Vice Dean Research

Vice Dean For Research, School Of Medicine

The Vice Dean for Research, School of Medicine provides senior school-level leadership for the research mission of the School of Medicine within the Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University. Reporting directly to the Dean, the Vice Dean serves as the Dean's principal advisor and accountable leader for advancing the School of Medicine's research strategy, strengthening faculty and trainee research capacity, supporting growth in extramural funding, and integrating the research mission with the school's clinical, educational, and service missions.

This role is designed to complement, not duplicate, the broader VHS and university research administration structure. The Vice Dean for Research is responsible for translating institutional and VHS research priorities into school-level strategies, working directly with department chairs, faculty investigators, research centers, students, residents, fellows, and administrative leaders to advance research productivity and scholarly impact within the School of Medicine. The position collaborates closely with the VHS Senior Associate Vice President for Research, the Associate Dean for Research Administration, ODURF, and central research administration functions to ensure alignment with enterprise research strategy, sponsored programs processes, compliance requirements, research infrastructure, and cross-school opportunities.

The Vice Dean for Research will provide leadership across the continuum of medical school research, including basic science, translational research, clinical research, population health, community-engaged research, clinical trials, and student and trainee scholarship. The role will also support a disciplined governance structure for setting research priorities, monitoring key performance indicators, identifying barriers to research growth, and advising the Dean on resource needs and strategic investments.

General Function

The Vice Dean for Research provides strategic leadership, coordination, and faculty-facing support for the School of Medicine's research enterprise. The role advances the school's research mission by developing school-level research priorities, facilitating collaboration across departments and disciplines, supporting faculty investigators and physician-scientists, strengthening clinical and translational research opportunities, and ensuring that the School of Medicine is effectively represented in the broader VHS and university research enterprise.

The position works in close partnership with VHS research leadership and research administration offices to align school-level research activity with institutional strategy, compliance frameworks, sponsored programs requirements, clinical research infrastructure, and external partnership opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

• School-Level Research Strategy and Governance
  • Develop, in collaboration with the Dean, VHS research leadership, department chairs, and other key stakeholders, a school-level research strategy that aligns with the School of Medicine's academic, clinical, educational, and service missions.
  • Translate VHS and University research priorities into actionable School of Medicine goals, initiatives, and performance expectations.
  • Advise the Dean on research priorities, emerging opportunities, resource needs, faculty support needs, research infrastructure, and strategic investments.
  • Establish and maintain school-level research goals, key performance indicators, and reporting mechanisms to monitor progress in areas such as extramural funding, proposal activity, clinical trials, publications, student and trainee scholarship, research collaborations, and faculty development.
  • Chair or oversee a School of Medicine Research Advisory Committee or similar governance body that advises the Dean on research priorities, performance measures, policy needs, resource allocation, and strategic opportunities.
  • Partner with department chairs to develop or expand departmental research goals that align with school-level priorities and department-specific performance indicators.
• Faculty Research Development and Mentorship
  • Provide leadership, guidance, and mentorship to School of Medicine faculty, including physician-scientists, basic science faculty, clinical investigators, and early-career researchers.
  • Support faculty development strategies that improve grant readiness, proposal quality, resubmission success, scholarly productivity, and long-term research career development.
  • Work with department chairs and research leaders to identify faculty with high research potential and connect them with appropriate mentorship, collaborators, internal resources, pilot funding opportunities, and external funding pathways.
  • Promote interdisciplinary and interprofessional research collaborations across the School of Medicine, VHS, ODU, healthcare partners, community partners, and external academic institutions.
  • Support the recruitment, retention,…