Section Chief of Joint Reconstruction – UAB Orthopaedic Surgery

Position Overview – Chief of Joint Reconstruction

Department: Orthopaedic Surgery
School: UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
Appointment: Full-time, open rank; tenure or non-tenure track based on qualifications

Position Summary

The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine seeks an accomplished orthopaedic surgeon to serve as Chief of Joint Reconstruction and lead the Section of Joint Reconstruction. This is a full-time, open-rank faculty position. Academic rank, salary, and tenure status will be commensurate with the successful candidate’s experience and qualifications.

The successful candidate will provide strategic, clinical, academic, and administrative leadership for a growing joint reconstruction program within one of the nation’s largest academic health systems. The Chief will deliver outstanding care in primary and revision hip and knee arthroplasty, develop faculty and trainees, advance research and innovation, strengthen multidisciplinary partnerships, and guide the continued growth of the Adult Reconstruction and Limb Preservation Fellowship.

Chief of Joint Reconstruction Opportunity at a Glance

• Institution: University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Department: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, UAB Heersink School of Medicine
• Location: Birmingham, Alabama
• Appointment: Full-time, open-rank position; tenure or non-tenure track based on qualifications
• Clinical focus: Primary and revision hip and knee arthroplasty, complex reconstruction, and limb preservation
• Required preparation: MD, DO, or equivalent medical degree; board certification or eligibility in Orthopaedic Surgery; fellowship training in adult reconstruction; and at least five years of post-fellowship clinical practice
• Leadership mandate: Grow clinical programs, advance research and innovation, strengthen education, recruit and mentor faculty, and develop the Adult Reconstruction and Limb Preservation Fellowship

Why UAB and Why Now

This appointment comes at an important point in the continued development of UAB Orthopaedic Surgery. The Department is expanding its clinical and research ambitions, the joint-care service line is strengthening its multidisciplinary infrastructure, and the broader UAB Health System has increased its statewide reach following the addition of UAB St. Vincent’s. Together, these developments create an opportunity for a proven academic surgeon to shape the next phase of joint reconstruction at UAB rather than simply inherit a static program.

Reporting to and working closely with Department Chair Steven M. Theiss, MD, the Chief will be expected to establish a clear strategic direction for the Section and translate that vision into measurable clinical, educational, and academic growth. Priorities include developing faculty, recruiting additional talent as needed, expanding patient access and referral relationships, strengthening quality and outcomes initiatives, and aligning the Section’s resources with the needs of a large academic health system and the communities it serves.

The role offers meaningful latitude to define how UAB approaches the full spectrum of adult reconstruction—from efficient, coordinated care for primary hip and knee replacement to complex revision, tertiary referral, and limb-preservation cases. The incoming Chief will also help determine how clinical growth, fellowship education, research, innovation, and multidisciplinary partnerships should reinforce one another. For an experienced leader, this is an opportunity to build a nationally visible academic joint reconstruction program with long-term institutional impact.

Key Responsibilities

As Chief of Joint Reconstruction, the successful candidate will lead and shape the clinical, educational, research, and innovation missions of the Section. Key responsibilities include:

• Set a compelling strategic vision for the Section of Joint Reconstruction and guide responsible growth in primary arthroplasty, revision and complex reconstruction, and limb-preservation care.
• Deliver high-quality, patient-centered clinical care in hip and knee reconstruction while maintaining an active surgical practice.
• Recruit, mentor, and develop faculty, staff, residents, and fellows and foster a collaborative, high-performing culture.
• Advance the Adult Reconstruction and Limb Preservation Fellowship and contribute to the education of medical students, residents, fellows, and referring physicians.
• Strengthen clinical operations, care pathways, quality improvement, outcomes measurement, and multidisciplinary coordination across perioperative care, rehabilitation, anesthesia, imaging, and referring services.
• Build a productive research portfolio that may include clinical and translational studies, registries, data analytics, digital health, biomechanics, implant or device development, and clinical trials.
• Develop collaborations across UAB, including partnerships with engineering, biosciences, rheumatology, rehabilitation, outcomes research, and industry.
• Partner with the Department Chair and health-system leaders to align the Section’s strategy, resources, recruitment, and growth with departmental and institutional priorities.
• Represent the Section regionally and nationally through professional societies, scholarship, invited presentations, and collaborative initiatives.
• Promote professionalism, respect, equal opportunity, continuous improvement, and excellence in patient care, education, and research.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• MD, DO, or equivalent medical degree.
• Board certification or board eligibility in Orthopaedic Surgery.
• Eligibility for medical licensure in Alabama.
• Fellowship training in adult hip and knee reconstruction, with a minimum of five years of post-fellowship clinical practice in joint reconstruction.
• A record of excellent clinical outcomes in primary and revision hip and knee arthroplasty.
• Academic accomplishments appropriate for appointment at UAB, including evidence of scholarship, education, research, or participation in professional societies.
• Leadership experience relevant to program development, faculty recruitment and mentorship, clinical operations, or strategic planning in an academic health-care environment.
• Commitment to the academic medicine mission of outstanding patient care, education, research, and service.
• Strong communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to collaborate across disciplines and organizational boundaries.

