Department Chair for Physiology and Pharmacology

Department Chair for Physiology and Pharmacology

, in partnership with the national search firm , invites applications and nominations for the position of Department Chair for Physiology and Pharmacology . This is an exciting opportunity for an accomplished academic leader to join a collaborative and mission-driven academic community at one of the nation’s respected medical and health sciences institutions in West Des Moines, Iowa.

The Department Chair provides leadership across the full spectrum of departmental activities, including academic administration, curriculum development, faculty affairs, and research. The Chair is responsible for cultivating an environment where faculty and students thrive, ensuring the department remains innovative, collaborative, and aligned with institutional priorities.

In this role, the Department Chair will:

• Provide strategic leadership for the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology and guide its academic, research, and service initiatives.
• Lead and support a diverse faculty community, including full-time, part-time, adjunct, emeritus, volunteer, and guest faculty, as well as departmental staff.
• Champion excellence in teaching and curriculum delivery while promoting scholarly activity, research productivity, publications, and external funding opportunities.
• Ensure compliance with accreditation standards and contribute to College and University accreditation efforts.
• Collaborate with University leadership to align departmental goals with institutional priorities.
• Oversee faculty workload and FTE distribution across teaching, research, and service.
• Manage departmental budgets and resources to support long-term educational and financial vitality.
• Support faculty growth through mentoring, professional development, and promotion and tenure processes.
• Serve as a key advocate and representative for the department across the College and University community.

The Department Chair role comprises approximately 25% administrative effort, providing significant opportunity to remain actively engaged in the academic life of the department. The remaining appointment is dedicated to faculty responsibilities, including teaching, research, scholarship, and service.

Successful candidates will bring a record of academic achievement, leadership, and a commitment to excellence in education and scholarly activity. Faculty rank upon appointment will be determined according to the University's Rank, Tenure, and Promotion Policy; however, candidates are generally expected to meet qualifications consistent with appointment at the Associate Professor or Professor level.

DMU also demonstrates a strong and expanding commitment to research and graduate education, including one of only seven osteopathic medical schools nationally that offers a combined DO-PhD program. This distinction underscores the university’s investment in training physician-scientists and advancing biomedical discovery alongside clinical education. In recognition of this growing research enterprise, for the continued growth and impact of its research activity.

Qualifications:

• Earned doctorate from an accredited university in a relevant field.
• Experience in teaching health science physiology or pharmacology is preferred. Highly competitive applicants will demonstrate a track record of teaching one of the following organ systems: cardiovascular, endocrine, or gastrointestinal.
• Academic rank as a senior faculty member at the level of Associate or Full Professor. (Rank upon hire will be determined by the Rank, Tenure and Promotion (RPT) policy, as interpreted by the RPT Committee.)
• Five years of faculty experience, preferably in a medical school or health sciences college or university.
• Successful candidates will bring a record of academic achievement, leadership, and a commitment to excellence in education and scholarly activity.

Required Skills:

• Embrace DMU’s mission, vision, and values in both words and actions.
• Support DMU’s strategic goals and initiatives.
• Possess excellent written and verbal communications skills, interpersonal skills and/or presentation skills possessing the following: (a) capable of responding to common inquiries or…