Pediatric Genetics & Metabolism Division Chief

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, Texas
Full Time

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The Opportunity

The Department of Pediatrics at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UT Southwestern) is

conducting a national/international search for the next Chief for the Division of Pediatric Genetics and Metabolism. UT

Southwestern is a leader in genetics research and the treatment of genetic disorders. Reporting to the Chair of the

Department of Pediatrics, the Chief of Pediatric Genetics and Metabolism will be charged with delivering state-of-theart

consultation, evaluation, counseling and clinical care to children with inherited diseases as well as known or

suspected genetic conditions at Children's Medical Centers of Dallas and Plano and in partnership with the NICUs at

UT Southwestern affiliated hospitals. The Chief will also be responsible for developing, scaling, and innovating the

Division's research and education programs. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to envision and

realize the future growth of an outstanding Pediatric Genetics and Metabolism program, within the vibrant and growing

UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children's Health, both routinely considered among the nation's finest.

Our Client

The Division of Pediatric Genetics and Metabolism

The mission of the UT Southwestern Pediatric Genetics and Metabolism Division is to provide excellent evaluation,

diagnosis and treatment of children with genetic disorders, including birth defects, malformation syndromes,

genetically defined developmental delays, and inborn errors of metabolism, while advancing the field through research

and innovation, as well as enhancing the education of future physicians.

The Division has six full-time faculty members who play a pivotal role in advancing the Division's clinical and scholarly

programs focused on a wide variety of genetic conditions such as inborn errors of metabolism, newborn screening,

lysosomal storage disorders, craniofacial malformation syndromes, and incontinentia pigmenti. Faculty provide consult

services and outpatient care at Children's Health and support the NICUs at Parkland Health and University Hospital.

Patient Care

With a large and growing team of physicians, genetic counselors, nurse practitioners, dieticians, and social workers,

the Division is a major regional resource for children and families with genetic diseases. The team evaluates more

than 250 patients each month with known or suspected genetic diseases. Particular strengths of the clinical program

include:

The largest regional practice specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of children with inborn errors of

metabolism

24/7 coverage for patients, with an M.D. Medical Geneticist on call at all times

Several clinics specializing in malformation syndromes and genetic forms of developmental delay

Expertise in the use and interpretation of advanced genetic diagnostics, including tests involving next

generation sequencing

The only clinic in Dallas, and currently the only one in North Texas, that accepts referrals from the Texas

Department of Health's newborn screening program for biochemical disorders

Participation in multidisciplinary clinics specializing in relatively common disorders such as Down syndrome and

22q11.2 deletion syndrome

Clinical activities of the Division are focused in the following areas:

Metabolic Disease Clinic - The Metabolic Disease Clinic provides evaluation and testing for children with known

or suspected inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs). UT Southwestern/Children's Health is a regional center of

excellence in these diseases, establishing the diagnosis in affected children, counseling and educating their

families about these conditions, and optimizing therapy tailored to the needs of each child. Blood, urine,

enzyme, and DNA analyses are performed for diagnosis. Patients with a confirmed diagnosis are then provided

with nutritional evaluation, genetic counseling, and psychosocial assessment as well as long-term care.

The Metabolic Disease Clinic is closely associated with the Newborn Screening Clinic; the Division is a major

referral center for the Texas Newborn Screening Program. This statewide program seeks to identify newborn

babies with any of 30 different treatable diseases, many of which are genetic/metabolic in nature.

Genetics/Dysmorphology Clinic - Children with conditions involving birth defects, developmental delay or

developmental disabilities, or other known or suspected genetic disorders receive evaluation and testing in the

Genetics/Dysmorphology Clinic. Chromosomal and DNA analysis for diagnosis of genetic disease is provided,

as well as psychosocial assessment, counseling, and comprehensive case management with referral to

medical specialists, community resources, and support groups. Family history analysis and risk counseling to

discuss reproductive options also are available through a team of board-certified genetic counselors.

Down Syndrome Clinic - Faculty and staff in this clinic have more than 50 collective years of experience in

caring for children with Down Syndrome and provide comprehensive treatment for children and their families,

including medical management, genetic counseling, physical, speech and motor development evaluation and

recommendations, psychosocial support, screening and referral for behavioral and psychiatric problems, and

referral to community agencies for educational intervention or therapies.

Interdivisional and Interdepartmental Collaborations

The Division is a key contributor to the Children's Craniofacial program, participating in weekly care

conferences involving Plastic Surgery, Dentistry, Otolaryngology, Medical Genetics, Psychology, and various

ancillary services such as speech therapy and social work. Faculty also attend the monthly FETAL

conferences, a patient report and management planning meeting run by the department of Obstetrics &

Gynecology and including Neonatology, Pediatric Surgery, Diagnostic Imaging, and Medical Genetics.

