Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs
About The Position
The University of Colorado School of Medicine (SOM) seeks an accomplished physician leader to serve as Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs (SADCA) and Chief Medical Officer of CU Medicine. This is a premier executive leadership role responsible for shaping the clinical strategy, quality, access, growth, and integration of the School of Medicine’s extensive clinical enterprise. The SADCA serves as the senior physician executive responsible for aligning the SOM’s academic mission with high-value, patient-centered, financially sustainable clinical care across all SOM clinical platforms. This leader works in close partnership with SOM department chairs, CU Medicine leadership, University of Colorado Hospital Authority (UCHA), Children’s Hospital Colorado (CHCO), and key regional affiliates to advance excellence in patient care, education, and research.
Requirements
- MD or DO degree with active board certification
- Active clinical practice in specialty
- Academic appointment at the Associate Professor or Professor level
- Minimum of 10 years of senior medical leadership experience
- Experience leading complex, multi-site, multi-specialty clinical enterprises
Nice To Haves
- Deep expertise in: Faculty practice models and physician compensation Healthcare finance and market dynamics Value-based care and payer strategy
- Record of academic achievement in clinical program development
- Demonstrated success as a champion of: Patient safety High-quality, equitable care Operational excellence Clinical growth and access
- Proven ability as a: Strategic negotiator Enterprise communicator Change leader
- Strong emotional intelligence, sound judgment, and ability to lead through influence
- Commitment to excellence in education and research
Responsibilities
- Lead the development and execution of a unified, multi-year clinical enterprise strategy aligned with the SOM strategic plan
- Identify and advance opportunities for: o Programmatic growth o New market development o Service line expansion
- Oversee strategic growth of clinical programs beyond the University of Colorado Hospital campus
- Guide integration of acquired practices and new clinical partnerships
- Serve as the senior physician executive accountable for patient safety and clinical quality
- Oversee: Clinical compliance with state and federal regulations CU Medicine Board policies Peer review and credentialing processes
- Partner with legal, compliance, and risk leadership on sentinel events and performance improvement
- Establish a culture of transparent, actionable performance reporting
- Oversee: Productivity metrics Ambulatory operations Benchmarking and institutional outcomes
- Monitor referral patterns and guide access optimization strategies
- Align performance management with quality, growth, and sustainability goals
- Provide executive oversight of: Faculty practice management Access and capacity planning Clinic operations and patient experience
- Align physician compensation models with quality, access, growth, and academic priorities
- Ensure seamless integration of medical students, residents, and fellows into clinical operations
- Guarantee that clinical growth strategies enhance—rather than compromise—the educational mission
- Serve as the senior physician liaison to: o UCHA o Children’s Hospital Colorado o Denver Health o VA Medical Center o National Jewish Health
- Mediate interdepartmental and intersystem clinical service issues
- Serve as physician ambassador to payers, community partners, and affiliated systems
- Lead adoption of: o Telemedicine o Digital health platforms o AI-enabled clinical workflows o Remote monitoring and access optimization tools
- Support pilot programs and scale successful innovations system-wide
- The Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs serves on: Senior Associate Deans Council CU Medicine Board of Directors (ex officio, non-voting) CU Medicine Executive Committee (ex officio, non-voting) School of Medicine Executive Committee Clinical Chairs Council CU/UCHA Quality Committee Board of Directors of the Self-Insurance Trust (as applicable)
- Regular meetings include: Executive Vice Dean CU Medicine Executive Director and senior staff UCHA and CHCO executive leadership SOM department chairs and associate deans Affiliate health system leaders
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Executive
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
