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General Information

Location
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
300 Medical Center Blvd
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Care Delivery Brand
Atrium Health - Wake Forest Baptist

Description & Requirements

Position Summary
The Department of Pathology seeks an accomplished and forward thinking clinical pathologist to serve as Vice Chair of Clinical Pathology and CLIA Medical Director for the Wake Forest Baptist Health System (WFBHS). This senior leadership role carries responsibility for the clinical laboratory, regulatory excellence, and advancement of related departmental strategic, operational, and academic missions.
The Vice Chair will serve as a core member of the Department’s Executive Leadership Team, act as a key partner with Advocate Clinical Laboratories (ACL), and function as the department’s key liaison to the School of Medicine’s National Center for Clinical Trials.
This leader will be dynamic, innovative, and energetic—capable of steering a complex multi site clinical pathology service and partnering closely with the Department Chair through a period of significant institutional growth and transformation. The role demands an entrepreneurial mindset and the ability to steward enterprise and departmental resources strategically, fostering operational excellence, fiscal responsibility, and long term sustainability across all Clinical Pathology divisions.
The Vice Chair will cultivate a culture where team science, cross disciplinary collaboration, and diagnostic innovation thrive. In partnership with the Chair and enterprise leadership, this individual will develop and implement forward looking strategies to enhance and grow Clinical Pathology programs, modernize laboratory operations, and advance the department’s national leadership position in laboratory medicine. The Vice Chair will also play an essential role in supporting the academic development of faculty and trainees, strengthening mentorship, retention, and professional growth for all.
Aligned with enterprise priorities, the Vice Chair will collaborate with leaders across WFUSM, Advocate Clinical Laboratories and Advocate Health to expand laboratory capabilities in support of clinical trials, enhance translational research infrastructure, and elevate the school’s national visibility in clinical research and precision diagnostics.

Highlights
Key Responsibilities
1. Clinical & Regulatory Leadership (CLIA Medical Director – WFBHS)
• Provide medical and scientific leadership for WFBHS CLIA regulated laboratories.
• Ensure compliance with CLIA, CAP, Joint Commission, FDA, and other accreditation and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee quality assurance, proficiency testing, validation of new methods and technologies, and laboratory utilization management.
• Partner with laboratory administration to uphold high reliability operations and drive continuous performance improvement initiatives.

2. Vice Chair for Clinical Pathology – Departmental Leadership
• Provide strategic direction for all Clinical Pathology subspecialties, including Chemistry, Hematology/Hemostasis, Transfusion Medicine, Microbiology, Molecular Pathology, Immunology, and related areas, with the Vice Chair bringing depth and recognized expertise in at least one major Clinical Pathology discipline.
• Lead the development of department wide clinical strategies, workforce planning, and quality frameworks aligned with best practices and Advocate Clinical Laboratories (enterprise).
• Collaborate closely with section heads and the Chair to ensure seamless alignment between clinical operations and academic priorities.
• Drive innovation through new diagnostic technologies, test stewardship, digital and artificial intelligence, and systems level modernization.
• Strengthen faculty development by supporting mentorship, academic success, and career progression.

3. Executive Team & Institutional Leadership
• Serve as an essential member of the Department of Pathology Executive Team, contributing to high level decision making in clinical operations, academic programming, faculty affairs, and fiscal stewardship.
• Collaborate with leaders across the School of Medicine and Advocate Health to support institutional initiatives and system wide laboratory strategy.
• Represent the department on key institutional committees, quality councils, and multi disciplinary leadership forums.

4. Liaison to the National Center for Clinical Trials (NCCT)
• Serve as the principal connection between the Department of Pathology and NCCT programs.
• Ensure laboratory readiness for clinical trials, including assay development, validation, regulatory compliance, and data integrity.
• Enhance infrastructure for biomarker discovery, companion diagnostics, and laboratory supported trial workflows.
• Partner with NCCT leadership to expand the institution’s national research footprint and foster interdisciplinary team science collaborations.