Faculty see adult patients as needed in the FETAL center and have joined the Stillbirth Committee, an organ

of the Obstetrics & Gynecology department that reviews all the Parkland Hospital stillbirths.

The Division provides Medical Genetics service in an outpatient clinic in the Aston Center, an ambulatory

care clinic at UT Southwestern Medical Center, performing diagnostic evaluations and ongoing management

of adult patients with Mendelian genetic disorders. This clinic is administered by the department of Internal

Medicine and the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development.

Research

The clinical team is unique in that it is fully synchronized with a state-of-the-art research program in the Children's

Research Institute (CRI), a joint venture between UT Southwestern and Children's Health. The Genetic and Metabolic

Disease Program (GMDP) within the CRI is comprised of a team of scientists dedicated to identifying new genetic

diseases and developing new ways to treat children with genetic disorders. The program uses advanced technologies

to evaluate each patient's genetic and metabolic individuality. Laboratory-based approaches in cellular and molecular

biology are used to understand the precise consequences of the DNA mutations identified in patients. The research

team is funded through federal, state, and private grant support. Specific research goals within the GMDP include efforts to:

Discover new genetic causes of childhood diseases

Understand the genetic basis of metabolic diversity and its relationship to health and disease in children

Develop new diagnostic methods to detect genetic diseases in patients

Establish clinical trials to assess the effect of new treatments

Construct new disease models using genetically modified mice and use them to test the effect of experimental therapies

Use multidisciplinary approaches to identify and characterize novel malformation syndromes.

The Division has been involved in clinical research projects involving clinical trials of new therapies, as well as

multicenter studies in clinical and molecular genetics. The Division has been involved in translational research, helping

to make a bridge between the basic science researchers in molecular genetics and the patients.

The DeBerardinis Lab uses a combination of techniques in molecular biology, cell biology, and biochemistry,

coupled with metabolic flux analysis using mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance, and animal

models of metabolism and cancer. Current projects include developing imaging probes to identify abnormal

metabolic activities in tumors and in children with metabolic diseases.

Dr. Angela Scheuerle's work with the Texas Department of State Health Services Birth Defects Epidemiology

and Surveillance Branch (BDES) affords excellent opportunity for both care and research at the public health

level. In 2016, this became dramatically important in the state's preparation for the Zika virus. Dr. Scheuerle

participated with others in the BDES to define case ascertainment parameters, expand information collected

about cases with microcephaly, and provide fast-track surveillance for relevant cases. This work continues as

the state establishes a baseline for microcephaly incidence in anticipation of autochthonous Zika transmission.

In 2021, the Division of Pediatric Genetics and Metabolism led an effort to have UT Southwestern and Children's

Health designated as a Rare Disease Center of Excellence (COE) by the National Organization of Rare Disorders

(NORD). NORD advocates for patients of all ages suffering from about 7,000 rare diseases, many of which have

genetic causes and manifest in childhood. UT Southwestern is among an inaugural group of 31 medical centers

participating in this network. The COE is directed by faculty in the Division and involves over 30 physicians from seven

clinical departments. The COE designation recognizes UT Southwestern's long-standing excellence in both clinical

care and research in rare disorders and attracts patients seeking advanced treatment for these diseases. UT

Southwestern faculty across departments are active in national level working groups within the COE network. The

designation also boosts efforts to recruit the best clinicians, researchers and trainees in medical genetics and related

specialties. The COE supports academic retreats focused on rare disease clinical care and research and campuswide

educational efforts in rare diseases.

McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development

The Division partners closely with the McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development, which serves as the

Center for Human Genetics at UT Southwestern. The Center provides expertise and resources for clinicians and basic

scientists to identify genes and sequence variations that contribute to human diseases and traits. Dr. Ralph

DeBerardinis, the prior Division Chief of Pediatric Genetics and Metabolism, is the Director of the McDermott Center.

This sets the stage for even greater synergism between the Division and the McDermott Center. The McDermott

Center has several core facilities that provide specialized services, including:

DNA Genotyping Core

DNA Next Generation Sequencing Core

DNA Sanger Sequencing Core

Human Genetics Clinical Laboratory

UT Southwestern and the McDermott Center are planning a campus-wide initiative in population genomics, which will

involve exome sequencing and deep phenotyping of at least 150,000 individuals of all ages in the Dallas area. This

promises to be a rich source of data that will benefit all those pursuing genetics research, including the faculty and

trainees in the Division.

