Director of the MIND Institute

  • Full Time
  • Sacramento, CA
  • $300,000 to $475,000 per annum USD / Year

University of California, Davis School of Medicine

Director
MIND Institute, UC Davis Health

The University of California, Davis School of Medicine invites applications for an accomplished researcher and visionary thinker to serve as the next Director of the MIND Institute. This leader will work closely with faculty, staff, and administrators within the MIND Institute and beyond, fostering excellence in research, clinical care, outreach, and education in the area of neurodevelopmental conditions.

Established in 1998, the MIND Institute is an interdisciplinary, collaborative research, clinical, and educational center committed to deepening scientific understanding of autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions. The MIND Institute includes 65 faculty from 16 departments and schools across UC Davis, over 45 graduate students, post-doctoral scholars and fellows, and over 250 staff. The Institute’s strong commitment to research discovery is evident in its successful extramural funding of nearly $119 Million between 2018-2023, and its 75+ active basic science and clinical research studies. Additionally, it is one of only 15-NIH funded IDDRC sites in the U.S., one of 3 CEDD sites in CA, and one of 9 institutions to be awarded LEND, IDDRC, and CEDD funding simultaneously. The MIND Institute also has an active patient care practice with multiple clinics that provide over 8,000 patient visits annually and houses many multidisciplinary clinics, treatment groups, and robust family navigation supports.

The Director leads the MIND Institute, providing overall strategic and intellectual direction for the Institute’s research programs, administrative structure, allocation of financial resources, and reviews of multidisciplinary clinical, education, research, and outreach efforts. The incumbent is responsible for creating and sustaining productive relationships with leaders across UC Davis Health Sciences and UC Davis. The Director will also support the continued success of the MIND Institute’s extramural funding, state funding, clinical revenue, and philanthropic fundraising.

Reporting to the Dean of the School of Medicine, the Director will collaborate with a broad community of stakeholders to envision and achieve the MIND Institute’s goals that align with UC Davis Health Sciences’ mission and future vision. The incoming leader will be given a negotiated percent effort for leadership and administrative functions of the Institute. Additional duties and faculty rank will be influenced by candidate qualifications and interests, departmental needs, and clinical practice requirements, as applicable. The Director will hold the Angelo and Sofia Tsakopoulos-Louis and Wendy Vismara Administrative Chair at the MIND Institute.

Additionally, the Director builds bridges with institutions in California and beyond to facilitate the scaling and dissemination of programs and collaborative research targeting neurodevelopmental disabilities to enhance the lives of patients and families and support the training, education, and research of medical/clinical trainees, graduate students, and faculty. In so doing, the Director enhances the visibility of the Institute and its activities regionally, nationally, and internationally.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated success leading and managing a large department, division, or institute. They will have a strong track record in the areas of research (bench, clinical, and/or translational) as evidenced by a record of peer-reviewed publications and success in obtaining extramural funding. A commitment to the support of clinical/medical education, and patient care is required through direct participation in professional or University service. A PhD, MD, or MD/PhD is required for this role, as well as academic credentials that qualify for appointment as an Associate or Full Professor.

The salary range for this position is $300,000 to $475,000 per annum. UC Davis provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity, geographic location, and external market pay for comparable jobs.

Korn Ferry is assisting UC Davis Health with this important search. For inquiries or to apply in confidence, please submit your detailed CV and letter of interest to Dr. Josh Ward at Josh.Ward@KornFerry.com and Jenny Seaver at Jenny.Seaver@KornFerry.com

Applications and materials are reviewed on an ongoing basis, with a priority review date of November 27, 2023.

Healthcare Practice, Korn Ferry

UC Davis is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer

To apply for this job email your details to Josh.Ward@KornFerry.com

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DELIA SILVA, PSYD, ABPP

Dr. Silva’s parents immigrated from Panama and Chile to the United States, and she was born and raised in melting pot that is New York City. She grew up speaking Spanish at home and feels fortunate to have grown up in an environment where cultural diversity was the norm, not the exception.

During her training to become a neuropsychologist, Dr. Silva was often asked to work with Spanish-speaking patients, though most training sites did not have supervisors who also spoke Spanish or had sufficient cultural knowledge relevant to Latinx populations. She joined HNS as a student and found mentorship and training resources that helped her gain competency in providing neuropsychological services to these patients. Dr. Silva has served on the HNS Board as Member-at-Large (2014-2016) and Secretary (2019-2022). She has also been involved with several committees over the years and is currently serving as the Chair of the Information Technology (IT) Committee. She views HNS as the main organization to promote development of professional resources and scientific advancements in neuropsychology that are specific to Latinx groups; she is honored to help the organization in any way she can. 

Dr. Silva is the owner of Pacific Neurobehavioral Clinic, PC, a group practice in San Diego, California that offers neuropsychological evaluation and psychotherapy services to adults with various neuropsychiatric conditions. She engages in clinical and civil forensic work and oversees the clinic operations.

Educational, training and professional experiences include:

  • Doctorate in Clinical Psychology – Florida Institute of Technology
  • Post-doctoral fellowships – Fullerton Neuropsychological Services, St. Jude Medical Center (one year; neurorehabilitation) and University of California San Diego (one year; clinical neuropsychology)
  • Staff neuropsychologist at Sharp Memorial and Grossmont hospitals from 2009-2012
  • Board certified through the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) in Clinical Neuropsychology
  • Qualified Medical Evaluator (QME) for the state of California
  • Treasurer and Current Chair of California Psychological Association-Division 8 (Neuropsychology)

In her spare time, Dr. Silva enjoys playing and making music (piano and electronic instruments; she recently took up learning how to play the theremin), playing tennis, karaoke, and spending time with family and friends.