The Craig Yabuki Research Chair, Mental & Behavioral Health

Position Overview

The Craig Yabuki Research Chair, Mental & Behavioral Health serves as the senior leader providing the vision and scientific leadership for the Mental & Behavioral Health research program at Children’s Wisconsin.  Responsible for strategic growth and enhancement of the pediatric mental and behavioral health research portfolio through enhanced team science and programmatic development, the Chair will govern and prioritize the pediatric mental and behavioral health research portfolio and its associated funding by Children’s. This leader will partner with administrative leaders of Mental & Behavioral Health programs to ensure necessary infrastructure is developed and utilized in support of the program’s research mission.  The Chair will also develop and enhance collaborations with local, regional, and national research and academic partners to advance the research mission, effectively promoting a mentality of collaboration and a united commitment to pediatric mental and behavioral health research as a vital competent of strategic plans across the Children’s system.

Duties and responsibilities:

• Carries out the mental and behavioral health research mission and works closely with the senior management in areas to achieve the mission of the organization.
• Oversees the mental and behavioral health research strategy. Develops, refines, and implements a specific research agenda that effectively utilizes research resources.  Identifies gaps in scientific programs and provides strategic scientific/clinical direction into the development of action plans to advance scientific and medical goals.
• Develops an effective infrastructure to obtain maximum efficiency and utilization in relation to system-wide shared research services.
• Establishes methods for achieving consistent scientific rigor, including a competitive method for acquiring internal funds for all of CHHS.
• Leads, manages and recruits as needed a team of scientific and medical staff. Partners with Mental and Behavioral Health program leaders to lead, manage and recruit mental and behavioral health administrative staff.
• Oversees all phases of mental and behavioral health research programs and partnerships including assembling and working closely with advisory committees to provide oversight of these programs.
• Works closely with other senior leaders, including Children’s Research Institute, to identify partners to enable and enhance the development of projects in the pediatric mental and behavioral health research portfolio.
• Acts as key mental and behavioral health research liaison with other relevant departments including Marketing and Foundation Donor Development as required. This includes helping identify research programs that should be highlighted in publications and events.
• Maintains own program of mental and behavioral health research and provides ongoing mentorship of emerging scientists.
• Performs human resources responsibilities for staff which include interviewing and selecting new employees, promotions, staff development, performance evaluations, and compensation changes, resolution of employee concerns, corrective actions, terminations, and overall employee morale.
• Develops and recommends operating and capital budgets and control expenditures within approved budget objectives.
• Responsible for understanding and adhering to the Children’s Organizational Code of Ethics and for ensuring that personal actions, and the actions of employees supervised, comply with the policies, regulations and laws applicable to Children's business.

Qualifications

Education:

• Advanced level knowledge, equivalent to that which would be acquired by completing a regionally accredited doctorate degree program.

 Experience:

• Significant relevant leadership experience in managing research, or research funding in academia and the healthcare industry, ideally in a matrixed, multi-disciplinary and publicly visible environment.
• Experience leading and developing a team of research professionals who manage multiple projects at varying stages of development under time pressure.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Exhibits guiding behaviors that reflect Children’s values and support our mission and vision.
• Ability to think strategically, work collaboratively and use a consultative approach to problem solving and decision-making.
• Demonstrated excellent analytical, interpersonal, and written and oral communication skills. Ability to communicate effectively with scientists and with non-scientists.
• Ability to work with flexibility, efficiency, enthusiasm, and diplomacy in a team environment with other dedicated professionals in a rapidly advancing work environment.
• A background in translating research into the clinic; the development of successful therapies; and experience with the grant peer review process would be considered a plus
• Ability to travel statewide and nationally/internationally as required