Education

The Division is a vital part of UT Southwestern Medical Center's mission to train medical students, residents, fellows,

and allied health professionals in pediatrics, genetics, and metabolism. Faculty in the Division teach medical students

and pediatric residents throughout their training, manage an accredited residency program to train the next generation

of physicians in Medical Genetics, co-direct a fellowship program in Laboratory Genetics and Genomics, and provide

continuing medical education in genetics and metabolism to the Dallas-Fort Worth medical community.

Medical Students

First year medical school curriculum includes:

Medical Biochemistry Course: protein and amino acid metabolism, hyperammonemia and urea cycle defects,

defects in amino acid metabolism (PKU, MSUD, etc.), purine and pyrimidine metabolism, and treatment of

inborn errors of metabolism

Medical Genetics Course: population genetics, inborn errors of metabolism, assessing genetic risk/pedigree

analysis, genetic screening, genetic counseling, and ethical issues in genetics

Third-year medical students participate in pediatrics rotations involving:

Case studies in clinical genetics

Genetics clinic outpatient rotations

Clinical genetics consultations

The Division offers an elective in clinical genetics to fourth-year medical students involving outpatient genetics clinics

and inpatient genetics consultations.

Medical Genetics Interest Group

We provide mentorship to UT Southwestern medical students considering a career in Medical Genetics. This highly

successful interest group meets periodically to discuss new developments in clinical and research-based genetics. We

seek to provide an environment to educate students about career opportunities in this exciting and rapidly expanding

area of pediatrics.

Medical Genetics Residency Program

The Department of Pediatrics, through the Division of Pediatric Genetics and Metabolism, sponsors the clinical

department for the ACGME certified training program in Medical Genetics. Medical Genetics stands alone as a

specialty, rather than being a subspecialty of Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, or Obstetrics/Gynecology. The training

program encompasses many clinical departments including Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynecology

(prenatal diagnosis), Neurology and Pathology (Clinical Molecular Genetics, Cytogenetics, and Biochemical Genetics),

among others.

Pediatrics

The Division provides didactic teaching for the pediatric residents, including:

Clinical dysmorphology

Cause and evaluation of birth defects

Common chromosome anomalies

Newborn screening

Acute metabolic disorders

Genetic storage disorders

The Division offers a Clinical Genetics elective to second- and third-year pediatric residents. The residents see

outpatients in the Division's clinic and inpatients for consultation services under the supervision of one of the members

of the Division's faculty. Residents are encouraged to participate in clinical research projects.

Trainees in other departments also spend time in the Division's clinics. Residents in Neurology, Pathology, and other

specialties may receive some of their training through the Division of Pediatric Genetics and Metabolism.

Learn more about the Division here:

The Department of Pediatrics

The Department of Pediatrics at UT Southwestern has a long and rich history that is interwoven with the roots of UT

Southwestern Medical School and with the development and growth of Children's Health, its primary clinical partner

with leading inpatient care at Children's Medical Center in Dallas and Plano and multispecialty outpatient centers in

Dallas, Plano, Prosper and other health care units throughout the Dallas Metroplex. The Department is structured into

17 academic divisions, consisting of greater than 415 faculty members and several clinical multidisciplinary programs

to cover the full spectrum of child health and disease.

Learn more about the department here:

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern, one of the nation's premier academic medical centers, is located just a short drive from downtown

Dallas. The campus integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The

institution's faculty number more than 2,800 and includes six who have been awarded Nobel Prizes since 1985, 25

members of the National Academy of Sciences, 16 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 13

investigators in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. UT Southwestern physicians provide medical care in about 80

specialties to more than 117,000 hospitalized patients, nearly 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee

approximately 3 million outpatient visits a year. Many are cared for in the three major hospitals on campus: Clements

University Hospital, Parkland Memorial Hospital, and Children's Medical Center Dallas.

In 2024, UT Southwestern was recognized as the #2 hospital in Texas and ranked nationally in all 11 specialty areas

by U.S. News & World Report - one of only a few hospitals in the U.S. to earn that distinction. With a core emphasis

on advancing scientific discovery, UT Southwestern is also ranked among the top 25 medical school research

programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Last year, UTSW was awarded more than $290 million in

support from the NIH.

Children's Medical Center Dallas (Children's Health)

For more than 110 years, Children's Health has pursued a long-standing commitment to the community to provide

high-quality patient care, advocacy, and education with an unwavering focus on their mission: to make life better for

children. Children's Health is hailed as one of the largest and most prestigious pediatric health care providers in the

country. The institute is comprised of 8,400 employees, providing care for more than 288,000 patients annually.

