Associate Director for Community Outreach and Engagement
Associate Director for Community Outreach and Engagement
Posting Date: 05/16/2023Closing Date: 07/17/2023
Job Information/Description:
Search for the
Associate Director for Community Outreach and Engagement at the
Louisiana State University-Louisiana Children’s Medical Center Cancer Center
New Orleans, Louisiana
THE SEARCH
In 2022, Louisiana State University (LSU), in conjunction with its LSU Health Sciences Center at New Orleans (LSUHSC-NO), announced a major new strategic partnership with the Louisiana Children’s Medical Center (LCMC Health) to advance cancer care, research, and education. LCMC has committed an investment of $75 million over five years to this partnership to support the LSU-LCMC Cancer Center, a dramatically expanded cancer center in New Orleans dedicated to reducing the burden of cancer in a state with one of the highest cancer rates and disparities in the country and aggressively pursuing the first and only National Cancer Institute (NCI) Designation in the region.
The LSU-LCMC Cancer Center seeks an Associate Director for Community Outreach and Engagement (AD for COE) to join the team and lead efforts to engage bidirectional communication between the Cancer Center and the population it serves.
LSUHSC-NO is the State of Louisiana’s flagship comprehensive academic medical center, known for the quality of its academic and training programs in educating most of Louisiana’s health care professionals in its six schools including medicine, the graduate school, allied health professions, the pre-eminent public school of public health, the state’s only dental school, and the only nursing school in Louisiana within an academic health center. The faculty and staff of LSUHSC-NO engage in healthcare delivery, research, and teaching statewide in conjunction with over one hundred affiliated hospitals and other health science- related institutions. LSUHSC-NO provides vital public service through direct patient care including care of indigent and uninsured patients as well as through referral services, continuing education, and public health information. In addition, the University works cooperatively with two Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) to focus on improving the number and distribution of healthcare providers in underserved rural and urban areas of Louisiana.
Louisiana Children’s Medical Center (LCMC Health) is a New Orleans–based, non-profit health system with six hospitals, six urgent care centers, and physician practices across the region. Founded by Louisiana’s first freestanding children’s hospital, LCMC Health has grown into a healthcare system built to serve communities and families unique needs across New Orleans, the Gulf Coast, and beyond. In joining forces through the LSU-LCMC Cancer Center, these two major institutions have exponentially advanced the opportunities for advancing cancer care, research, and outreach for the state, region, and nation.
The LSU-LCMC Cancer Center is seeking an Associate Director for Community Outreach and Engagement Reporting directly to the Cancer Center Director, this is an extraordinary opportunity for an innovative and visionary leader to establish transformative community engagement and foster transdisciplinary cancer research that will prove vital for the assessment of disparities affecting the catchment area. This innovative leader will work alongside the Community Advisory Board (CAB) and Community Health Associates (CHAs) to work collectively in the community and facilitate ongoing communication and galvanize efforts toward vital breakthroughs and advancement in cancer research. The successful candidate for AD-COE also will be able to build a team of up to four Community Outreach and Engagement researchers who will foster unprecedented growth in community outreach and engagement.
The successful candidate will have a track record of federally funded cancer research, academic recognition, and mentorship that will qualify for a faculty appointment at the rank of associate or full professor. The AD-COE is responsible for developing assessments that will identify drivers of cancer risk, inspiring research to match the community’s needs, and developing interventions to improve outcomes for survivors. Thus, the selected candidate will be someone who is swift at building and galvanizing, adept at collaboration, possesses exceptional communication skills, and is an expert in engaging the community. LSU-LCMC Cancer Center has engaged Isaacson, Miller, a national executive search firm, to assist with this important search. All applications, inquiries, and nominations should be directed to the search firm as indicated at the end of this document.
LSU-LCMC CANCER CENTER
The mission of the LSU-LCMC partnership is to alleviate the burden of cancer across the catchment area, the state of Louisiana, and beyond, through interdisciplinary discovery, compassionate care, and training of individuals to fight inequities through engagement, respect, and conviction. The timing of this hiring is vital, as distinct disparities within the state create unique variables and challenges that lead to higher rates of cancer in low-income communities across Louisiana, which has the 7th highest cancer incidence rate in the United States. Residents and the population in the surrounding region are suffering as Louisiana has the fifth-highest overall cancer mortality rate in the nation, with 218.2 per 100,000 Louisianans dying from the disease annually.
