Associate Professor

Serve as Medical Director for outpatient psychiatric services, providing strategic leadership, clinical oversight, and operational direction to ensure the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered care within the Meharry Medical Group. Provide leadership in expanding and strengthening outpatient psychiatric services, supporting strategic initiatives aimed at improving access to behavioral health care and enhancing the clinical footprint of the Department of Psychiatry.

The Assistant/Associate Professor will be a board-certified or board-eligible psychiatrist serving as clinical faculty in the Department of Psychiatry. The Assistant/Associate Professor will provide outpatient psychiatric care and participate in teaching and supervising medical students, residents, fellows, and other trainees. In addition, the Assistant/Associate Professor will serve as Medical Director of the Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic, providing clinical leadership and oversight of outpatient operations and quality of care. The position reports directly to the Department Chair or their designee.

Essential Functions (Principal Duties and Job Responsibilities):

Clinical Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive psychiatric care through the evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of patients with mental health and substance use disorders within the Meharry Medical Group outpatient setting, while participating in inpatient psychiatric service coverage as assigned.
• Deliver evidence-based treatment, including psychiatric evaluations, medication management, and psychotherapeutic interventions, to support optimal patient outcomes.
• Develop and implement individualized treatment plans by assessing the nature and extent of cognitive, emotional, developmental, social, and behavioral disorders and establishing appropriate treatment goals and methodologies.
• Monitor patient progress and treatment effectiveness through ongoing clinical assessment and medication management, adjusting treatment strategies as necessary to ensure continuity and quality of care.
• Ensure timely, accurate, and compliant clinical documentation in accordance with Meharry Medical Group policies, regulatory requirements, and best practices for medical record documentation.

Teaching Responsibilities

• Provide clinical supervision, mentorship, and instruction to psychiatry residents and medical students in areas including psychiatric assessment, diagnostic formulation, medication management, and evidence-based behavioral health treatment.
• Foster a clinical environment that supports the academic mission of the Department of Psychiatry by integrating high-quality patient care with experiential learning for trainees.
• Collaborate with the Residency Program Director to ensure that outpatient clinical workflows support both patient care delivery and the educational needs of residents and medical students.

Medical Director and Administrative Leadership Responsibilities (Outpatient Psychiatric Services)

• Serve as Medical Director for outpatient psychiatric services, providing strategic leadership, clinical oversight, and operational direction to ensure the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered care within the Meharry Medical Group.
• Provide direct oversight of outpatient clinical operations to ensure an efficient, high-performing clinical environment that supports patient access, continuity of care, and the educational mission of the Department of Psychiatry.
• Lead initiatives to optimize clinic performance, including improving patient access, reducing appointment no-show rates, enhancing schedule utilization, and increasing clinical productivity to meet departmental and institutional performance targets.
• Establish and monitor key clinical performance indicators to ensure the outpatient clinic meets established benchmarks for patient encounters, schedule utilization, documentation compliance, and quality of care.
• Ensure that all outpatient clinical activities adhere to Meharry Medical Group governing bylaws, credentialing requirements, billing compliance standards, quality improvement protocols, and risk management policies.
• Collaborate with departmental leadership and the Department Administrator to monitor clinical productivity and support achievement of departmental financial and operational goals, including alignment with annual health services revenue targets.
• Provide leadership in expanding and strengthening outpatient psychiatric services, supporting strategic initiatives aimed at improving access to behavioral health care and enhancing the clinical footprint of the Department of Psychiatry.
• Represent the Department of Psychiatry in Meharry Medical Group leadership meetings, operational committees, and quality initiatives to ensure alignment of psychiatric services with institutional priorities and strategic goals.

Research

• No research required

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Knowledge of human behavior and complex behavioral problems.
• Knowledge of principles and methods of psychiatry.
• Knowledge of mental illness, substance use, and co-occurring disorders.
• Scholarly work within the area of the individualBBTECH_RESERVED_CHARTI