5. Faculty Development, Education & Scholarship
• Mentor junior faculty and support recruitment, retention, and promotion across the Clinical Pathology divisions.
• Promote excellence in teaching for residents, fellows, medical students, and other trainees.
• Support and encourage collaborative clinical research, quality improvement initiatives, and scholarly activity across laboratory units.

6. Administrative & Operational Responsibilities
• Partner with laboratory administrative leaders to ensure financial sustainability and optimal resource allocation.
• Oversee laboratory medical directors across the Wake Forest region and promote standardization of practice, reporting, and quality systems that aligns with ACL.
• Develop, implement, and maintain policies, standard operating procedures, and laboratory governance structures.


Training and/or Experience Required
Qualifications & Requirements
• MD/DO (or MD/PhD) with board certification in Clinical Pathology (CP) or Anatomic & Clinical Pathology (AP/CP).
• Demonstrated subspecialty expertise in Transfusion Medicine, Microbiology, Chemistry, or another major Clinical Pathology discipline.
• Eligibility for or possession of a North Carolina medical license.
• Minimum 5–7 years of leadership experience in clinical pathology within an academic medical center or comparable environment.
• Demonstrated expertise in regulatory compliance, quality program leadership, test development, and validation.
• Proven success in leading multidisciplinary teams and supervising laboratory personnel.
• Experience supporting or integrating pathology services within clinical trials infrastructure preferred.

Leadership Attributes
• Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into operational outcomes across a complex health system laboratory enterprise.
• Committed to high reliability, transparency, and continuous improvement.
• Exceptional communication skills and capacity to foster collaborative, inclusive working environments.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and faculty development.
• Innovative, energetic leadership style that drives progress and inspires others.
• Strong fiscal stewardship and entrepreneurial orientation to guide the department through growth and organizational change.
• Dedication to building and supporting interdisciplinary, team based scientific and clinical initiatives.

Benefits
  • Paid Time Off programs available for eligible positions
  • Comprehensive health and welfare benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage
  • Retirement benefits, including 401(k) options with employer contributions and access to financial wellness resources
  • Flexible spending accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses
  • Family support benefits, which may include parental leave, adoption assistance, and surrogacy support
  • Educational assistance and professional development programs
  • Paid medical liability insurance 
  • Continuing Medical Education (CME) allowances
  • Relocation assistance

About Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem beautifully blends rich history with modern innovation, offering residents a vibrant and welcoming community. Known for its picturesque neighborhoods like West End and West Salem, the city features charming historic homes and tree-lined streets. The city boasts a thriving arts and culture scene, with galleries, theaters, music venues, and festivals that bring the community together year-round. Walkable neighborhoods make it easy to explore local shops, parks, and restaurants, supporting an active and healthy lifestyle. Winston-Salem offers a high quality of life with a cost of living below the national average and affordable housing options. It's home to excellent educational institutions such as Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem State University, and Salem College, recognized among the South's best college towns. With over 3,500 acres of parks, 25 miles of greenways, and easy access to both mountains and beaches, Winston-Salem offers abundant outdoor recreation. Above all, residents take pride in their genuine southern hospitality, making it easy to feel at home and build connections in this dynamic and evolving city.

About Advocate Health

Advocate Health is one of the largest nonprofit integrated health systems in the United States, providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois, Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin. With Wake Forest University School of Medicine as our academic core, we are shaping the future of health care through innovation, research, education and compassionate care.

When you join Advocate Health, you’re joining a team that’s committed to being a Best Place to Care—where clinicians are heard, supported and empowered to focus on what matters most: caring for patients. This enterprise-wide initiative is grounded in listening to care teams, removing barriers to excellent care, and fostering well-being and connection. It reflects our purpose—from discovery to everyday moments, we’re redefining care - for you, for us, for all—and lives through our values: lifting each other up, leading with purpose, thinking boldly together and embracing change with optimism. Here, you’ll find not just a job, but a career with meaning, growth and impact—for all.

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