Through this LSU-LCMC partnership, cancer research and innovative approaches to training and education will serve as a catalyst for the quality of cancer care in Louisiana, the Gulf South, and beyond. This partnership stands on the mutual dedication to serving the unique needs of the communities, through healthcare delivery, research, and education. The partners include:
LSU Health Sciences Center at New Orleans (LSUHSC-NO) is Louisiana’s most comprehensive academic health sciences center, known for the quality of its academic and training programs. LSU-NO-HSC is responsible for the education of most of Louisiana’s healthcare professionals. It was founded in 1931 with a mission of training outstanding doctors, committed to caring for the underserved while providing excellent healthcare for the people of Louisiana. What began as a small School of Medicine has now morphed into a major Health Sciences Center with five other schools (Dentistry, Nursing, Allied Health, Public Health, and Graduate Studies), and eight research Centers of Excellence established by the Louisiana State University Board of Regents. Faculty, staff, residents, and students align in the commitment to advance medical science with exciting discoveries in the laboratory, researching new treatments, and understanding how the delivery system can improve health equity.
LCMC Health offers six hospital locations: Children’s Hospital, East Jefferson General Hospital, New Orleans East Hospital, Touro, University Medical Center New Orleans, and West Jefferson Medical Center. Through all six locations, they deliver world-class care through a network of urgent care centers across the greater New Orleans area. With over 2,800 board-certified physicians, they not only serve those in need but conduct comprehensive Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) to identify the most significant needs across the region and develop strategies to address them.
LSU: Located in Baton Rouge on more than 100 acres near the Mississippi River, LSU is 1 of 24 Universities nationwide that hold a land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant designation, and is 1 of 8 Universities in the country to house a law school, dental school, veterinary school, and an MBA program. LSU has a $5.1 billion economic impact on Louisiana.
THE ROLE
The AD for COE will report directly to the Cancer Center Director and will work to define the catchment area and assess the direct needs for the strategic framework for COE activities. This leader will oversee the Office of Community and Engagement and work with the Cancer Center senior leadership and program leaders to advise on ongoing changes in cancer burdens and disparities within the catchment area of populations most affected.
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR THE AD FOR COE
Establish a vision and implement strategic priorities for the Office of Community Engagement and Outreach
The successful candidate will be responsible for building the Office of Community Engagement and Outreach and implementing a proactive vision for progressive assessment and preventive measures. The AD will possess the political acumen to execute such a vision in a highly collaborative and inclusive fashion, working with community stakeholders and colleagues in a collegial, intellectually rigorous, learning-based culture. The AD for COE must understand the complexity of an ever-changing political landscape and have the ability to maintain strategic priority and ability to forecast vision, within this framework. It will be important for this leader to proactively advance public understanding of the Office of Community Engagement, its distinctive capabilities, its culture, and its vital impact on the local community, preventative measures, and patient care.
Serve as a transformative spokesperson for bidirectional communication and establish critical community involvement
The AD for COE will serve as a direct spokesperson, driving critical communication channels and intentionally nurturing existing relationships with external communities and other partners, to strategically facilitate cross-disciplinary research, transformative communication, and community involvement. The incumbent will find innovative ways to partner with community leaders and partners, and program leads to work cohesively to build upon the existing programs, clinical trials, and bolster culturally relevant research efforts. The ability to galvanize and build trust will ensure lifesaving participation and serve as a catalyst for education within the catchment area that advances the mission of the Cancer Center.
To accomplish this, the AD for COE will serve as a compelling and persuasive communicator, building strong local and national support, and will speak genuinely and empathetically to relevant communities and the populations most affected within the catchment area to aid in disseminating and implementing research, and early detection and screening avenues. As such, it is expected that the AD for COE will develop and maintain a local presence and gain report through interaction and consistent communication. To understand the population of New Orleans and of Louisiana, the AD must be skilled at developing community partnerships and driving a robust community advisory board.
