Chair of Clinical Sciences Full Time NEW

About the Role

The Chair of Clinical Sciences provides academic and operational leadership for the delivery and continuous enhancement of the clinical sciences component of the Doctor of Medicine (MD) program, primarily encompassing Years 4-6 of the curriculum.

The role is responsible for leading the development, delivery, integration, quality assurance, and continuous enhancement of clinical education, clinical placements, and workplace-based learning experiences while ensuring alignment with the MD programs Intended Learning Outcomes, integration with the basic sciences knowledge, accreditation standards, healthcare workforce needs, and the educational strategy established by the Dean of Medicine and Curriculum Committees.

The Chair will work closely with the Dean of Medicine, Chair of Basic Sciences, hospital leadership, faculty members, students, and academic colleagues to ensure students are effectively prepared for postgraduate training and clinical practice.

The Chair reports to the Dean of Medicine and is accountable for the effective implementation, delivery, quality assurance, and continuous improvement of the clinical sciences phase of the MD curriculum. The role operates within the strategic direction, policies, and governance framework established by the Dean, Board of Trustees, and relevant University committees.

Responsibilities

Curriculum Leadership

• Provide academic and operational leadership for the delivery of the clinical sciences curriculum.
• Lead curriculum review, development, mapping, and enhancement activities across Years 4-6.
• Ensure curriculum content, clinical learning experiences, and assessments align with program learning outcomes and accreditation requirements.
• Promote integration between clinical and foundational sciences throughout the program.
• Work collaboratively with the Vertical Modules Lead to ensure alignment of module content, sequencing, and outcomes with the overall curriculum framework and program learning outcomes.
• Ensure Vertical Modules are appropriately mapped and reinforced across the curriculum to support spiral learning and progressive development of competencies.
• Support the implementation of innovative educational methodologies and simulation-based education.
• Ensure the curriculum reflects contemporary clinical practice and evolving healthcare needs.

Clinical Education and Placements

• Lead the development and oversight of clinical placements and workplace-based learning experiences.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with teaching hospitals, healthcare providers, and clinical partners.
• Establish systems to monitor the quality and consistency of clinical learning environments.
• Support clinical educators and placement supervisors in delivering high-quality clinical education.
• Ensure students receive appropriate clinical exposure and learning opportunities across the program.
• Work collaboratively with hospital and healthcare partners to ensure clinical placements align with curriculum requirements, learning outcomes, and program capacity planning.

Quality Assurance and Enhancement

• Lead quality assurance and quality enhancement activities relating to clinical education.
• Monitor educational quality through placement evaluations, student feedback, faculty feedback, and performance metrics.
• Support accreditation reviews, audits, and external quality assurance activities.
• Implement improvement initiatives arising from program evaluation processes.
• Provide regular reports and recommendations to the Dean of Medicine on educational performance, placement quality, student outcomes, identified risks, and improvement initiatives within the clinical sciences phase.

Assessment and Student Progression

• Support implementation of program-wide assessment policies and procedures.
• Ensure assessments within the clinical sciences phase align with curriculum outcomes and readiness-for-practice expectations.
• Support the quality assurance of workplace-based assessments, OSCEs, and clinical examinations.
• Monitor student progression and performance trends across clinical years.
• Escalate significant concerns relating to student progression, assessment outcomes, placement quality, curriculum delivery, or educational risk to the Dean of Medicine through established governance processes.

Student Support and Academic Advising

• Serve as a Personal Academic Tutor, academic advisor, or student mentor as assigned by the University.
• Provide first-line academic support to students, including guidance on study skills, learning strategies, academic progress, and professional development.
• Support students’ academic engagement, motivation, and integration into the medical program.
• Participate in scheduled academic advising sessions, small group tutoring, and student support activities as required by the program.
• Maintain an accessible and supportive learning environment that promotes student success and professional growth.
• Recognize students who require additional or specialist support and refer them through established University processes in a timely and appropriate manner.
• Work within defined professional boundaries and maintain confidentiality in line with university policy.
• Contribute to a culture of student wellbeing, inclusion, engagement, retention, and progression across the program.

Faculty Leadership and Development

• Provide academic leadership and mentorship to clinical faculty members and placement educators.
• Support faculty recruitment, induction, development, and performance review processes.
• Promote educational excellence, scholarship, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Career Development and Transition to Practice

• Lead and coordinate initiatives that support students’ transition to internship, residency, foundation training and postgraduate medical training.
• Support career planning, residency preparation, and professional development activities.
• Collaborate with clinical partners to ensure graduates are prepared for clinical practice.

Candidate Requirements

Essential

• MD or equivalent medical qualification.
• Completion of a recognized postgraduate medical specialty training program (residency)
• Appointment as a faculty member within a medical school
• Significant experience teaching undergraduate medical students in clinical settings.
• Demonstrated leadership experience within a medical school, teaching hospital, or healthcare organization.
• Experience in clinical curriculum design and delivery.
• Experience in assessment, clinical examinations, and student progression processes.
• Experience managing clinical education programs or clinical placements.
• Strong understanding of quality assurance and accreditation in medical education.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively within complex governance structures involving universities, healthcare providers, and regulatory bodies.

Desirable

• Master’s or PhD in Medical Education, Health Professions Education, or related discipline.
• Experience leading clinical years or clerkship programs.
• Experience developing simulation-based clinical education.
• Experience in graduate transition-to-practice initiatives.
• Evidence of educational scholarship and publication.
• Experience working with international academic partners.