Chief Medical Officer and Executive Director, Heart and Vascular Care Line

University of Utah Health•Salt Lake City, UT

About The Position

As a patient-focused organization, University of Utah Health exists to enhance the health and well-being of people through patient care, research and education. Success in this mission requires a culture of collaboration, excellence, leadership, and respect. University of Utah Health seeks staff that are committed to the values of compassion, collaboration, innovation, responsibility, integrity, quality and trust that are integral to our mission. EO/AA The CMO and Executive Director, Heart and Vascular Care Line (MD), is the senior physician executive responsible for advancing and integrating cardiovascular care delivery across University of Utah Health and partner organizations. This role ensures alignment between care line strategy and physician practice, clinical standards, and academic priorities, and champions high-quality, evidence-based, patient-centered cardiovascular care across the inpatient, outpatient, procedural, perioperative, and rehabilitative continuum. This leader provides physician vision and oversight across the full scope of cardiovascular services, including:· Cardiology (general, interventional, heart failure, electrophysiology, structural heart, preventive cardiology, advanced imaging)· Cardiac Surgery (cardiac, non-oncologic thoracic, aortic, valve, mechanical circulatory support)· Vascular Surgery (open and endovascular, aortic, peripheral arterial and venous, cerebrovascular)· Cardiovascular support services (cardiac catheterization and EP labs, CVICU, cardiovascular acute care, cardiac rehabilitation, advanced heart failure clinics, anticoagulation services)As a partner on the three-person Care Line Executive Leadership Team (ELT)—with the Chief Administrative Officer and Executive Nursing Director—this leader serves as the clinical and strategic physician executive coordinating cardiovascular services across inpatient, outpatient, perioperative, procedural, and rehabilitative settings. The role provides physician leadership for care model design and clinical integration, supports high-value care delivery, and drives sustainable growth and clinical excellence across the cardiovascular enterprise. The role reports to the Care Line Clinical Board (with functional reporting to the System Associate Chief Clinical Officer) and co-leads the Care Line Executive Operations Committee (CLEOC) to achieve care line goals and outcomes. Corporate Overview: The University of Utah is a Level 1 Trauma Center and is nationally ranked and recognized for our academic research, quality standards and overall patient experience. Our five hospitals and eleven clinics provide excellence in our comprehensive services, medical advancement, and overall patient outcomes.

Requirements

M.D. or D.O. from an accredited medical school.
Board certification in Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Vascular Surgery, or related cardiovascular specialty.
Active, unrestricted medical license in Utah or eligible for Utah medical licensure.
Ten plus years of progressive clinical experience in cardiovascular medicine, cardiac surgery, or vascular surgery within an academic medical center or complex health system.
Five plus years of administrative and leadership experience in cardiovascular service line management, program development, quality improvement, or healthcare operations leadership.
Lead heart and vascular care line strategy and clinical integration across specialties, sites, and the full care continuum.
Drive growth through program development, market/access expansion, regional network development, and adoption of new care models and technologies.
Partner effectively in shared leadership with the Executive Leadership Team (ELT), advancing results through influence, alignment, and disciplined execution.
Demonstrate financial and value-based care acumen, including margin awareness, capital/ROI prioritization, and risk-based model strategy.
Champion quality, safety, equity, and high reliability—using data, benchmarking, and peer review to drive measurable improvement and accountability.
Integrate the academic mission (education and research) into operations and build partnerships with departments, institutes, societies, and industry.
Demonstrated track record of strategic planning and cardiovascular program growth, leading quality improvement with measurable outcomes, managing complex budgets/financial operations, and guiding multidisciplinary teams with effective stakeholder engagement.

Nice To Haves

Fellowship training in a cardiovascular subspecialty strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead Care Line strategic growth planning and monitor execution across University of Utah Health and partner organizations.
Serve as the physician executive lead for Care Line strategy and business development in partnership with the administrative and nursing executive leaders.
Coordinate strategic planning with cardiovascular division chiefs, department chairs, practice management, and external partners to align clinical, academic, and operational priorities.
Identify and advance growth opportunities (regional access expansion, new programs, technology adoption, and population health/prevention initiatives).
Guide the design and operationalization of cardiovascular sublines and scalable care models, aligning capacity, workforce, and capital with strategic priorities across inpatient, ambulatory, procedural, virtual, and post-acute settings.
Provide senior physician leadership for evidence-based, person-centered clinical integration and care coordination across the full cardiovascular continuum.
Align physician practice patterns, care models, education, and research with Care Line strategy, operational capabilities, and patient-centered design.
Optimize patient access and flow across clinics, procedural areas, and inpatient units (wait times, referrals/leakage, capacity, transfers, and regional coordination).
Champion evidence-based, standardized clinical pathways and protocols across the network, aligned with national standards.
Partner with nursing, quality, and operational leaders to embed high reliability, safety, continuous improvement, transparency, and continuous learning across cardiovascular services.
Lead performance improvement using outcomes, safety, and experience metrics (e.g., mortality/complications, readmissions/LOS, timeliness, procedural outcomes, CAHPS/PROMs/NPS).
Embed consistency in program design, access strategies, and care delivery, and ensure alignment with national standards/registries (ACC/AHA, STS, SVS, NCDR, VQI).
Oversee peer review, variation analysis, benchmarking, and physician accountability; sponsor clinical innovation and improvement initiatives with measurable impact.
Partner with other members of the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) to align Care Line priorities with system strategy and operational execution, enabling interdisciplinary collaboration, timely escalation, decision support, and transparent progress updates.
Co-develop enterprise-ready business cases (growth, capital, workforce, technology) with finance, operations, nursing, and practice leadership, translating clinical need into clear outcomes, ROI, and implementation plans.
Convene and align key stakeholders (department chairs, division chiefs, quality/safety, ambulatory/inpatient leaders, and external partners) to standardize pathways, resolve cross-site barriers, and drive accountable execution.
Partner with nursing and administrative leaders to align staffing models with care delivery, access goals, and capacity needs.
Collaborate with faculty leadership on workforce engagement, well-being, and retention among cardiovascular faculty and advanced practice clinicians, reinforcing a respectful, compassionate, high-performing culture.
Mentor physician leaders and emerging talent, reinforcing accountability, professionalism, and continuous development.