Develop, Promote, and disseminate relevant and timely educational information regarding the vital importance of cancer prevention to communities within the catchment areas
The AD for COE will develop innovative assessments for the changing needs of cancer burdens that directly affect the catchment area, will promote community education efforts, and will advance the importance of preventative measures. This leader needs to be fundamentally rooted in understanding and advancing research focused on improving the health of underserved populations, fully understanding how racial disparities affect healthcare and how it pertains to these underserved communities. The AD for COE will ensure that results and findings generated from research conducted through the Center will be disseminated broadly through peer-reviewed articles, presentations, and through the cohesive network of the clinical scientist program.
Oversee and grow an effective team that works seamlessly to further critical grant opportunities, develops relevant critical trials, and establishes robust community engagement for long-term partnership and impact
The AD for COE will model and encourage proactive outreach internally and across disciplines that positively affects cross-pollination of growth and directly supports a culture of teamwork. The right leader in this role will be a galvanizer who can build on the Cancer Center’s existing strengths and develop the capacity of the team to serve the diverse communities that reside within the catchment area. The AD for COE will prioritize communication internally and circumvent roadblocks and navigate politics that can impact community outreach programs and community relations. He/she will desire to work collaboratively with both internal and external colleagues while leading teams and developing partnerships.
The AD for COE is adept at listening and assessing the critical needs and suggestions of their team, leadership, and the community at large while weaving together an effective strategy for promoting a well- rounded team for a long-term impact on bridging new horizons for cancer prevention and health care for New Orleans.
QUALIFICATIONS AND QUALITIES
The successful candidate will be an outstanding leader and innovator thinker. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated leadership and administrative abilities, outstanding interpersonal skills, and a proven track record of leading change. The candidate must hold a terminal degree (e.g., MD, Ph.D., ScD, or DrPH) and should qualify for the rank of associate or full professor at LSUHSC-NO. Ideally, candidates for this position will possess many, if not all, of the following characteristics:
Internationally recognized researcher with a proven track record of independent, federally- funded, community-based research and high-impact publications in the field of behavioral/community-based research and cancer prevention
MD, MD/PhD, or PhD degree in a relevant field; with expertise in community outreach and engagement, particularly in underserved populations
Credentials to support an appointment at the Associate Professor or Professor level
Experience with successfully obtaining individual and programmatic NIH grants
An innovative and progressive leader who thinks “outside the box” and challenges the status quo for strategies to achieve growth in a changing research environment
An agile thinker capable of navigating a complex and multifaceted campus environment with a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and team-oriented mindset
An excellent communicator and listener with the leadership presence to unite and inspire a diverse group of faculty and staff around a clearly articulated vision
A leader with high emotional intelligence and good interpersonal skills; someone who embodies the LSU-LCMC Cancer Center’s core values and characteristics
Contributions in scholarship and research, community advocacy, teaching, and service (e.g., mentoring, recruitment, community action, research on issues related to diversity, social inequalities, and social justice) that show a commitment to diversity and equal opportunity
Contributions to scholarship and research, community advocacy, teaching, and service (e.g., mentoring, recruitment, community action, research on issues related to diversity, social inequalities, and social justice) that show a commitment to diversity and equal opportunity.
ABOUT NEW ORLEANS
Located along the Mississippi River in the southeastern region of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 according to the 2020 U.S. census, it is the most populous city in Louisiana and the twelfth-most populous city in the Southeastern part of the United States. New Orleans is considered an economic and commercial hub and is world-renowned for its music, cuisine, and annual celebrations and festivals, such as Mardi Gras. New Orleans is a cross-cultural and multilingual heritage.
New Orleans was severely affected by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, which flooded more than 80% of the city, killed more than 1,800 people, displaced thousands of residents, and significantly damaged the campus of the LSU Health Sciences Center, the old Charity Hospital and the VA Medical Center. Since Katrina, major growth and rebuilding efforts have led to a rebound in the city’s population as well as over
$2 billion in the construction of new University Medical Center and VA hospitals.
TO APPLY
Inquiries, nominations, and applications should be sent in strict confidence to Dan Rodas, Partner, and Ivy Couch, Associate of Isaacson, Miller: https://www.imsearch.com/open-searches/louisiana-state-university-louisiana-childrens-medical-center-cancer-center/associate
LSU Health Sciences Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer for females, minorities, individuals with disabilities, and protected veterans.
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