The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center is among the top tier medical institutions in the U.S. for its academic excellence, superior medical care, and innovative research. At UT Southwestern, we are committed to attracting a talented workforce to support our common mission of transforming lives through teaching, research, and service.

CORE JOB FUNCTIONS 

The successful candidate should have evidence of leadership experience and national recognition as a scholar and researcher in bioethics, ideally with a record of funded research and publication in bioethics and with experience in medical or graduate education. The ideal candidate will have expertise in biomedical ethics and familiarity with the work of the academic medical center, including clinical, research and public health dimensions. Areas of particular interest may include the development and use of artificial intelligence in education, research, and healthcare delivery; first-in-human clinical studies; ethical challenges of brain research and clinical care; psychiatric ethics; ethical challenges in cancer and pediatric research and care; and the ethical, legal, and social implications of genomic medicine.

The new Director will develop a strategic plan for the Program that includes recruiting and retaining top talent, and growing research and educational initiatives in ethics. Key to this leader’s success will be their ability to quickly understand the institution’s environment and identify synergies with other academic leaders necessary to maintain and grow the Program’s impact across the medical school and beyond. The candidate must also be a strong strategic thinker, capable of charting the course for the Program, recruiting and mentoring faculty and operationally lead institution-wide initiatives.

The Director of the Program in Biomedical Ethics will plan, direct, and provide administration and leadership for research and educational programs and activities in biomedical ethics at UT Southwestern. Reporting to Provost leadership of UT Southwestern, the Program Director will be responsible for developing and growing ethical academic faculty and resources.

Responsibilities

• Further expand, enrich, and diversify research activities in biomedical ethics. 
• Develop and implement high quality educational programs in biomedical ethics.
• Work collaboratively with Department Chairs on recruitment and specific education and research needs and to recruit future faculty with ethical interests.
• Work collaborating with health system clinical ethics consult service. 
• Provide ethical insight and guidance regarding system policies and procedures.
• Support identification and expansion of ethics faculty.
• Represent UT Southwestern in local, regional, national, and international meetings and deliberations regarding ethical issues in health care and biomedical research.
• 
  

CORE QUALIFICATIONS 

Education: M.D., Ph.D., J.D., or equivalent terminal degree. Graduate and postdoctoral training in biomedical ethics is preferred.

Experience: Five or more years’ experience in biomedical ethics, preferably in an academic medical center or health care delivery system with a track record of research, teaching, and the application of ethics to patient care. Demonstrated expertise in biomedical ethics, clinical ethics, health law, or related discipline and a record commensurate with appointment at the rank of Professor or Associate Professor, including:

• Experience directing or building an ethics program, center, or comparable academic initiative.
• Established record of funded research in biomedical ethics with demonstrated potential to secure external funding.
• Experience working in interdisciplinary environments, especially within academic medical centers or health systems.
• Familiarity with regulatory and compliance frameworks, including IRB oversight, human subjects protections, or research ethics policy.
• Strong mentorship skills, particularly in supporting junior faculty, trainees, and ethics fellows.

Special Skills: Outstanding interpersonal, organizational, oral and written communication, and leadership skills. Ability to motivate and manage employees, colleagues, volunteers, and consultants. Ability to be an effective team member.

Accountability: Demonstrated ability in multidisciplinary collaboration and capacity to initiate, prioritize, and manage multiple projects, working across multiple departments.

Inquiries, with a CV and short letter of interest, should be directed to Eric D. Peterson, MD MPH, Vice Provost & Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Research,  at Eric Peterson Eric.Peterson@UTSouthwestern.edu

ABOUT THE INSTITUTION 

UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, one of the premier academic medical centers in the nation, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education.  UT Southwestern is located in Dallas, Texas, and is the only academic medical center within the 13-county Dallas-Fort Worth area, which has a census population of 8.3 million and is the fastest-growing region in the country, with a projected population of 9.3 million by 2030.

UT Southwestern is led by Daniel K. Podolsky, M.D., an internationally renowned gastroenterologist and member of the National Academy of Medicine.  Dr. Podolsky has served as UT Southwestern’s President since September 1, 2008, and oversees all aspects of the mission, including supervision of four schools, the healthcare system, institutional advancement, and business operations.

UT Southwestern’s mission is to promote health and a healthy society that enables individuals to achieve their full potential.  We seek to accomplish our mission through education, discovery, and healing.

UT Southwestern’s FY 2025 $5.5 billion revenue budget included a 13 percent increase driven by strong patient care volumes in the hospital and clinics, growth in faculty practice plan professional fees, and an increase in sponsored research.

Over the last 15 years, strategic positioning and programmatic investments at UT Southwestern have sustained a trajectory of excellence and targeted growth.  Examples of recent strategic investments include the completion of a $1 billion Campaign for the brain to support expansion of the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, the new Texas Instruments Biomedical Engineering & Sciences Building, a joint project with UT Dallas, the new Outpatient Cancer Care Building of our NCI designated Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center on the main campus, and opening of a sixth regional medical center in the southern portion of Dallas County known as UT Southwestern at RedBird.  Additional strategic projects underway include the construction of a new behavioral health hospital in partnership with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, as well as the construction of a new $5 billion pediatric campus in partnership with Children’s Health.

