMC productivity and compensation metrics by specialty
  • Incentive pay structure and models
  • Strategic investments
  • Faculty retention
• In conjunction with the Chair and Division Chief (DC), work with individual faculty who are not meeting productivity targets to develop an action plan to course correct
• Assist with development, oversight and monitoring of the Practice Plan
• Work to align the Funds Flow model and faculty compensation with the Practice Plan
• Serve as intermediary between the Department and the Practice Plan Committee
• Identify opportunities and models for strategic investment of Funds Flow dollars
• Meet monthly with the Chair of Surgery and finance team to align the Department's strategic vision and business development with the goals of UKHC and the College of Medicine.
• Strive to place the Department’s interests and financial well-being above division and self-interests

Performance Management

• Assist with resolving issues regarding clinical care in conjunction with the DC and DOS performance team which will consist of the Chair and Vice-Chairs of Quality/Process Improvement, Leadership/Professional Development, and Professionalism/Integrity/Equity
• Help resolve conflict between faculty/patients, faculty/staff and faculty/faculty
• Advocate for and facilitate faculty promotion and retention

Along with the Chair, oversee credentialing, onboarding and monitoring of new faculty including all Focused Performance Practice Evaluations

The Vice Chair of Education will provide leadership, counsel and oversight to the Chair of Surgery regarding the department’s educational programs especially through collaboration with the Office of GME, the College of Medicine and fellowship directors.

Expectations

• The Vice Chair will represent the Department of Surgery on all matters involving education, especially with the GME office and will keep the Chair informed on educational matters.
• The Vice Chair will work with the Department of Surgery program and fellowship directors to coordinate educational activities, implement best practices and departmental policies horizontally across the department.
• In conjunction with the Chair, the Vice Chair will identify, oversee and mentor the Grand Rounds Directors who in turn will organize and coordinate the Department’s annual Grand Rounds and Visiting Professor lecture series.
• The Vice Chair will develop and organize work groups to evaluate the development of new residency and fellowship programs and will critically evaluate requests to increase complement. If these programs are implemented the Vice Chair will oversee implementation and integration of the program into the Department to minimize negative impact on existing programs.
• The Vice Chair will work with the Chair and the Program/Fellowship directors to address national accreditation or institutional citations, warning or probation.
• The Vice Chair will collaborate with the Department’s Chief Wellness Officer and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force to implement best practices into the Department’s training programs.
• The Vice Chair will identify and remediate professionalism issues that pertain to resident and fellow education.  The Vice Chair will keep the Chair informed and will work with him/her to put forth processes to address professionalism issues that involve trainees.
• The Vice Chair will assist the Chair and the Department’s finance team in coordinating resource allocation among the residency and fellowship programs.
• The Vice Chair will collaborate with the other Department Vice Chairs (Research, Faculty Affairs, Global Health, Quality, Innovation and Leadership/Professional Development) to advance mutual and associated education initiatives.

The Vice-Chair (VC) of Leadership and Professional Development will provide leadership, counsel and oversight to the Chair of Surgery and the Department of Surgery team for leadership and professional development.  The VC will support skill set development for effective leadership through education and training opportunities.  Support for the professional development of faculty and staff with career advancement will be provided.

Expectations

• The Vice Chair will represent the Department of Surgery on all matters involving leadership and professional development, and will keep the Chair informed on such matters
• The Vice Chair will meet with Department of Surgery Divisional leaders to develop leadership skills and support divisional team success through skill development surrounding team dynamics of trust, respectful conflict, commitment to expectations, accountability and attention to success with goals.
• The Vice Chair will support Divisional leaders in career path development for divisional members 
• The Vice Chair will develop, at least yearly, a leadership retreat for ongoing skill development for Department of Surgery team members
• The Vice Chair will work with the residency and fellowship leadership for development of leadership skill opportunities for the residents and fellows
• In conjunction with the Chair, and various Department of Surgery personnel, the Vice Chair will support the standard code of conduct for all DOS members including faculty, residents and fellows
• In conjunction with the Chair, the Vice Chair will support performance management of faculty and development of Department of Surgery standard process for intervention and expectations for success
• In conjunction with Residency leadership, the Vice Chair will support resident and fellowship performance management 
• The Vice Chair will assist the Chair and the Department’s finance team in coordinating resource allocation amongst leadership and professional development projects and programs
• The Vice Chair will collaborate with the other Department Vice Chairs (Education; Research; Faculty Affairs; Global Health; and Innovation) to advance mutual and associated initiatives

The Vice Chair(s) for Professionalism and Integrity (VC-PI) will provide leadership, counsel, and oversight to the Chair of the Department of Surgery (DOS) in matters related to professional standards and conduct, integration and diversity of faculty, trainees, and staff, and work to ensure equitable alignment of UK Healthcare, College of Medicine, Divisional, and DOS initiatives and funding. 