Preferred Qualifications

• A sustained record of scholarship, research funding, clinical investigation, or national professional leadership.
• Experience building or expanding a joint reconstruction program, service line, or fellowship.
• Interest in collaborative research involving engineering, biosciences, health services research, digital health, implant development, biomechanics, clinical registries, or industry partnerships.
• Experience improving quality, access, outcomes, patient experience, or operational performance across a complex health system.
• An entrepreneurial and collaborative approach to program building, innovation, and faculty development.

UAB Orthopaedic Surgery is recruiting a Chief of Joint Reconstruction to lead clinical growth, education, research, and innovation in Birmingham, Alabama.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

The UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, chaired by Steven M. Theiss, MD, provides comprehensive clinical care through eight orthopaedic subspecialty sections. The Department includes nearly 30 full-time faculty and delivers care across UAB Hospital, UAB Hospital-Highlands, The Kirklin Clinic of UAB Hospital, Children’s of Alabama, the Birmingham VA Medical Center, and regional outpatient locations.

The Department offers a five-year, ACGME-accredited orthopaedic surgery residency with 30 resident positions—six at each postgraduate level. One-year fellowship programs are available in joint reconstruction, trauma, spine, hand and upper extremity, and foot and ankle. Faculty teach medical students, residents, and fellows while advancing musculoskeletal care through clinical investigation, translational research, quality improvement, and innovation.

The UAB Department of Orthopaedic Surgery combines comprehensive clinical care with research, innovation, and advanced education.

Clinical Care

UAB Orthopaedic Surgery delivers care across a broad referral network and the full continuum of musculoskeletal conditions. The Department’s clinical environment provides the incoming Chief with access to complex cases, multidisciplinary services, advanced perioperative support, and a statewide and regional patient base.

Education and Training

The Department’s residency and fellowship programs create substantial opportunities for the Chief to influence the next generation of orthopaedic surgeons. The successful candidate will participate in resident and fellow education, faculty mentorship, curriculum development, conferences, and scholarly activity while continuing to strengthen the Adult Reconstruction and Limb Preservation Fellowship.

Research and Innovation

The Department supports basic, translational, clinical, and outcomes research and collaborates with investigators in rheumatology, pathology, microbiology, biomedical engineering, and other disciplines. Its research portfolio includes clinical trials, registries, retrospective and prospective studies, systematic reviews, new techniques, devices, and implants. In 2025, the Department achieved its highest position to date in the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research rankings, placing No. 34 nationally among orthopaedic surgery departments based on NIH funding.

Section of Joint Reconstruction

The UAB Section of Joint Reconstruction is dedicated to the operative and non-operative care of patients with hip and knee arthritis. Its surgeons focus on primary and complex hip and knee reconstruction, including revision and limb-salvage procedures, while working to advance the science of joint replacement through clinical and translational research.

Section faculty are board-certified orthopaedic surgeons and members of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons. They work within a multidisciplinary clinical environment that includes nursing, perioperative teams, rehabilitation, physical and occupational therapy, imaging, anesthesia, and referring physicians.

The Adult Reconstruction and Limb Preservation Fellowship is a one-year program that provides exposure to the evaluation and management of primary and revision hip and knee replacement. Fellows participate in preoperative consultation, surgery, postoperative management, conferences, technical education, and clinical research under a mentorship model.

Clinical Platform and Program-Building Opportunity

The joint reconstruction program operates within UAB’s academic clinical network, including UAB Hospital-Highlands and supporting outpatient and specialty-care locations. The joint-care model brings together surgeons, advanced practice providers, nursing and care coordinators, perioperative teams, rehabilitation professionals, and an Orthopaedic Optimization Clinic. UAB has also added joint-focused quality-navigation support and continues to develop patient education, perioperative workflows, and preoperative optimization.

This infrastructure gives the Chief a platform to improve access, coordinate referrals, standardize evidence-based pathways, evaluate outcomes, and guide patients to the most appropriate setting of care. The successful candidate will balance growth in routine primary arthroplasty with UAB’s academic and tertiary-care responsibilities in complex primary cases, revision surgery, limb preservation, and patients with significant comorbidities.

The Section offers substantial program-building potential. The Chief will help define the future faculty model, mentor developing surgeons, recruit complementary expertise, and create a cohesive clinical and academic identity for joint reconstruction across the health system. The leader will also be positioned to expand the Section’s regional referral base, strengthen relationships with community physicians and affiliated sites, and develop a consistent patient experience across consultation, optimization, surgery, rehabilitation, and long-term outcomes assessment.

Education is integral to that growth strategy. The Chief will have the opportunity to strengthen the Adult Reconstruction and Limb Preservation Fellowship, expand resident exposure to both primary and complex reconstruction, support faculty as educators and mentors, and ensure that clinical growth produces an increasingly rich academic training environment.

Collaborative Research and Innovation Ecosystem

The Chief of Joint Reconstruction will enter a collaborative environment designed to connect surgeons with investigators, research infrastructure, and institutional partners.

