Director of Translational Science

Job Description:

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), a major teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, seeks an internationally recognized physician-scientist or biomedical scientist to serve as Director of Translational Science and MedTech Innovation within the Center for Innovation in Invasive Cardiology. The Center is one of the key pillars of the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Institute for Evidence, Innovation, and Policy. This faculty position will be appointed at Harvard Medical School, commensurate with experience and academic accomplishments.

The Director will provide strategic leadership for a multidisciplinary research program focused on the discovery, evaluation, and clinical translation of innovative cardiovascular technologies, with strengths in structural heart disease and heart valve science. The successful candidate will foster collaborations across cardiology, interventional cardiology, cardiac surgery, cardiovascular imaging, pathology, engineering, and basic science to accelerate the development of next-generation cardiovascular devices and therapies. Working closely with faculty throughout the clinical and academic ecosystem, the Director will establish and expand programs that bridge fundamental discovery with clinical implementation to improve outcomes for patients with cardiovascular disease.

Position Responsibilities

The Director of Translational Science and MedTech Innovation will be a full-time academic FTE with no clinical role. The Director will provide scientific, operational, and strategic leadership for the Center for Innovation in Invasive Cardiology by:

• Developing and leading an internationally recognized translational cardiovascular research program spanning fundamental discovery, engineering, preclinical evaluation, and clinical investigation.
• Establishing multidisciplinary collaborations among clinicians, biomedical engineers, cardiovascular pathologists, imaging specialists, and basic scientists to advance innovative cardiovascular therapies.
• Directing research programs focused on structural heart disease, transcatheter valve therapies, coronary interventions, and emerging catheter-based cardiovascular technologies.
• Leading integrated research programs in cardiovascular device evaluation utilizing benchtop simulation, hydrodynamic performance testing, computational modeling, advanced cardiovascular imaging, pathology, and explant analysis
• Developing translational research platforms that integrate engineering, pathology, imaging, biomechanics, and clinical investigation to improve cardiovascular device design, procedural planning, long-term durability, and patient outcomes.
• Expanding institutional infrastructure supporting cardiovascular innovation, including cardiovascular simulation laboratories, device testing facilities, and translational research cores.
• Establishing internationally recognized programs in translational heart valve science, integrating human explant pathology, advanced imaging, biomechanics, and engineering approaches to better understand mechanisms of cardiovascular device failure and develop more durable therapeutic technologies.
• Building collaborative partnerships across Harvard-affiliated institutions and with academic and industry collaborators to accelerate translation of innovative cardiovascular technologies from laboratory investigation to clinical implementation.
• Leading multidisciplinary grant initiatives supported by the NIH, foundations, federal agencies, and collaborative research partnerships.
• Recruiting and mentoring faculty, engineers, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, residents, fellows, and research staff engaged in cardiovascular innovation.
• Providing scientific leadership for educational programs in invasive cardiology, structural heart disease, cardiovascular device development, translational science, and medical technology innovation.
• Representing Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center nationally and internationally as a leader in translational cardiovascular science and medical technology innovation.

Teaching and Academic Responsibilities

Faculty at Harvard Medical School are expected to contribute to excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service.

Teaching responsibilities may include:

• Mentorship of graduate students, residents, fellows, postdoctoral scholars, and junior faculty.
• Didactic instruction in cardiovascular medicine, biomedical engineering, translational science, and cardiovascular pathology.
• Hands-on education in cardiovascular device development, benchtop simulation, and translational research methodologies.
• Leadership of multidisciplinary conferences, innovation seminars, translational science workshops, and structural heart educational programs.
• Development of educational initiatives that integrate engineering, pathology, and clinical cardiovascular medicine.

Qualifications

Candidates should possess:

• MD, PhD, or equivalent doctoral degree with an outstanding record of academic achievement.
• National or international recognition in translational cardiovascular science, structural heart disease, cardiovascular devices, cardiovascular pathology, biomedical engineering, or related disciplines.
• Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary research programs that integrate engineering, pathology, imaging, and clinical investigation.
• An established record of sustained extramural funding.
• A distinguished record of peer-reviewed scholarship.
• Experience developing collaborative research partnerships across academic disciplines and industry partnerships.
• Demonstrated excellence in mentorship, leadership, and program development.

Experience in one or more of the following areas is highly desirable:

• Structural heart interventions
• Translational heart valve science
• Bioprosthetic valve durability
• Cardiovascular pathology
• Cardiovascular biomechanics
• Cardiovascular device engineering
• Computational modeling
• Cardiovascular imaging
• Bench and preclinical device evaluation
• Translational clinical investigation

Vision

The Director will define and execute a strategic vision establishing the Center for Innovation in Invasive Cardiology as an internationally recognized leader in translational cardiovascular science and medical technology innovation. Through multidisciplinary collaboration, engineering excellence, pathology, and clinical investigation, the Center will advance discoveries from laboratory and benchtop investigation to clinical practice, accelerating the development of safer, more durable, and more effective cardiovascular therapies.

The Center will serve as a destination for investigators committed to understanding cardiovascular disease and device performance across the full continuum of translational science from mechanistic discovery and human tissue investigation to engineering innovation, clinical evaluation, and implementation—improving the lives of patients worldwide.

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a 743-bed hospital and Level 1 Trauma Center, is a founding member of Beth Israel Lahey Health (BILH).  BILH, a health care system with 14 hospitals, brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, and more than 4,000 physicians and 39,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access and advance the science and practice of medicine through groundbreaking research and education.

Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (HMFP) is one of the largest physician organizations in New England, dedicated to excellence and innovation in patient care, education, and research. As a physician-led organization, HMFP partners with more than 2,400 providers to support the delivery of exceptional care, promote professional development and foster balance at work and home. HMFP physicians have faculty affiliations with Harvard Medical School (HMS) and provide care throughout BILH system and additional hospitals across Massachusetts.

If submitting a cover letter, please upload it as one document with your current curriculum vitae.  Cover letters may be addressed to James McCabe, M.D., Section Head, Structural Heart Therapies & Director of the Center for Innovation in Invasive Cardiology.

Pay Range:

$80,000 - $350,000

The base pay range reflects what Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (HMFP) reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for this role at the time of posting and may be modified from time to time. Actual compensation within this range may be determined based on several factors, including academic appointment, work experience, specialty training, geography of work location, anticipated productivity, FTE basis, and role expectations. In addition to base compensation, this role may be eligible for performance-based incentives, which may include bonuses for productivity and quality HMFP also offers a comprehensive and generous employee benefits program to eligible employees, including health, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance, as well as retirement plan(s) with employer contributions.