Expectations

• VC-PI in collaboration with DOS leadership will establish consensus-based definitions for professional conduct for all DOS members
• VC-PI will provide clear review of these expectations during new faculty orientation, resident and fellow orientation, and new staff orientation directly and in coordination with Division Chiefs and administrative leadership
• VC-PI will champion the highest standards of professional integrity in clinical care, graduate medical education, and research as a core value in the DOS
• VC-PI will collaborate with DOS leadership and Division Chiefs to encourage building diverse teams that foster trust, problem solving, and excellence within the DOS in a setting of respect in dialogue regardless of rank, position and personal perspective
• VC-PI in collaboration with DOS leadership, Division Chiefs, Program Directors, UK Healthcare and DOS nursing leadership will keep the Chair informed and immediately address professionalism issues that involve members of the DOS     
• VC-PI in collaboration with Program Directors and VC-Education will participate in didactics and small group discussions addressing topics such as implicit bias, allyship, and harassment with all DOS members with a goal of expanding self-awareness, education, support, and prevention of future harm
• VC-PI in collaboration with DOS leadership, the Chair, and VC-Education, will ensure invited speakers are aware of DOS disclosure policies and VC-PIE will coordinate screening for implicit bias and to insure cultural competency
• VC-PI will serve as open door for concerns regarding discrimination, harassment, or other behaviors of intolerance within the DOS and elevate these concerns to the Chair in a timely and confidential manner
• VC-PI will conduct formal meetings with the various DOS team components, annually, semi-annually or quarterly for feedback from team members 
• VC-PI will actively participate in residency interviews to align diversity initiatives with resident selection
• VC-PI will serve as ambassadors for UK College of Medicine Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) including regular attendance and engagement in monthly ODEI meetings and activities to increase DOS footprint and community engagement
• VC-PI will facilitate an exit interview process for DOS personnel with emphasis on PIE related issues that may have impacted transition

The Vice Chair of Quality and Process Improvement (VCQ) will provide leadership, counsel and oversight to the Chair of Surgery regarding the delivery of the highest quality care possible to our patients in the Department of Surgery (DOS).  The VCQ will provide leadership in the development and measurement of the departments approach to quality, medical safety, and performance improvement. 

Expectations

• Oversee the development and redesign of a comprehensive quality/performance improvement program that tracks and reports both nationally established and locally developed quality indicators for the DOS.
• Promote knowledge-sharing of quality and safety data in a non-blaming, accountable, and collaborative learning environment.
• Prioritize accreditations, operational projects, and system changes based on analysis of current outcomes, patient safety events, and institutional requirements. 
• Collaborate with department leaders to assess and improve clinical pathways based national guidelines and best practice concepts to facilitate patient care and flow within the system. 
• Collaborate with department leaders to critically evaluate and coordinate quality and process improvement activities across the department, inclusive of mentoring and advising residents and faculty developing, pursuing approval, carrying out, implementing or creating scholarly products related to quality and process improvement projects. 
• Collaborate on the implementation of action items relevant to DOS workflow stemming from audits of clinical quality and safety, to include root cause analysis
• Advocate for resource allocation and staff to appropriately implement the strategies outlined for Quality and patient safety in the DOS
• The VCQ will report to the Chair of Surgery on a regular basis and in a timely manner on urgent concerns related to quality. 
• The VCQ will work with the Chair of Surgery to put forth processes to approve and enable identified projects.
• The VCQ will assist the Chair of Surgery and the Department’s finance team in coordinating resource allocation amongst quality and process improvement projects and programs.
• The VCQ will collaborate with the other DOS Vice Chairs (Education; Research; Faculty Affairs; Global Health; Leadership/Professional Development; and Innovation) and Division Chiefs to advance mutual and associated initiative

The Vice Chair for Research will provide leadership and oversight regarding the department’s research mission and represent the DOS in collaborative research initiatives across the College of Medicine and University of Kentucky.

Expectations

• Provide leadership, oversight, and coordination of the DOS basic, translational, and clinical research programs.
• Provide counsel to the Chair regarding research-related matters.
• Represent the department at relevant research-related COM and university committee meetings.
• Collaborate with leadership to develop priorities and milestones for the DOS research mission.
• Implement strategies to facilitate the growth of the DOS research portfolio and increase NIH funding.
• Assist the Chair with recruiting and retaining high potential research faculty and surgeon scientists.
• Support the research careers and professional development of faculty. 
• Work to enhance the research pipeline and improve the infrastructure for resident, fellow, graduate, medical, and/or undergraduate student research opportunities.
• Develop and manage resident training /mentoring program including leading the effort to secure funding for such program (T32 or similar)

The Division Chief will provide leadership for surgery specialty teams within the DOS and work in collaboration with the Chair of Surgery regarding the divisional personnel, financial and administrative success.

Expectations

• Yearly performance evaluation will be completed in-person with the Chair with a comprehensive review at 3-years.
• Maintain clear and transparent communication with the Chair and the other Divisional Chiefs.
• Attend the monthly group DC and VC meeting with the Chair and effectively communicate appropriate items to the members of the division.
• Completion of annual performance evaluation in-person for each division member by the established deadline as determined by the College of Medicine (COM). 
• Work closely with the Chair and department administration to oversee the division’s finances with an implicit goal of maintaining financial solvency.
• Strive to meet and exceed the metrics for the division in the value-based score card.
• Assist with recruitment and retention of faculty.
• Assist with investigating incidents of clinical performance, faculty track performance, poor professionalism or patient complaints involving members of the division and help identify the optimal remediation strategy.  Standards developed by Performance Management Committee should be incorporated for consistency across divisions.
• Instill the principles of leadership into the division’s faculty. Serve as a valued mentor to the faculty.
• Actively participate in Department of Surgery meetings and conferences.
• Participate in network develop opportunities when present.
• Strive to promote and maintain high morale and wellness within the division and the department.
• Align division activity with the department’s pillars (clinical excellence, education, research, leadership/professional development, innovation, global health, and professionalism, integrity and equity)