Associate Professor/Professor (Assoc Chair of Research-Medicine)

About the role

The Department of Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine Peoria (UICOMP) seeks a highly accomplished, collaborative, and visionary physician-scientist to serve as Associate Professor/Professor and Associate Chair of Research.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive departmental research strategy that aligns with institutional priorities and supports federally funded training mechanisms, including NIH T32, K-, and R-level programs.

• Provide leadership in positioning the Department of Medicine as a nationally competitive training environment for clinical, implementation science and health services research.

• Cultivate a robust research culture by intentionally fostering a growth mindset and celebrating research achievements at all levels to reinforce engagement, motivation, and continuous improvement.

• Strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration by proactively building and supporting collaborative research efforts both within the department and across the institution to advance innovative, high-impact scholarly work.

• Advise departmental and institutional leadership on strategies to strengthen research training infrastructure, mentor capacity, and trainee outcomes.

• Serve as a senior mentor and training leader for postdoctoral physician-scientists and PhD researchers participating in NIH-funded training programs, including training grants and career awards.

• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous evaluation of structured mentoring frameworks consistent with federal funding expectations for institutional training grants.

• Ensure availability of team-based mentorship, pairing clinical mentors with methodological experts in implementation science, health services research, biostatistics, and data science.

• Oversee mentor development activities, including mentor training, mentor evaluation, and accountability, to ensure high-quality guidance for trainees.

• Collaborate with the Center 4 Health research (C4HR), the Division of Research Services and other institutional partners to align research education curricula with implementation science competencies, including pragmatic trials, health systems research, dissemination, and equity-focused implementation.

• Support junior faculty and trainees in career development planning, grant writing, and transition to independence, with particular emphasis on NIH K- and R-level funding.

• Foster collaborative scholarship by developing and supporting structures such as thematic working groups, research seminars, and informal networking events (e.g., departmental “brown bag” lunches).

• Encourage engagement with the Center for Health Research at the College of Medicine Peoria, as well as other Centers across the University of Illinois College of Medicine and UIC.

• Advance research engagement across training levels by collaborating with UICOMP C4HR, Division of Research Services, Academic Affairs, and the Internal Medicine Academic Programs to expand research opportunities in health outcomes for students, residents, fellows, and faculty, ensuring meaningful participation and mentorship across all levels.

• Facilitate structured research opportunities for medical students, residents, fellows, postdoctoral trainees, and faculty, ensuring vertical mentoring across career stages.

• Secure external funding by championing and supporting institutional training grants (e.g., T32, K12) and multi-investigator NIH awards relevant to implementation science and translational research.

• Provide leadership in developing competitive grant submissions that incorporate trainee involvement and mentorship plans, consistent with NIH standards.

• Support trainees and junior faculty in preparing NIH career development awards (K08, K23, K99/R00) and transition to independent funding.

• Ensure that research infrastructure, data resources, and compliance systems support high-quality training experiences, including protection of trainee research time.

• Promote a safe, inclusive, and respectful training environment consistent with NIH requirements for institutional training programs.

• Monitor trainee outcomes, including publications, grant submissions, career placement, and long-term research engagement.

Qualifications

• Possess an MD, MD/MPH, MD/PhD, DO or equivalent doctoral degree.

• Experience in grant writing and management and proven track record of external funding.

• Demonstrated record of externally funded independent research, preferably including NIH funding.

• Established excellence in mentoring physician-scientists and/or PhD trainees, with evidence of trainee scholarly productivity and career advancement.

• Eligibility for academic appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior leadership or significant mentoring role on NIH institutional or career development training programs (e.g., T32, K12, KL2, or equivalent).

• Expertise in implementation science, health services research, translational research, or pragmatic clinical trials.

• Experience mentoring MD, MD-MPH, MD-PhD, or PhD postdoctoral trainees toward independent research careers.

• Demonstrated commitment to interdisciplinary, team-based science and health equity-focused research.