The Department of Pediatrics and the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital at Geisinger is seeking a Board Eligible/Certified palliative care pediatrician to serve as the Medical Director of the Division of Pediatric Palliative Care. The Director will provide oversight, direct patient care, teaching and consultative services as a palliative care pediatrician.  Our Division currently consists of a two Board-Certified Palliative and Intensive Care Pediatricians and a Social Worker who provides clinical oversight in the inpatient setting. An outpatient Program is just beginning to be developed. The clinical service provides primarily consultative care to children with complex, chronic life-limiting conditions although will assume primary coverage many times for children at end-of-life. The Program is designed to be a proactive service being involved in the care of these children very early in their disease trajectory. The Program cares for children and their families with a wide array of clinical conditions including cancer, chromosomal abnormalities, severe trauma, neuromuscular disorders, complex gastrointestinal conditions, congenital heart disorders and renal transplant recipients.

We also work closely with several of the local hospices to help assure quality end-of-life care for children outside the hospital. As well as with our Adult Palliative Care Program who provides Fellowship training in the field.

We are seeking a dynamic director that will help lead our efforts in further developing a nascent Palliative Care Program that will assure the highest level of family centered care for children with complex, chronic life-limiting conditions within central, northeast and southeast Pennsylvania.

Duties of the Director include but are not limited to:

• Directing the day-to-day activities of the Pediatric Palliative Care Division.
• Providing strategic leadership by working with the Pediatric and Geisinger leaders to establish long-range goals, strategies, plans and policies for the care of children with complex, chronic life-limiting conditions.
• Overseeing a bereavement support program for parents and siblings of children who have died.
• Providing education to medical students, pediatric residents, palliative care fellows, nursing staff and other members of the healthcare team.
• Providing administrative oversight of the Palliative Care Program
• Working with local and regional hospices to assure the best care possible for children at end-of-life outside the hospital setting.
• Leading and directing research in the provision of palliative care for children.

Position Requirements 

Graduate of an accredited School of Medicine, board eligible/certified in Pediatrics and Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine. The candidate should have experience in the provision of palliative care of children with complex, chronic healthcare conditions. General pediatric core skills are required.

Five years post residency experience is desired. Leadership experience as a Medical Director within an integrated delivery system is highly desirable.

We take pride in the support we provide:

• Competitive straight salary model linked to quality and value versus productivity measures
• Excellent benefits package, including Malpractice & Tail coverage
• Four weeks of paid vacation time annually
• Generous relocation benefit
• Employer contribution to retirement, full benefits beginning on day 1 of employment
• 15 days and $3500 for CME

Janet Weis Children’s Hospital (JWCH), located on Geisinger’s main campus in Danville, is the regions only dedicated 5-floor, 91 bed children's hospital with a full-service hospitalist and intensive care services. JWCH’s team of medical and surgical specialists provide care in over 30 pediatric specialties, including a 41 bed Level IV NICU and 14 bed Level I PICU. JWCH provides medical malpractice insurance with tail coverage.

Join us and experience our exceptional quality of life:

• Low cost of living with affordable homes in rustic, suburban and metropolitan settings
• Endless outdoor activities year-round including camping, hiking, skiing, mountain biking and more
• Variety of quality public, private and charter schools, as well as numerous universities
• Charming downtown shops, great restaurants, galleries, festivals, concerts and more

Geisinger is committed to making better health easier for the more than 1 million people it serves. Founded more than 100 years ago by Abigail Geisinger, the system now includes nine hospital campuses, a 550,000-member health plan, two research centers and the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. With nearly 24,000 employees and more than 1,600 employed physicians, Geisinger boosts its hometown economies in Pennsylvania by billions of dollars annually.

To be considered for this position, please send your CV to: Dr. Frank Maffei C/O Betsy Kelchner, Provider Recruiter, at brkelchner@geisinger.edu