System Medical Director for Pre-Surgical Optimization

Northwestern Medicine is seeking a physician leader to serve as System Medical Director for Pre-Surgical Optimization. This full-time anesthesiologist will provide clinical and administrative leadership for the system-wide Pre-Surgical Optimization Clinic, supporting perioperative excellence, patient safety, and operational performance across Northwestern Medicine.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead system-wide pre-surgical optimization efforts and align clinic operations with perioperative strategy.
• Improve preoperative clinic utilization, reduce elective case cancellations, and enhance operating room efficiency.
• Develop triage policies and clinical criteria to ensure appropriate patient prioritization.
• Collaborate with surgical, anesthesiology, and administrative leaders to resolve clinical and operational issues.
• Support quality improvement, patient safety, and data-driven process enhancements.
• Provide remote and on-site clinical support across local preoperative clinics.

Qualifications

• Board-certified physician with demonstrated experience in perioperative medicine, pre-surgical optimization, or a related area.
• Proven leadership in clinical operations, quality improvement, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Academic accomplishment, scholarly productivity, and teaching experience required.
• Strong communication, management, and process improvement skills
• Prior leadership experience required; academic rank of Assistant Professor or higher required.

The ideal candidate is a respected clinician-leader with a strong record of improving systems, advancing perioperative care, and working effectively across multidisciplinary teams.

If interested, please apply or contact Nicole Sturznickel at [email protected] for more information.