Co-Director, Advancing Health Equity: Leading Care, Payment, and Systems Transformation
The University of Chicago

Department

BSD MED - General Internal Medicine - Chin Administration

About the Department

This position co-directs The Advancing Health Equity: Leading Care, Payment, and Systems Transformation program (Advancing Health Equity).

Advancing Health Equity is a national program that includes a learning collaborative and technical assistance activities for twelve teams comprised of state Medicaid agencies, Medicaid health plans, and health care provider organizations and systems in the states of Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Washington and the District of Columbia. The program and teams work together to design integrated health care delivery and payment reforms to reduce health and health care disparities and address social determinants of health. The program evaluates outcomes of its activities and generates best practice and policy recommendations for national dissemination. It will increase its emphasis in 2023 on partnering with patients and community, and developing an anti-racism framework, culture, and resources for the program staff members and learning collaborative participants. The Advancing Health Equity program office works in collaboration with its funder, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and three partner organizations: the Center for Health Care Strategies, the Institute for Medicaid Innovation, and The Justice Collective. The program discovers and disseminates best practices and health care policy recommendations for the integration of equity-focused payment and health care delivery reform interventions to reduce and eliminate health and health care inequities.

Visit SolvingDisparities.org for more information about the Advancing Health Equity program.

Job Summary

The Advancing Health Equity Co-Directors work closely with each other and the Deputy Director to lead and guide the Advancing Health Equity program and its 15-20 full- and part-time team members across its four partner organizations - the University of Chicago, the Center for Health Care Strategies, the Institute for Medicaid Innovation, and The Justice Collective.

The position requires an individual with high-level skills to independently and systematically develop, implement, and monitor multiple organizational, research, operational, and financial objectives and to effectively communicate with and guide the AHE team and program participants to accomplish the program's objectives. The person in this position will work closely with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, learning collaborative and technical assistance programming participants, national stakeholders including state Medicaid agencies, health plans, medical groups, researchers, funders, and patient advocacy and social justice organizations. The person in this position will also serve on advisory boards and committees of state and national organizations advancing health and healthcare equity to disseminate key findings and lessons from the program and to improve their capacity to reduce and eliminate disparities in health and healthcare.

