Recruiting physician executives for academic institutions is a uniquely complex challenge — one that blends the high expectations of academia with the operational demands of healthcare leadership. The stakes are high. These leaders build and shape programs, recruit and mentor faculty, and drive institutional strategy. Due to the importance of the positions and the challenges involved in finding the right person, these searches can take many months or even years to identify and secure the right leader. As Director of Physician Executive Search at Jackson Physician Search, my team recently partnered with an academic institution in Kentucky that had been looking for a Division Chief for five years! A closer look at that successful partnership offers key lessons on the specific challenges academic medical centers face and how best to overcome them.
So, what makes recruiting physician executives to academic medical institutions so challenging? For starters, as every physician recruiter knows, the pool of candidates in any given specialty is finite, and the pool of experienced leaders within that pool is even smaller. If academic leadership experience is required, the number of candidates shrinks further. To reach these potential candidates, a targeted, proactive recruitment strategy is a must. Of course, this is true for any physician executive search. However, academic medical centers must give additional thought to the following:
1. Large Search Committees
Academic medical centers often enlist large committees to lead their executive searches. The committee may include administrators, department chairs, division chiefs, faculty, or even board members. For a good reason, these groups are designed to identify and integrate diverse perspectives for alignment purposes. However, when committees are assembled and conducted without intentionality, this approach can inadvertently slow the search process for a variety of reasons, including scheduling issues and/or differing views on what the ideal candidate looks like.
When a committee faces delays in scheduling calls and interviews, lags on feedback, or shifts the goalpost mid-search, it may cause candidates to lose interest or accept other roles. And with the number of available candidates already so small, they can’t afford to let anyone slip through the cracks.
Whether the search is conducted internally or with an external partner, building alignment among committee members is critical. In the aforementioned physician executive search in Kentucky, the academic medical center invited our team on-site to meet with the full committee and tour the facility. This allowed us to hear from members directly, identify potential contradictions, and ask for clarification on gray areas. With all criteria addressed, our team was able to build a clear profile of the ideal candidate.
Takeaway: Allow internal or external recruitment teams to meet with the entire search committee and identify the must-haves for the position. Determine which members will be involved in initial phone interviews and which ones will interview and/or entertain the candidate once on site. Gain a commitment from all parties to prioritize scheduling to keep the process moving.
2. The Academic Reputation Premium
When academic medical centers recruit physician leaders, the organization is not only looking at the physician from a clinical standpoint but also at their academic resume (better known as a CV). Academic physician executive candidates have established credibility in their fields on multiple levels. This often means they are deeply rooted and networked within the national and international associations for their specific specialty, have established a reputation for research and/or didactic excellence, and likely already hold leadership roles at their current academic institutions.
Ideal physician executives typically bring robust networks, a list of publications, invited lectureships, and sometimes, grant funding — these signals of a physician’s credibility help to build the reputation of the program and institution.
Takeaway: Targeting passive, highly regarded candidates requires strategic outreach involving personalized contact, often originating through a mutual connection. Leverage networks to identify potential candidates and tell them about the position.
3. Budgets and Compensation
Academic medical centers frequently operate under tighter budgetary constraints and treat lower patient volumes than private systems. Therefore, physician executives may earn less than their counterparts in non-academic settings. This makes it essential to offer compelling non‑salary value: access to research funding, seed money for clinical programs, endowed position support, protected faculty time, opportunities to lead institutional strategy, and title prestige. Be prepared to discuss the details of funding available for the program and how much discretion the new leader will have in leveraging funds to grow the program. In some cases, this even carries more weight with the candidate than their personal compensation package.
A family-friendly community and schedule flexibility also hold value. Academic positions may not have the same productivity expectations as the private sector, resulting in a healthier work-life balance.
Takeaway: Physician executives typically understand that their earning potential is less with academic organizations, but employment in academia appeals to them for other reasons. Use the interview process to uncover the specific reasons and then highlight the ways your program delivers. Whether it’s the chance to shape the program’s future or the scope of impact they can make across large patient populations, make sure they understand the non-financial benefits of a leadership position with your institution.
Best Practices for Academic Medical Centers Recruiting Physician Executives
- Streamline committee structures. Empower a small, core decision‑making subgroup to shorten timelines. Build alignment on must‑have competencies upfront and discuss what that looks like in potential candidates.
- Prioritize research reputation. Seek candidates with robust academic reputations — publications, national speaking engagements, and extensive professional networks. Leverage the networks of physician executives already on staff to identify potential candidates.
- Compensate beyond salary. Support research start‑up funds, academic appointments, leadership development opportunities, and work-life balance.
- Showcase institutional culture & community. Arrange meaningful site visits — not just tours, but real interaction with faculty, families, and local community highlights.
- Use specialist physician executive recruiters. Firms like Jackson Physician Search provide access to passive physician executive candidates, proprietary networks, and digital outreach strategies that academic institutions often lack internally.
Conclusion
Academic medical centers must navigate a labyrinth of institutional priorities, budgetary constraints, and high expectations when recruiting physician executives. Large search committees, expectations for reputation and research, and compensation constraints compound the ever-present challenge of small candidate pools.
To increase the chances of finding success, the search committee members must be in alignment on the ideal candidate and agree to prioritize scheduling time with candidates. The organization will also need a proactive approach to candidate sourcing, targeting candidates with established reputations and published research in the field. They can make up for compensation limitations by offering autonomy, flexibility, and the ability to shape the program. The challenges are great, but with a strategic approach, academic medical centers can identify and hire transformational leaders ready to create positive change in their communities.
If your organization is seeking physician leaders, the Physician Executive Search team at Jackson Physician Search is eager to leverage our vast network to help you find the best candidate for your organization. Reach out today for more information.
About Dirk Jansson
Dirk Jansson is the Director of Physician Executive Search at Jackson Physician Search, where he is dedicated to connecting healthcare organizations with results-driven physician leaders who can help reach their short- and long-term objectives while aligning with their unique culture.
Leveraging more than a decade of experience across multiple industries, Dirk’s passion for the art and science of physician executive recruiting, coupled with an intense commitment to serving others, is foundational to his success. His unique access and refined method of navigating complex, specialized candidate pools help healthcare organizations of all settings and sizes nationwide secure the physician leaders they need to thrive in the rapidly evolving landscape of healthcare.
