Director of Health Care Transformation Research

Job Summary

Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah invites applications for an exceptional Associate or Full Professor to serve as the Founding Director of Research in Cancer Care Transformation at our new Vineyard Campus. This is a unique opportunity for a visionary scholar or clinician-scientist to shape a new academic and clinical enterprise dedicated to Delivering a Cancer-Free Frontier to the Mountain West and beyond.

HCI Salt Lake City Campus

As part of the University of Utah (located in Salt Lake City, UT) the current HCI enterprise includes over 300 cancer-focused research teams and has established outstanding programs in laboratory research, clinical cancer research, and cancer control and population sciences and cross-disciplinary disease centers. HCI is the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in the Mountain West, and provides care for cancer patients in Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Wyoming. With over 1 million square feet dedicated to research and clinical care, it provides patient and prevention education to residents from across the Mountain West and beyond. The institute uniquely and seamlessly integrates the cancer hospital with research buildings, enhancing the connection between cutting-edge research and clinical care.

The new HCI Vineyard Campus & Strategic Focus

HCI is establishing a new state-of-the-art comprehensive cancer campus in Vineyard, Utah to be completed by 2028. This tenure-track faculty position will be based at the new HCI Vineyard Campus, the new HCI center in Vineyard has been supported by the state of Utah and extraordinary philanthropic contributions. HCI Vineyard will provide important access to patients in central and southern Utah, and exciting opportunities for new collaborations with academic and entrepreneurial partners in the area, including Utah Valley University (UVU), Brigham Young University (BYU) and numerous technology/AI companies (Silicon Slopes). The new HCI Vineyard Campus will implement HCI's extensive clinical trial portfolio and house national cancer research leaders.

The Vineyard Campus is HCI's first campus-scale expansion and will serve as a major new hub for innovation in cancer care and research. In its first phase, the campus will advance four key areas of focus:

1. Health Care Transformation - redesigning cancer care delivery to improve access over distance, quality, efficiency, and patient experience.
2. AI, Data Science & Digital Oncology - leveraging technology to serve communities and patients through innovation, overcome distance as a barrier, and enable precision prevention and treatment.
3. Innovation in Clinical Trials - providing state-of-the-art oncology care and increasing access for rural and underserved populations.
4. Community Outreach & Engagement - partnering with communities across the Mountain West to close gaps in prevention, screening, and survivorship.

These four areas are designed to work in concert, creating a powerful ecosystem where innovations in one area fuel progress in others. Together, this synergy will enable Vineyard to pioneer new models that deliver a cancer-free frontier across the Mountain West.

Collaborative Spirit & Culture

HCI and the University of Utah are known for their highly collaborative and collegial culture, where faculty work across disciplines to solve the most pressing challenges in cancer care. The successful candidate will thrive in this environment, building bridges between clinical, research, and community teams to deliver measurable impact, and will hold a faculty appointment in their corresponding academic department/division.

Why Join Us

This is a founding leadership role with significant resources, institutional support, and a mandate to innovate. You will join a vibrant, passionate community of researchers, clinicians, and educators committed to Delivering a Cancer-Free Frontier through discovery, collaboration, and action.

Application Instructions

Applicants should submit to PRN45274B Position number:
- Cover letter describing leadership experience and vision for health care transformation
- Curriculum vitae
- Contact information for three references
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled.

Responsibilities

We seek an innovative, collaborative leader with a proven record in health services research, implementation science, digital health innovation, or clinical/translational excellence. The successful candidate will:

1. Build and direct a new program in Health Care Transformation, with dedicated resources for collaborative faculty recruitment and program growth.
2. Develop a federally funded grant portfolio in Health Care Transformation, both as leader and collaborator.
3. Collaborate closely with HCI clinical and research leaders, University of Utah health system and department leaders, and community partners to design scalable, data-driven care solutions.
4. Lead efforts to overcome barriers to care through innovation, with a special focus on rural, frontier, and other underserved populations.
5. Advance research, implementation, and clinical practice in telehealth, value-based care, and AI-enabled prevention, early detection, and treatment.
6. Actively contribute to leadership of the HCI Innovative Medical Practices Advancing Care Transformation (IMPACT) Center as Research Director.
7. Will be a member of Huntsman Cancer Institute's Research Leadership Council, shaping the strategic agenda of the cancer institute and serve on Huntsman Cancer Institute's Enterprise Leadership Council.
8. Report to the Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute as well as the Director of the IMPACT Center.

Minimum Qualifications

Preferences

1. MD, DO, PhD, or equivalent with a strong national reputation and track record of scholarship, clinical leadership, or program development in health services research/oncology research or related field.
2. Demonstrated ability to recruit, mentor, and inspire faculty and trainees.
3. Success in securing extramural funding and advancing health care
4. Strong track record in and commitment to multidisciplinary team science.