EDUCATION

UT Southwestern Medical Center has four schools: UT Southwestern Medical School, UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, UT Southwestern School of Health Professions, and UT Southwestern Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health.  The schools train approximately 4,500 medical, graduate, and health profession students, residents, and postdoctoral fellows each year.  Additionally, many early career researchers have been appointed scholars in the Medical Center’s acclaimed programs, including the Endowed Scholars Program in Medical Science, Disease-Oriented Clinical Scholars (DOCS) Program, Texas Health Resources (THR) Clinical Scholars, Dedman Scholars, Dean’s Scholar in Clinical Research, O’Donnell Brain Institute Clinical Neuroscience Scholars and Frenkel Endowed Scholars in Clinical Medicine Programs.

UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences

The UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences offers degrees in basic and clinical sciences, encompassing more than 1,000 predoctoral and postdoctoral students and is comprised of 11 graduate programs, including Molecular Biophysics; Biomedical Engineering; Biological Chemistry; Cancer Biology; Cell and Molecular Biology; Clinical Psychology; Genetics, Development and Disease; Immunology; Molecular Microbiology; Neuroscience; and Organic Chemistry.  The Graduate School offers students exceptional opportunities to work with internationally recognized faculty, as well as access to over one million square feet of state-of-the-art research space and more than 40 core facilities.

UT Southwestern Medical School

UT Southwestern Medical School is part of the University of Texas System and one of the nation’s top 25 medical schools.  The Medical School graduates approximately 230 students each year, making it also one of the largest medical schools in the country.  Educating and training the next generation of physicians is a core mission.  To ensure that UT Southwestern students are fully prepared for the future, the curriculum focuses on the integration of basic science education with patient care training and experience, team-based learning, and meaningful mentorship opportunities.

The Perot Family Scholars Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP) at UT Southwestern offers a combined M.D./Ph.D. degree from UT Southwestern Medical School and UT Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in an academically rigorous environment.  The school also collaborates on a dual-degree program for M.D./M.P.H. degrees.  UT Southwestern has the largest graduate medical education program in Texas, with over 1,400 clinical residents and fellows completing their medical education through postgraduate specialty and subspecialty training.  Faculty members also provide Continuing Medical Education (CME) to practicing physicians. 

UT Southwestern School of Health Professions

The UT Southwestern School of Health Professions is a leader in training students to meet the challenges and opportunities in clinical nutrition, genetic counseling, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, and prosthetics-orthotics.

UT Southwestern Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health

The UT Southwestern Peter O’Donnell Jr. School of Public Health is the fourth school to be created in the UT Southwestern Medical Center.  It welcomed its first class of M.P.H. students in 2023 and first class of Ph.D. students in 2024.  The school has access to several large healthcare systems across North Texas, including William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital, Children’s Health, Texas Health Resources, Parkland Health & Hospital System, Scottish Rite for Children, and the Veterans Administration North Texas Health System.  The school employs public health methodologies, including epidemiology, health policy, quantitative and data science, health systems science, health behavior, and dissemination and implementation science, to identify and address public health challenges.

DISCOVERY

As one of the world’s foremost research institutions, UT Southwestern fosters “no-fence” multidisciplinary research and rigorous scientific training in both basic and clinical research.  With a superb international reputation for life-changing research that has led to some of the most important discoveries of our generation, UT Southwestern’s researchers make a difference.

UT Southwestern is home to many nationally and internationally recognized physicians and scientists.  Faculty members’ investigations, ranging from the basic mechanistic level to patient care as a whole, continue to yield notable discoveries, provide important educational opportunities, and offer advanced treatment options for improved healthcare.

Since UT Southwestern’s inception, research has been the cornerstone upon which outstanding medical education and patient care have been built.  The discoveries of UT Southwestern’s faculty and other teams have transformed science and medicine, setting a standard of scientific excellence.  The example set by Nobel Laureates and other leading faculty members has also helped establish a well-entrenched culture of collaboration and collegiality, making UT Southwestern a highly distinctive academic environment.

HEALING

UT Southwestern Patient Care

The vitality of the UT Southwestern Health System and Medical Group is evident in the growth of its faculty and outstanding clinical programs, the emphasis on ongoing quality improvement, the steady expansion of facilities, an increasing regional and national footprint, and maturing population health capabilities.  We are deliberate in our efforts to deliver high-quality care to all within the diverse population that Dallas represents.  In addition to outstanding education and research programs, UT Southwestern is committed to leadership in patient care and continues to gain recognition through national and international clinical awards.

UT Southwestern faculty physicians, as members of the UT Southwestern Medical Group, and residents provide care to more than:

• 140,000 hospitalized patients each year; and
• 5 million outpatient visits annually.
• 
  

Patient care is provided at:

• UT Southwestern University Hospital and Clinics, including William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital and the Zale Lipshy Pavilion, owned and operated by the Medical Center;
• Parkland Health & Hospital System;
• Children’s Medical Center;
• Scottish Rite for Children;
• VA North Texas Health Care System; and
• Other affiliated hospitals and community clinics whose operations are independently controlled by the University.

