The Department of Radiation Medicine at New York Medical College and Westchester Medical Center Health is recruiting a new Chief of Radiation Oncology Physics. The successful candidate will work closely with the chair of the department and with senior administration from the hospital and medical school in building the clinical, research and teaching profile of the department.

 

New York Medical College (NYMC) School of Medicine (SOM) is one of the oldest and largest medical schools in the United States, dating back to its founding in 1860. Today, NYMC is part of Touro University, and is located on a 55-acre campus in Valhalla, NY adjacent to its primary academic affiliate, Westchester Medical Center. The medical school enrolls more than 800 students, supports a faculty of nearly 2,000, and offers four-degree programs: MD, MD/MPH, MD/MS, and MD/PhD. The school of dentistry (DDS) and the college’s schools of health professions (MPH, DPH, DPT, MS in speech language pathology, MS in biostatistics), graduate studies (MS, PhD), and nursing (BSN) contribute to a vibrant and collaborative academic campus community.

 

Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,700-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, New York, with 10 hospitals on eight campuses spanning 6,200 square miles of the Hudson Valley. WMCHealth employs more than 13,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians. The Network has Level I, Level II, and Pediatric Trauma Centers, the region’s only acute care children’s hospital, an academic medical center, several community hospitals, dozens of specialized institutes and centers, skilled nursing, assisted living facilities, home-care services and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State. Today, WMCHealth is the pre-eminent provider of integrated health care in the Hudson Valley.

 

The Department of Radiation Medicine offers a comprehensive range of therapies including 3DCRT, IMRT, VMAT, IGRT, SRS, SRT, SBRT, as well as HDR and LDR brachytherapy including a GammaTile program for GBM and radionuclide therapies. The department is equipped with state-of-the-art treatment planning and delivery platforms including a wide bore Phillips CT simulator and TrueBeam linear accelerator. A Varian 600c is also housed on-site with plans moving forward for replacement with a leading-edge treatment modality. The department is currently equipped with a Varian VeriSource IX HDR treatment system. LDR brachytherapy is also performed for prostate cancer, brain tumors and other malignancies. We serve as a referral center across our region for complex brachytherapy procedures. We are equipped in the department to plan and treat with radiation therapy for patients under anesthesia including pediatric patients cared for at the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital on-site at our main campus. The department is located within the main hospital in Valhalla, New York and routinely coordinates assessment and treatment of both inpatients and outpatients. The department also has a Pyrexar 500 available for superficial and interstitial hyperthermia treatments. In addition to the main campus, radiation therapy is provided at three of our network hospitals across the Hudson Valley that serve as a referral base to WMC for complex treatments not available in the community. The department is staffed by five physician faculty members with subspecialty expertise. The department staff also includes three medical physicists and a medical dosimetrist. With the planned clinical growth and direct involvement in the medical center’s network this presents an outstanding opportunity for a new chief of physics to develop his/her/their own team. Appointment to the full-time medical school faculty is available at rank level commensurate with training and experience.

 

Quality and Safety: (1) Oversee activities required for maintenance of national accreditation; (2) Assist the chair in selection of new accreditation and quality programs to be implemented in the department; (3) Lead division of physics quality program including oversight of QA of radiation oncology equipment and treatment delivery; (4) Perform annual OPPE evaluations of all division of physics staff; (5) Partner and collaborate with department members, hospital staff and patients to ensure an outstanding patient experience.

 

Strategy: (1) Play a key role in working with the chair on selection of new treatment technology for the main campus department; (2) Provide input into new program opportunities both at existing network sites and with new ventures; (3 Lead recruitment of additional medical physics faculty, dosimetrists, and radiation therapists.

 

Clinical Operations: (1) Primary responsibility for daily operations related to QA, simulation, treatment planning, treatment delivery and verification; (2) Develop staffing models that are both efficient and ensure high quality care; (3) Develop and maintain strong organizational structure and morale, including medical physics, dosimetry, and therapy; (4) Participate in provision of standard services expected of clinical physicists to facilitate outstanding radiation oncology patient care.

 

Research: (1) Develop and with the chair and implement a plan for a divisional research program; (2) Identify research opportunities that lead to securing NIH and other third-party support; (3) Mentor faculty in achieving goals needed for promotion of academic rank including guidance with publication to bring national attention to the department.

 

(1) Oversee physics education within the department including therapy students, medical students, pediatric and medical oncology fellows; (2) Lead effort to establish a CAMPEP residency program; (3) Support effort as requested by the chair to achieve long-term goal of establishing department medical residency program key leadership competencies: builds trust, creates and communicates clarity, works collaboratively and fosters teamwork, builds a cohesive team, utilizes strategic judgment, cultivates a service-oriented culture, creates and communicates vision and strategy, leads change and innovation, dedicated to professional growth of faculty and staff.

 

Ph.D. in physics medical physics residency or equivalent training in medical physics, board certification in therapeutic medical physics by the American Board of Radiology or American Board of Medical Physics, minimum seven years of work experience, New York State license in medical physics – therapeutic radiological (can be obtained upon hire).

 

WMCHealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of Westchester Medical Center Health Network to provide equal employment opportunities without regard to race, color, religion, gender, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age (40 or older), marital status, genetic information or carrier status, disability (mental or physical), citizenship status, pregnancy, military service or veteran status, arrest or criminal accusation, domestic violence victim status or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law.