Responsibilities

• Works closely with the other program Co-Director and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to establish an innovative national vision and model for advancing health equity by aligning payment and care transformation, partnering authentically with patients and community-based organizations, and dismantling structural racism.
• Communicates with key stakeholders, including government entities, health plans, healthcare provider organizations, funders, and the public as a leader of the program.
• Oversees day-to-day implementation of operational policies, process improvement initiatives, program enhancements and innovations, and day-to-day management of interdependencies, risks, and opportunities between the four partner organizations.
• Analyzes key performance indicators such as participant satisfaction surveys, AHE LC team progress implementing the Roadmap to Advance Health Equity, and financial reports to create appropriate action plans as indicated.
• Ensures the AHE program has the tools and resources available to meet/exceed all goals, including the latest developments to advance health equity via care transformation and alternative and value-based payment models.
• Provides day-to-day leadership and strategic direction for the AHE technical assistance team and the AHE Roadmap to Advance Health Equity curriculum development team, as they design and deliver trainings, tools, and resources that draw upon lessons learned from the program and its partners, existing literature, and others working to advance health equity. Examples of delivery methods include webinar-based training, in-person and web-based technical assistance to state Medicaid agency, Medicaid managed care organizations, and health care delivery organization team members.
• Serves as the day-to-day supervisor and mentor for the AHE Deputy Director.
• Monitors state Medicaid agencies and health plan market, policy, and regulatory trends relative to the operational goals of the AHE program, including healthcare delivery, quality improvement, and value-based payment models.
• Evaluates the technical assistance and learning collaborative programming to improve efficiency of operations, customer service, and engagement or learning collaborative teams' organizations.
• Inspires AHE program team members to produce high-caliber and consistent programming and participant satisfaction.
• Serves as the lead author or co-author on papers submitted to academic journals for competitive review, Learning Collaborative curricula, and technical assistance resources, as well as products and tools for broad dissemination (e.g., best practice and lessons learned summaries, policy briefs, white papers, Web-based content and tools, blog posts, webinars).
• Maintains awareness of actual or potential situations that might pose risk to the mission, vision, and activities of the AHE program.
• Regularly reviews and analyzes best practices pertaining to diversity, equity, and inclusion both in and outside of health care sector. Serves as an expert and a resource for AHE and RWJF leadership.
• Serves as an advisor to the VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• Serves as member of the Quality Committee and the E4 Leadership Working Group.
• Provides leadership and consultative services to departments and internal customers as assigned by the VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• Serves as a resource to senior leadership of the medical center and clinicians for identifying and developing programs/services to enhance equity via quality, safety, and operational workflows.
• Serves as diversity, equity, and inclusion subject matter expert in roles and meetings, appointed by the VP for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• Identifies opportunities for improvement, makes recommendations for change, and co-leads the implementation of evidence-based practices to meet UChicago Medicine's diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and objectives.
• Plans and co-leads complex projects, ensuring on-time delivery with high quality and coordination of resources.
• Coordinates, facilitates, implements, and participates in quality improvement initiatives to advance the organization's equity agenda.
• Uses sophisticated analytical thought to guide problem solving and identify innovative solutions.
• Leverages methods, metrics, and benchmarks for measuring progress and continuously improving inclusion and equity efforts.
• Contributes to the development process and implementation planning of an organization-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion plan (Equity Plan 2025) that supports the University of Chicago Health System's strategic plan and aligns with organizational operational goals and metrics.
• Collaborates with UChicago Medicine employees to coordinate, design, develop, and deliver diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and quality improvement activities.
• Maintains awareness of actual or potential situations that might pose risk to the mission, vision, and activities of the organization.
• Regularly reviews and analyzes best practices pertaining to diversity, equity, and inclusion both in and outside of health care sector. Serves as an expert and a resource for UChicago Health System leadership.
• Manages research professionals and support staff involved with planning, monitoring, and compliance aspects of research projects. Advises other researchers on long-range plans for research projects.
• Develops goals and operating procedures, practices, and guidelines for research activity based on department strategy.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:
Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
---
Work Experience:
Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.
---
Certifications:

---

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Advanced degree in relevant or related field.

Experience:

• 7 years of relevant experience providing consultation services and technical assistance programming to state Medicaid agencies, Medicaid managed care organizations, and/or health care delivery organizations.
• 7 years of equity-focused health or health services research experience.
• Experience with or knowledge of health care services, research and project management.
  

Preferred Competencies

• Knowledge of critical theory and the ability to use critical approaches to identify and question dominant messages regarding health and healthcare equity.
• Self-reflective about individual, professional, and organizational socialization that creates and reinforces racism, white supremacy and other forms of oppression and discrimination.
• Analyze how power, discrimination, and oppression operate within healthcare systems and organizations.
• Lead and collaborate with others to identify manifestations of racism and other forms of oppression and discrimination within healthcare policies, systems and organizations and develop care and payment models to address them.
• Reorient standard healthcare quality improvement tools and approaches (e.g., root cause analysis) from a focus on the individual level of health and healthcare to the structural level causes of health and healthcare inequities (e.g., payer and policy levels).
• Proven record of accomplishment nurturing cross-organization partnerships (e.g., state Medicaid agencies, payers, healthcare provider organizations) that take action to improve internal and external diversity, inclusion, and equity.
• Strong public speaking skills and comfort with facilitating difficult and complex conversations with groups made up of multiple organizations and/or departments/areas.
• Superb organizational, time management, and prioritization skills and proven experience coordinating a variety of activities in a timely manner.
• Ambitious and imaginative problem-solving skills with ongoing attention to detail.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Cover Letter (required)

When applying, the document(s) MUSTbe uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Research

Role Impact

People Manager

FLSA Status

Exempt

Pay Frequency

Monthly

Scheduled Weekly Hours

37.5

Benefits Eligible

Yes

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at:http://securityreport.uchicago.edu.Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.

---