Research Faculty Focus: Clinical, Translational, Health Equity, or Health Services

The Department of Pediatrics is committed to providing the highest quality of patient care and supporting excellence in research and education. To contribute to the advancement of medical science, we are fully committed to research and the development of new clinical and educational approaches to address healthcare challenges. Our goals for the next three years include:

• Increase the clinical, translational, health equity, and health services research footprint of the Department of Pediatrics.
• Increase the extramural funding portfolio related to this research.

This request is for Applications for all academic ranks of Research Physician-Scientists, whose research focus seeks to improve children’s health.

We are particularly interested in candidates with excellence in clinical, translational, health equity, and health services research aiming to advance the understanding of disease processes and potential novel therapeutics across pediatric health fields including, but not limited to, immunology, hematology-oncology, infectious diseases, gastroenterology, endocrinology, neurology, and gene therapy.  The Department’s areas of strength in research currently include neonatology, infectious diseases, immune-mediated diseases, oncology, microbiome, neuroscience, asthma, epigenetics, and gene therapy, among others. We will consider applications from Clinical Fellows, Instructors, and all rank faculty at Weill Cornell Medicine and outside institutions.

Competitive candidates will have a significant track record of research training and career goals focused on children’s health research. Successful candidates will have a strong publication record and documented experience in teaching, mentoring, and leadership appropriate for their career stage. Individuals will be at the early career development stage, with the goal of developing an independently-funded research program. Qualified candidates are expected to contribute to the research, teaching, and/or clinical missions of the Department and build and sustain an externally-funded independent research program consistent with the Department’s vision, assist in the recruitment of other funded investigators, and enhance collaborations and research opportunities for the trainees and faculty across Pediatrics and Weill Cornell Medicine.

The Institution

Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) is a comprehensive academic medical center committed to excellence in patient care, scientific discovery, and the education of future physicians in New York City and around the world. Our doctors and scientists - faculty from Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and the Weill Cornell Physician Organization -- are engaged in world-class clinical care and cutting-edge research that connect patients to the latest treatment innovations and prevention strategies. Located in the heart of the Upper East Side's scientific corridor, WCM's powerful network of collaborators extends to its parent university, Cornell University; to Qatar, where an international campus offers a U.S. medical degree; and to programs in Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria, and Turkey. Our medical practices serve communities throughout New York City, and our faculty provide comprehensive care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH)/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, and NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. At Weill Cornell Medicine, we work together to treat each individual, not just their conditions or illnesses, as we strive to deliver the finest possible care for our patients – the center of everything we do. Diversity is one of WCM’s core values and is essential to achieving excellence in patient care, research, and education. We welcome applications from candidates who share our commitment to fostering a culture of fairness, equity, and belonging. WCM is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, color, age, religion, protected veteran or disability status, or genetic information.  Weill Cornell Medical College is an employer and educator recognized for valuing AA/EOE/M/F/Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities.

The Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine is led by a premier pediatrician-scientist, Dr. Sallie Permar who has a strong shared interest in developing a cadre of children’s health researchers that will develop the next generation of therapeutics, prophylactic innovations, and cures that will improve childhood and life-long health. The Department has a robust complement of research faculty and a portfolio of research programs that create a stimulating environment and collaborative network. Moreover, candidates will be in the center of a unique research and training environment created by the collaborations of the integrated and geographically-connected institutions of Weill Cornell Medicine, The Rockefeller University, and Memorial Sloan Kettering. Selected candidates will benefit from the rich, stimulating research environment provided by the current faculty and their research portfolios, as well as the Tri-Institutional scientific community and its top-notch training programs. They will be offered robust institutional start-up funding and protected time for research. We are committed to excellent mentoring of this cadre of children’s health researchers to ensure a successful and productive career that will impact on the well-being of children.

The Department of Pediatrics at WCM is fully committed to supporting and promoting healthcare equity for all children and families, as it is essential to a just and equitable society. We believe that all children have the right to access quality, affordable health care, regardless of their race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or zip code. We are also committed to providing culturally competent care and to working with community partners to improve the health of all children. We strive to make progress on these goals and we are confident that we can make a difference in the lives of children and families.

Institutional Support

The Department of Pediatrics has a well-developed clinical research support infrastructure. The Department maintains an active collaboration with the Joint Clinical Trials Office (JCTO) that provides regulatory and data management for clinical studies. This central administrative team performs multiple functions at the institution, including the Clinical Trials Operations Unit, which focuses on investigator support and training, study design and feasibility, and facilitating access to resources that streamline the conduct of clinical trials. Under the auspices of this collaboration, the Department of Pediatrics has dedicated staff to provide support with IRB submission, Clinical Trial start-up and management, data management, recruitment, and other functions as they relate to clinical research efforts.

In addition, the Department of Pediatrics has established contractual collaboration with the Division of Biostatistics, Department of Population Health Sciences. This provides biostatistical support for ongoing studies and development of grant applications. The team includes PhD and Masters-level biostatisticians and access to the resources of the Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) at WCM.

