Director

Seattle Children’s, one of the premier children’s hospitals in the nation, invites inquiries, applications, and nominations for the Director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior, and Development (CCHBD). Reporting to the Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Vittorio Gallo, the Director will have a broad range of responsibilities, including strategic planning, research leadership and vision, and program administration in support of Seattle Children’s, the Seattle Children’s Research Institute (SCRI), and the CCHBD. 

Seattle Children’s serves the largest region of any pediatric hospital, covering nearly one million square miles across four states. The 407-bed hospital in Seattle anchors the health system, with additional care provided at 43 outreach sites across the Pacific Northwest. The SCRI is the fourth largest pediatric research institute in the United States, with 2,400 faculty and staff members across eight centers with more than $250 million supporting pediatric research efforts.

The CCHBD conducts research that impacts the lives of children everywhere and focuses on disease prevention and optimization of health via multiple research avenues, including but not limited to: community-engaged research, environmental health, health equity, health promotion, patient-centered outcomes, and neurodevelopment. Comprised of researchers who are faculty across 15 different University of Washington School of Medicine divisions and departments, the diverse team of investigators conduct research that impacts children’s health in the region and beyond. CCHBD is comprised of 134 faculty and nurse members, 174 Seattle Children’s based employees, and almost 150 non-employee researchers, including students and fellows, who collectively conducted $31 million in extramurally funded research in FY2023. 

The Director will engage, lead, and energize the CCHBD, uniting the broad team of researchers to drive collaboration and innovation in child health research. The Director will maintain their own research program while also working closely with researchers and clinicians at Seattle Children’s to support the growth of the Center, including facilitating relationships with clinical and community partners to develop and implement innovative evidence-based interventions. The Director must be an internal and external leader, enhancing the visibility of the impactful research emerging from CCHBD and garnering support for the Center. The Director will be a champion of CCHBD, identifying strategic priorities for investment, supporting an environment that emphasizes equity, inclusion, and belonging, and assuming responsibility for all facets of the Center’s finance and administration. The Director will possess an MD or DO, combined MD/PhD, PhD, or equivalent degree in health-related fields and have a record commensurate with appointment as an Associate Professor or Professor at the University of Washington.

Confidential inquiries, nominations, applications, and additional information about the position and qualifications can be found below. 

All candidates must also submit their applications, including cover letter and diversity statement, through the UW portal.

Rebecca Kennedy and Courtney Wilk-Mandel are leading this search with Nicholas Strand, Ellen Egitton, and Cortnee Bollard.

Our community welcomes diverse experiences, backgrounds, and thoughts as this is what drives our spirit of inquiry and allows us to better connect with our increasingly diverse patients and families. Our organization recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

The people who work at Seattle Children’s are members of a community that seeks to respect and celebrate all the qualities that make each of us unique. Each of us is empowered to be ourselves within this community, which cultivates and promotes equity, diversity, and inclusion at all levels.

Seattle Children’s is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Workplace and Affirmative Action Employer.