Through a longstanding academic affiliation with UT Southwestern, Children's Health serves as a leader in lifechanging

treatments, innovative technology and ground-breaking research. The institute is consistently recognized

among the top children's hospitals in the country including its ranking by U.S. News & World Report as the top

pediatric hospital in North Texas, number 2 in the Southwest, and number 13 in the nation for 2023-2024.

Joint Pediatric Enterprise (JPE)

UT Southwestern Medical Center is proud to collaborate with Children's Health to recruit top-caliber faculty and

pediatric advanced practice providers who work within both health care systems to provide the very best care for

children and their families.

The Joint Pediatric Enterprise (JPE), formed in 2019, is structured to facilitate shared decision-making and operational

alignment between UT Southwestern and Children's Health, which have been affiliated for more than 60 years.

Together, the institutes are better equipped to meet the rapidly growing needs of the North Texas pediatric community

and beyond. This powerful partnership strengthens patient outcomes by providing access to renowned faculty,

biomedical research, and clinical trials.

As part of the JPE, UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children's Health broke ground on October 1, 2024 on

a new $5 billion pediatric health campus in Dallas' Southwestern Medical District. Spanning more than 33 acres,

the new pediatric campus will encompass more than 4.7 million square feet of construction, including a new pediatric

hospital as its centerpiece. The hospital, comprised of two 12-story towers and an 8-story tower, along with the

broader care site, will significantly expand inpatient, surgical, and ambulatory capacity to meet the needs of one of the

fastest-growing and largest metropolitan areas in the country.

As North Texas experiences unprecedented growth, and with the pediatric population expected to double by 2050,

there is an urgent demand for advanced pediatric health care. To meet those needs, the new campus will expand

access to a full range of pediatric services from routine care to complex treatments, creating a one-of-a-kind hub for

academic research, training, and the development of life-saving technologies. The pediatric campus, which will

replace the existing Children's Medical Center Dallas, is expected to open in the next six to seven years. It will be built

on the UT Southwestern campus on the corner of Harry Hines Boulevard and Mockingbird Lane, across from UTSW's

William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital.

Highlights of the project include:

4.7 million square feet of construction
552 beds (38% increase) with space for future expansion
Expanded Emergency Department space (15%) and operating rooms (22%)
Two helicopter pads
A Level I pediatric trauma center, 90 ER exam rooms, and 24 observation rooms
A connector bridge between the new campus and Clements University Hospital, ensuring

continuity of care for babies with direct access to the pediatric expertise provided at the Children's Health

Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU)

A new fetal care center to provide the region's most advanced and accessible services for complex maternal

and fetal health care, including fetal surgery capabilities at the adjoining Clements University Hospital

A new outpatient clinic building that will add 96 exam rooms to the 344 that will continue to operate at the

existing Children's Health Specialty Center Dallas outpatient facility on Stemmons Freeway at Medical District Drive

The new pediatric campus adds to the ongoing investments by UT Southwestern and Children's Health to meet the

region's growing pediatric medical and surgical needs. In October 2024, the new Children's Health Plano hospital

tower opened and substantially increased the number of beds to increase access to care for children in North Texas.

The partnership is also expanding access to care in surrounding communities with new specialty centers, a growing

referral network, and more - each a part of their commitment to growing with North Texas, anticipating long-term

pediatric needs, and providing extraordinary care close to home.

Milestone gifts from The Jean and Mack Pogue Family Foundation and the The Rees-Jones Foundation

A recent $100 million gift from The Rees-Jones Foundation to support the construction of the new pediatric campus

followed a $100 million gift from the Jean and Mack Pogue Family Foundation in May. This marks the first time

in Texas that a not-for-profit construction project has received two individual leadership gifts of $100 million. At the

October 1st groundbreaking ceremony, Troy Aikman and Dirk Nowitzki, both champion athletes and champions for

children, joined in the historic gift announcement.

To publicly recognize The Rees-Jones Foundation gift, the central hospital tower at the new Dallas pediatric campus

will be named Rees-Jones Tower. In addition, the greenspace on which the campus will reside will be known as the

Pogue Family Park.

The Role

UT Southwestern is seeking a national leader as the new Chief of the Division of Genetics and Metabolism in the

Department of Pediatrics. The position will report directly to the Department Chair, Dr. Jorge Bezerra, and will play a

critical leadership role within the Department. The Chief will serve as a galvanizing and inspiring leader and will

provide strategic, administrative, financial, and operational leadership and direction for the Division, with responsibility

for the clinical, research, and education missions. This leader will build on a foundation of success while defining the

future culture of the Division, leveraging the talents of a diverse group of faculty, staff, fellows, residents, and students

as the Department of Pediatrics and its primary health system partner, Children's Health, enter a period of

unprecedented growth. The Chief will lead the Division in providing excellent, high value pediatric clinical care while

advancing the field through research and innovation, while maintaining its commitment to educating future physicians.