Departmental Research Leadership

Hassan Ghomrawi, PhD, MPH, serves as Vice Chair for Research and Innovation in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and as an Associate Director of the Comprehensive Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, Bone and Autoimmunity Center. His work focuses on health services and outcomes research, surgical decision-making, social determinants of health, and wearable technologies. The Department is actively building its research capacity and expanding institutional and national collaborations.

The Department’s research strategy is supported by relationships with the UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Science, the Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research and Education, CAMBAC, and the School of Engineering. Within Joint Reconstruction, current infrastructure supports clinical research personnel, doctoral-level investigation, and access to an orthopaedic laboratory on campus. These resources provide a foundation for patient-reported outcomes, registries, prospective studies, digital monitoring, quality and value research, translational science, and multicenter collaboration.

The incoming Chief will be encouraged to define a focused research agenda that complements the candidate’s expertise and the clinical strengths of the Section. Opportunities include developing a durable outcomes and registry platform, mentoring faculty and trainees in scholarship, recruiting surgeon-scientists and research collaborators, competing for external funding, and translating clinical questions into investigations that improve the care of patients undergoing hip and knee reconstruction.

Comprehensive Arthritis, Musculoskeletal, Bone and Autoimmunity Center

CAMBAC is an interdisciplinary UAB center that supports collaboration in musculoskeletal, bone, arthritis, and autoimmune research. For fiscal year 2026, the center reports 147 faculty members representing nine UAB schools, four supported NIH training programs, and $44.1 million in active member funding. CAMBAC provides access to shared expertise, research cores, registries, data resources, training programs, and pilot funding.

Engineering and Translational Partnerships

UAB’s engineering research includes biomedical implants and devices, implant biomechanics, biomaterials, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and computational modeling. These capabilities create opportunities for collaboration in implant performance, joint-replacement biomechanics, digital monitoring, data science, and the development and evaluation of new technologies.

Related Clinical Partnerships

The Section can collaborate with UAB specialists in rheumatology, sports and exercise medicine, rehabilitation, imaging, anesthesia, primary care, and other clinical disciplines. These relationships support coordinated care pathways, access and referral development, outcomes research, and innovation across the continuum of musculoskeletal care.

UAB Health System and Heersink School of Medicine

UAB Health System

The UAB Health System is Alabama’s largest health system and operates as a nearly $7.5 billion enterprise across 133 locations serving all 67 Alabama counties and communities beyond the state. Following the November 2024 acquisition of St. Vincent’s Hospitals, the system encompasses 3,173 beds, a workforce of more than 30,000 physicians, health-care professionals, and staff, and nearly 1.4 million unique patients.

The expanded system includes UAB Hospital, UAB St. Vincent’s, UAB Medical West, Baptist Health in Montgomery, UAB Callahan Eye, and associated owned and affiliated sites of care. This scale strengthens referral networks, community access, clinical integration, and opportunities to extend advanced subspecialty services throughout Alabama.

UAB Hospital is the flagship academic hospital of the system. In 2026, UAB reported that the hospital had grown to 1,400 beds and was listed as the fifth-largest hospital in the United States. Its size, complex patient population, and academic infrastructure provide an important platform for clinical excellence, education, investigation, and program growth.

UAB Medicine combines the reach of Alabama’s largest health system with the academic mission of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine

The UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine provides a broad academic environment for biomedical discovery, clinical and translational research, education, and patient care. For 2025, the school reported $257 million in NIH funding, ranking No. 28 among all U.S. medical schools and No. 12 among public medical schools.

The school’s research infrastructure and culture of cross-disciplinary collaboration create opportunities for clinical-academic leaders to build new programs, develop partnerships, mentor trainees and investigators, and translate discovery into improved patient care.

Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham is a major health-care, research, education, and business center in the Southeast. UAB’s urban campus is located near downtown, with access to established neighborhoods, suburban communities, restaurants, arts and cultural institutions, sports and entertainment venues, parks, and outdoor recreation.

The Birmingham Civil Rights District includes the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, Kelly Ingram Park, and other sites central to the history of the American Civil Rights Movement. Railroad Park, Regions Field, Protective Stadium, museums, theaters, music venues, and a nationally recognized culinary community contribute to the city’s quality of life.

Birmingham also offers convenient access to lakes, state parks, hiking and biking trails, and the southern Appalachian region. Its central Southeastern location places Atlanta, Nashville, Chattanooga, Memphis, New Orleans, and Gulf Coast destinations within regional travel distance.

How to Apply

The University of Alabama at Birmingham has retained Academic Med to lead the national search for its next Chief of Joint Reconstruction. The search is being conducted by Academic Med principals Gentry Zacheis and Jim Hagood, Managing Principal.

Interested candidates should submit a curriculum vitae, a letter of interest, and three professional references to Jim Hagood at ji*@**********ed.com. Nominations and inquiries are welcome and will be handled with discretion.

Application Materials

• Curriculum vitae
• Letter of interest
• Three professional references

Explore additional academic medicine leadership opportunities from Academic Med.

Equal Opportunity Statement

UAB is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Candidates may review UAB’s current equal-opportunity and nondiscrimination information for complete details.