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General Information

Location
Wilkes Medical Center
1370 W D St, North Wilkesboro, NC 28659
Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Care Delivery Brand
Wake Forest University School of Medicine

Description & Requirements

The Section Chief of Community Surgery will provide strategic, intellectual, and operational leadership for the Community Surgery Section within the Department of Surgery. This individual will oversee the clinical, educational, research, and community/outreach missions of the Section, with a goal of integrating community‐based surgical practices with academic excellence. The Chief will foster faculty development, build partnerships with community hospitals and practices, ensure high quality of patient care, and advance innovation in community surgical services.
Highlights
1. Clinical Leadership & Quality of Care
  • Oversee and coordinate clinical services delivered by community‐based surgical faculty and affiliated practice sites.
  • Ensure the Section meets or exceeds standards for quality, safety, outcomes, patient satisfaction, and cost effectiveness.
  • Align clinical practice with institutional priorities (e.g. value‐based care, population health).
  • Participate in surgical cases and/or have a clinical practice appropriate to the rank.
2. Faculty Affairs & Mentorship
  • Recruit, retain, mentor, and develop faculty in the community surgery division.
  • Promote faculty scholarly activity, including publications, presentations, grant work, and continuous professional development.
  • Provide performance evaluations, goal setting, and development plans.
  • Foster equitable and inclusive workplace culture, with particular attention to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
3. Education & Training
  • Oversee and/or participate in teaching residents, medical students, and possibly fellows in community surgical settings.
  • Ensure experiential opportunities in community surgery are integrated into the training curriculum.
  • Develop educational programming for practicing surgeons and other stakeholders in community settings.
4. Research & Scholarship
  • Encourage and support community‐focused research: outcomes, health services, disparities, access, delivery of surgical care in under‐served populations, implementation science, etc.
  • Seek extramural funding and collaborative partnerships.
  • Promote translation of research into improved community practice.
5. Strategic Planning & Program Development
  • Develop and implement strategic plans for growth of community surgery, consistent with departmental and institutional goals.
  • Identify new service line opportunities, partnerships with community hospitals or clinics, outreach programs, mobile surgery clinics, etc.
  • Support innovation in tele‐surgery, remote monitoring, pre/post‐operative care networks, and initiatives improving access.
6. Operational, Administrative, and Financial Stewardship
  • Operational oversight for the Section: staffing, resource allocation in community sites.
  • Coordinate with hospital administration, finance, operations to ensure sustainability.
  • Monitor metrics: volume, quality, cost, patient access, utilization, efficiency.
  • Ensure compliance with regulatory, credentialing, licensing, and credentialing requirements for all community‐based sites.
7. Community Engagement & Outreach
  • Build partnerships with community hospitals, clinics, public health entities, non‐profits.
  • Represent the Section in community settings; promote public health, surgical prevention programs.
  • Engage in programs to improve surgical access, reduce disparities, improve patient education.
8. Institutional Role & Collaboration
  • Participate in departmental leadership (chairs’ meetings, committees).
  • Collaborate with other sections, departments (e.g. public health, primary care) to align community surgery with broader institutional mission.
  • Represent the Section and Department at regional/national meetings; establish/maintain reputation.
Training and/or Experience Required
Minimum Qualifications:
  • MD or DO (or equivalent) degree; board‐certified in General Surgery.
  • Eligibility or ability to obtain medical license in NC.
  • Academic credentials meriting appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or higher.
  • Demonstrated track record of excellence in clinical surgery, particularly community or non‐tertiary care settings.
  • Strong leadership or administrative experience within an academic medical center or equivalent setting.
  • Evidence of faculty development or mentorship experience.
  • Experience in managing budgets, operations, or service lines.
  • Commitment to education, quality, patient safety, and community health.
Preferred Qualifications:
  • Established record of scholarly activity (publications, funding) particularly in health services, outcomes, access/disparities, implementation science, or related areas.
  • Experience working with community hospitals / outreach clinics / rural surgery.
  • Experience in strategic growth / program building.
  • Experience leading or improving clinical pathways, telehealth, care coordination, population health initiatives.
  • Additional qualifications (MPH, MS, health policy, business administration) are a plus.
Other Considerations
  • Must balance clinical, academic, and administrative responsibilities.
  • Ability to travel between main campus and community/practice sites.
  • Excellent interpersonal, communication, and consensus‐building skills.
  • Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
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 Wilkesboro, North Carolina
North Wilkesboro is a charming town located in Wilkes County, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Known as the "Key to the Blue Ridge," North Wilkesboro boasts a rich history and a vibrant community atmosphere. The town is famously recognized as one of the birthplaces of stock-car racing, with the historic North Wilkesboro Speedway being the first NASCAR-sanctioned track.

North Wilkesboro is also the original home of Lowe's Home Improvement, which continues to have a significant presence in the community. The town offers a blend of small-town charm and modern amenities, with a variety of local businesses, parks, and recreational facilities. Its scenic beauty and welcoming atmosphere make North Wilkesboro an ideal place to live, work, and explore.

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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