This leader will collaborate across the Department of Pediatrics, UT Southwestern and with key partners at Children's

Health.

The Chief will provide clinical leadership to enhance quality of care and support continued growth and expansion of

clinical capabilities. The Division's growth and evolution will be a critical element to achieving the Department of

Pediatrics' vision of transformation and advancement of subspecialized care and programs. Through collaboration

across Divisions and with Children's Health, the Chief will establish and promote best practices, improving high

reliability of clinical services and high-quality transitions of care through the health system. This leader will leverage

data and analytics to measure outcomes and drive quality improvement. The Chief will ensure alignment of the clinical

and academic missions of the Division with the Department of Pediatrics, Children's Health, and the Joint Pediatric

Enterprise.

The Chief will elevate and promote the importance of the academic mission in the Division, building on the strong

partnership between UT Southwestern and Children's Health, which marries the University's success in scientific

discovery and innovation with the investments of Children's Health in clinical practice and the care environment. The

Chief will build a robust portfolio of research, while encouraging the importance of grant-funding, scholarly output and

publications in high impact journals. This Chief will foster an outstanding teaching environment, while continuously

improving and advancing the medical education curriculum and training programs available.

Key to success in advancing the academic, research, and clinical missions, the Chief will have strong business

acumen and be responsible for operations and financial performance for the Division. The Chief will prioritize

recruiting, training, developing, and retaining world-class faculty to advance the Division and Department's bold

growth strategy. This leader will maintain a collaborative and transparent atmosphere, further develop existing

programs, and identify potential opportunities for additional development.

Through the continued advancement of research, education, and clinical care, the Chief will significantly elevate the

national reputation of the Division of Genetics and Metabolism. To be successful, this Chief must take a concerted

approach to partnering with key constituency groups in and outside the Department of Pediatrics effectively

collaborating across Children's Health to realize the shared mission of the medical school and the health system.

Location: UT Southwestern Medical Center is located in Dallas, Texas. Relocation is required for this role.

Candidate Profile

In terms of the performance and personal competencies required for the position, we would highlight the following:

Education and Experience

MD or MD/PhD (or equivalent) from an accredited medical school is required
Board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics
Must qualify for an unrestricted Texas medical license
Nationally recognized as a leader in the field of Pediatric Genetics and Metabolism with an outstanding track

record of accomplishment in clinical care, research, and education

Demonstrated administrative and leadership experience in academic medicine, with an ability to build and

expand upon a strong foundation

Operationally minded; ability to outline a clear road map for the execution of the division's refinement and

expansion, and ascent as a national leader in pediatric genetics and metabolism

Highly organized individual with strong leadership skills, administrative dexterity, and a demonstrated ability to

create and lead within a complex, matrixed, evolving environment

Strong business acumen with the ability to build collegial relationships, influence and negotiate within a highly

matrixed, large and complex organization

Demonstrated track record of building trusted relationships outside of genetics and metabolism with key

divisions, departments and institutional leaders

Demonstrated success in faculty recruitment, mentoring and development across the spectrum of clinical

faculty, other providers, clinician-scientists, basic science researchers and staff

Experience building and supporting clinical and research programs and promoting academic and clinical

excellence

Strong track record of scholarly achievement, including publications and external research funding
Outstanding communication skills and an ability to work collaboratively with leaders at UT Southwestern,

hospital staff, hospital and health system management, and community stakeholders are required

Exceptional skills in advocacy and influencing, with the capability to represent and advocate for the division,

team, and resources across the academic, research and clinical enterprises

Experience advancing the education mission related to residency and fellowship training programs
Demonstrated success building diverse and cohesive teams, fostering a sense of inclusion, community and

collaboration

Track record of promoting a culture of respect, positivity, and inclusivity
Proven successful track record of mentorship
Ability to connect and build strong relationships with others, demonstrated strong emotional intelligence and an

ability to communicate clearly

Experience attracting and recruiting top talent, motivate, delegate effectively, and manage performance
Dynamic, collaborative team builder; ability to nurture growth, communication, and development of the teams

around them

Comfort with ambiguity and leading within a highly matrixed environment
Experience in research, training, and clinical achievement, commensurate with appointment to the faculty at the

rank of Associate Professor or Professor

Setting Strategy