Director, UF Health Cancer Institute

Qualified candidates must hold a medical degree (MD), terminal (PhD), or equivalent. Clinically active candidates must be board certified and eligible for licensure in the state of Florida, and eligible for a faculty appointment at the Professor level at the University of Florida.

About the role

The next Director will play a central role in shaping strategy, strengthening areas of opportunity, and articulating a compelling case for continued excellence. As an inspirational and visible leader, they will galvanize faculty, recruit high-performing talent, build trust across departments, and foster a culture grounded in collaboration, innovation, and accountability. This is an opportunity for a mission-driven leader to build upon substantial institutional and state support and lead the UF Health Cancer Institute into its next era of scientific distinction and transformative impact.

The new Director will be responsible for leading the clinical, research, education, and community outreach programs of the center, including programs at the Cancer & Genetics Research Complex, the UF Health Shands Cancer Hospital, several ambulatory cancer practices, and the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute in Jacksonville. The Director will serve as Physician-In-Chief of the UF Health Shands Cancer Hospital in accordance with the provision of the Marshall E. Rinker, Sr. Foundation, Inc., and the David B. and Leighan R. Rinker gift agreement.

The Director will work closely with the Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, University of Florida President, UF Health, the Deans of the UF colleges, other UF Center and Institute Directors, and the President and Chief Executive Officer of the UF Health system to effectively implement the strategic plan and aims of the UFHCI for oncology clinical, research, education, and community outreach operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the clinical, research, education, and community outreach programs of the UF Health Cancer Institute.
• Serve as Physician-In-Chief of the UF Health Shands Cancer Hospital.
• Deepen scientific impact and accelerate growth in key priority areas, including expansion of translational research and the continued development of medical oncology within an integrated academic–clinical model.
• Leverage shared resources in genomics, computational biology, AI-enabled clinical trial infrastructure, and high-throughput technologies to strengthen investigator-initiated trials, expanded therapeutic accrual, and enhance community-engaged research across the Center’s four research programs: Cancer Control & Population Sciences, Mechanisms of Oncogenesis, Cancer Targeting & Therapeutics, and Immuno-Oncology & Microbiome.
• Create synergies across research, clinical service lines, shared resources, and outreach efforts to ensure a cohesive and high-performing cancer enterprise.
• Authority over the CCSG process and award, implementing CCSG activities to stimulate transdisciplinary collaborative research, inclusive workforce development, and community engagement.
• Develop a shared vision of the Institute, utilizing the full range of university resources to address the cancer burden of the catchment area and formally articulating this through the Institute's strategic plan.
• Recruit and appoint Institute leaders and members and charge and empower UFHCI committees.
• Lead the executive committee, which directs decision-making in accordance with the UFHCI strategic plan.
• Serve on the UF Health Shands Board of Directors and the cancer service line steering committee to ensure Institute and catchment area strategic priorities are well-represented.
• Develop and oversee the cancer service line to ensure integration of research and care.
• Authority over all cancer research requiring IRB approvals at UF, including the Institute's Clinical Research Office.
• Oversee activities of Community Outreach & Engagement to enhance bidirectional communication and community impact in the catchment area.
• Complete authority over the Institute's budget supporting ongoing operations and recruitment, including funds provided by UF Health and the State of Florida.
• Oversight of Institute philanthropy and fundraising activities, including all major gifts impacting cancer.
• Allocation of Institute-assigned laboratory and clinical research space.
• Development of and support for Institute shared resources.
• Centralization of training programs to enhance the development of a prepared cancer research workforce.

Requirements

• Highly respected cancer scientist with dynamic leadership skills and administrative expertise.
• Proven track record of progressive leadership experience within a matrixed institution and the ability to integrate comprehensive cancer services.
• Ability to lead innovative research efforts fostering discovery at the bench and in the community, and facilitate translation into clinical and community settings.
• Expertise in building strong internal and external relationships, with a track record of working collaboratively with academic partners, physician scientists, physician leaders, and diverse management teams.
• "Systems thinker" with an understanding of the various operating entities of an integrated healthcare system.
• Consensus-oriented individual who displays "respectful courage" and is highly influential in encouraging progress toward shared goals.
• Ability to anticipate critical issues, opportunities, and threats in the foreseeable future.
• Experience driving the implementation of strategic and annual operating plans that ensure coordination, integration, and alignment of people, systems, and processes.
• Experience aligning, expanding, and sustaining innovative quality, safety, and performance improvement initiatives that achieve superior clinical quality, favorable financial outcomes, and high patient/physician/employee satisfaction.
• Contribute to the improvement of cancer care delivery by advancing the UFHCI's role in the transformation and evolution of a regional and state-wide health strategy.
• Develop and mentor the academic careers of faculty/fellows and recruit outstanding new faculty to build high-performing cohesive teams and cultivate a pipeline of next-generation leaders.
• Collaborate across institutions in the continued development of the clinical enterprise to foster and broaden multidisciplinary clinical education and research innovations.
• Promote an environment of accountability and continuous performance improvement by establishing and monitoring concrete performance measures.
• Support the University of Florida’s goal to recognize the value of all employees, embrace diversity, and contribute to a positive, collaborative culture.
• Impeccable values, ethical standards, and high emotional intelligence.

This is not a remote work position and is located on the University of Florida's Main Campus in Gainesville, FL.