UT Southwestern’s Clements University Hospital, which includes more than 800 beds along with Zale Lipshy Pavilion, serves as a centerpiece for carrying out UT Southwestern’s mission – to educate, discover, and heal.  Innovations in technology and in approaches to care abound in the new hospital.  It is a place where the intellect, skill, and science of UT Southwestern are translated into the delivery of compassionate, high quality and innovative patient care.

UT Southwestern Medical Center is the No. 1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth for the ninth consecutive year in the annual U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals list.  Additionally, 12 of our specialty care areas are ranked among the nation’s best – more than any other hospital in Texas.  Those specialties are: Neurology & Neurosurgery (#9); Rehabilitation (#15); Geriatrics (#16); Pulmonology & Lung Surgery (#16); Diabetes & Endocrinology (#18); Cancer (#20); Cardiology, Heart & Vascular Surgery (#20); Otolaryngology – Ear, Nose & Throat (#21); Urology (#24); Gastroenterology & GI Surgery (#26); Orthopedics (#29); Obstetrics & Gynecology (#37). UT Southwestern is also rated “High Performing” in 17 procedures and conditions.

Parkland Memorial Hospital – Dallas County’s safety net hospital – opened its own 862-bed new (replacement) hospital in 2015.  Parkland remains a vital and important partner, and the volume of care provided there by UT Southwestern Medical Group physicians continues to increase.

Children’s Medical Center – the primary clinical site for the UT Southwestern Pediatric Group.  Children’s Health is the premier academic pediatric system in the region.  With three hospitals and over 50 pediatric specialty and subspecialty programs, Children’s Health maintains 472 licensed beds and receives more than 968,453 patient visits per year.  UT Southwestern and Children’s Health formed a joint pediatric enterprise (JPE) in 2019.  Following initial approval from the UT System Board of Regents last year, the JPE began planning a new, multi-billion-dollar pediatrics campus on a portion of the UT Southwestern campus in Dallas.  The new pediatric campus is needed to serve better the needs of our patients and the growing North Texas communities. 

Innovation and Technology Development

UT Southwestern’s Office for Technology Development (OTD) supports and advances the institution as an elite driver of innovation and commercialization.  OTD is embedded within Pegasus Park, a 23-acre campus designed to drive healthcare innovation, social impact, and meaningful connection.  Strategically located between the Southwestern Medical District and the Dallas Design District, the Park features nearly 40,000 square feet of flexible lab, training, and office space, promoting the convergence of entrepreneurs, industry leaders, nonprofit groups, and academic institutions.  Pegasus Park is the first location in the central United States of BioLabs, a national network of shared lab and office facilities located in key biotech innovation clusters.  UT Southwestern occupies over 5,000 square feet of this flexible co-working facility, designed for early-stage scientific ventures.  In addition to the Park, the Blackstone LaunchPad and TechStars Network catalyzes student ventures through connections to off-campus opportunities and convenes students and staff at global events to leverage industry-leading mentors and networks.  UT Southwestern’s new Innovation Hub acts as a bridge between groundbreaking scientific research and real-world patient solutions.  Formed in 2025, the initiative aims to connect UT Southwestern’s rich culture of discovery with market opportunities in the biomedical industry.

Dallas Life

As the ninth-largest city and part of the nation’s fourth-largest metropolitan area, Dallas spans approximately 343 square miles and has a current population of 4.6 million people residing in the Dallas area.  Today, Dallas is a cosmopolitan city renowned for its high concentration of restaurants and shopping centers.  The DFW metroplex boasts six national sports teams, 24+ museums, 15 parks and nature centers, and 19 outdoor trails.  The population density is unusually low for a major metropolitan area, reflecting the predominance of single-family homes (about two-thirds of all dwelling units).  Housing prices are 24% lower than the national average and 50% lower than in similar metropolitan areas.  Dallas is the leading banking, financial, and trade center for the Southwest, and some 6,000 companies have their corporate headquarters in Dallas.  The city will also be home to the Texas Stock Exchange.  Set to open in 2026, the planned national stock exchange is the most well-capitalized exchange ever to submit a registration to the SEC.  The city is also well-known for the medical center; the headquarters of the American Heart Association, and the Texas A&M College of Dentistry (1905).  Notably, Texas has also recently codified tenure into its state law, ensuring faculty have longevity and support in their work.

For additional information on life in Dallas, please visit:

https://www.utsouthwestern.edu/education/students/dallas/ 

KEY University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center FACTS

Faculty (Fall 2025)

Regular full-time faculty – 3,378

Part-time faculty (excluding volunteers) – 471

Total – 3,849

Non-faculty Employees (Fall 2025)

Full-time – 17,862

Temporary and seasonal – 3,422

Total – 21,284

Funding

FY25 revenue (including research) - $6.5 billion

Research Programs

Total for FY25 research - $816.6 million

Enrollment (Fall 2025)

Medical School – 931

Graduate School – 653

Health Professions – 373

School of Public Health – 197

Postdoctoral fellows – 574

More information about the University of Texas Southwestern can be found at www.utsouthwestern.edu