The CTSC addresses the necessity of an integrated, comprehensive research support system that includes education, training and mentoring for clinical research investigators, coordinators and staff. The CTSC partner institutions include: WCM, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Cornell University-Ithaca, Cornell University Cooperative Extension, Memorial Sloan­ Kettering Cancer Center, Hospital for Special Surgery, Hunter College School of Nursing, Hunter College School of Urban Public Health and the Animal Medical Center. The CTSC includes federally and privately sponsored multi-center trials, training grants, and individual awards as seed grants to investigators. It provides opportunities for qualified investigators to advance medical knowledge from the laboratory bench to the clinical bedside. It also has a comprehensive clinical and translational training program designed to stimulate and enhance careers and training in clinical research for medical students and junior investigators. The CTSC acts as a conduit through which essential resources, technological tools and education programs for all partners can be efficiently shared and managed. Integral to WCM's Strategic Plan for Research, which was initiated seven years ago, the plan for the CTSC brought to fruition the integration of existing inter-institutional resources among neighbors on York Avenue and partner institutions in the immediate area. The resulting cluster of East Side institutions forms a unique and cohesive biomedical complex fulfilling the NIH roadmap initiative of breaking down institutional silos and barriers separating scientific disciplines to accelerate the clinical application of basic science discoveries. This center is funded through the Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSAs), a national consortium that is transforming how clinical and translational research is conducted.

Adult And Pediatric Patient Units  -  Clinical Resources Unit (CRU), including a Metabolic Research Unit, provides inpatient and outpatient research resources to multidisciplinary investigators. The adult and pediatric inpatient and outpatient units at WCM/NYPH are fully equipped to support state­of-the art clinical investigation with healthy volunteers to seriously ill patients. The units are available for a range of services including blood drawing, specimen collection, drug dispensation, administering questionnaires, physical examinations, patient monitoring and education, and dietary consultation. CTSC Research nurses and staff are experienced in all aspects of clinical research.

The Clinical Translational Education Program (CTEP) umbrella integrates degree programs (Master of Science in Clinical Translational Investigation), non-degree  (Advanced Certificate in Clinical Translational Investigation) skills acquisitions and professional development workshops, and funding support for pre/postdocs and junior faculty.  CTSC Educational Funding includes KL2 Scholar Award, TL 1 Training Award and Summer Fellowships.

In addition, we have a robust and expanding child health data science research program. Ongoing projects use several data resources including the Pediatric Epilepsy Learning Health Care System (WCM is the data coordinating center), pediatric specific electronic health record databases housed by the Weill Cornell ARCH program (ARCH = Architecture for Research Computing in Healthcare), and data pipelines to examine microbiology data and vaccination data. We also have access to Medicaid claims datasets, PCORI funded clinical data research network data (via INSIGHT), and PHIS (Pediatric Hospital Inpatient System) data. Regular meetings include investigators, biostatisticians, and regulatory experts to help projects move forward and succeed.

The Position

The research faculty member’s responsibilities will include the following:

• Develop and advance a robust, independent, extramurally-funded research program that addresses children’s health.
• Develop and conduct original research within multidisciplinary teams of highly productive investigators.
• Develop an innovative translational, clinical, data science, health equity, or health services research program in children’s health.
• Help lead departmental research endeavors and mentoring.
• Secure extramural funding to support children’s health research. Collaborate with external industry and academic partners in scientific consortia via the resources provided through the Tri-Institutional Community.
• Generate, summarize, and present results at internal and external meetings to a variety of audiences. Lead and contribute to the writing of scientific publications.
• Foster communication with crucial collaborating investigators.
• Promote teamwork and an environment of excellence in all interactions with colleagues, subordinates, and leadership.
• Find and disseminate practical, science-based solutions to address an array of pediatrics-related public health problems.
• Coordinate the activity of a research team and hold full accountability for projects.

Ideal candidates would have:

• An M.D., M.D./Ph.D. degree, with demonstrated ability to lead and collaborate with investigators from different disciplines.
• Fellowship and/or early career research experience.
• An exceptional record of achievement in clinical, translational, health equity, and health services research as demonstrated by scholarly accomplishment in the form of prior first and/or senior author, high-impact publications, local and national presentations, and/or clinical trial leadership experience.
• An active clinical or disease-specific area of interest.
• A track record of early or mid-career funding.
• Demonstrated commitment to mentoring of next-generation scientists.
• Excellent interpersonal, mentoring, leadership and, if applicable, clinical skills.

Assignment

• Compensation commensurate with FTE, area of expertise, and extramural support.
• Salary Range:

The salary range is dependent on the specialty of the applicant and academic rank. Please contact the Department of Pediatrics at pedsrecruitment@med.cornell.edu. Provide specialty information and desired academic rank, and we will provide a salary range for the position.

• Effort to fulfill the requirements of existing or planned research program as defined in the application, with a career commitment to research.
• Robust institutional start-up funding to ensure protected time for research, research personnel, and research supplies and equipment needs.
• Opportunity for tenure track appointment in the Department of Pediatrics and a potential secondary appointment in relevant basic science departments. 

The Application Process

• To apply, submit the following items to pedsrecruitment@med.cornell.edu.
  • A cover letter of your area of interest, as well as your current and proposed research programs (not to exceed 2 pages).
  • Your current C.V.
  • A statement of research, accomplishments, and goals that emphasizes the clinical/health relevance of the research (not to exceed 3 pages).
  • Two letters of reference from established scientists.

This will be based on a rolling application process. If you have questions about the application process, please contact Dr. Sujit Sheth, Vice Chair of Clinical Research in the Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Sheth is serving as the search committee chair and can be reached at  shethsu@med.cornell.edu.