Through strategic outreach, market alignment, and a flexible search approach, Directors of Executive Search Mark Dotson and Dirk Jansson successfully secured two high-impact leaders positioned to drive long-term growth for a leading academic health system in Kentucky.
When Directors of Executive Search Mark Dotson and Dirk Jansson got the call that a prestigious Southeastern academic health system needed to hire two physician leaders, they were already prepared. For two years, our Executive Search team had been cultivating relationships across multiple departments at the hospital. But organizational changes and an existing partnership with another executive search firm impeded their efforts to make it official.
When a system-wide restructuring paused external search engagements entirely, Mark and Dirk continued to nurture their relationships with regular check-ins. As soon as the system reopened external partnerships, the hospital knew who to call.
First Search: Director of Cardiovascular Services
Despite the organization’s sterling national reputation, the search for a Director of Cardiovascular Services stretched over a year. Mark was ready to take on the task.
Dr. G, an interim director with a strong operational background, had been in place for 14 months. The hospital encouraged Dr. G to speak to Mark and apply for the role as a permanent position, but also wanted to initiate a national search. Ultimately, they were hoping to find an executive with a prolific academic background, deep clinical experience, and fresh perspectives about how to grow the program.
It was a big ask. Mark’s outreach netted five strong candidates who had either extensive research publications or were accomplished physician leaders — not both.
“When we presented the candidates, it became evident that the client’s requirements didn’t match the reality of the talent pool,” Mark recalls. “The hiring committee was impressed by the profiles, even though they were not as academically focused. It opened a dialog that clarified what was most important, so they could identify where they could compromise.”
When Theory Meets Practice, a Strategic Pivot
Ultimately, four candidates were scheduled for an on-site visit, where they spent just a few hours in one-on-one interviews.
“We typically suggest a more robust, panel-style interview, but the health system had an established hiring process they wanted to follow,” Mark commented. “Unfortunately, the feedback we received was that the candidates didn’t feel as though they were getting enough time with enough people. When we shared this with the hospital, they were willing to amend their approach for the second round, which went much better.”
As the refined interview process unfolded, the hospital gained a clear understanding of what the candidate pool really looks like and the leadership qualities that would have the greatest impact on the program’s future success. Ultimately, the hiring committee agreed on a candidate whose operational expertise, leadership experience, and familiarity with the organization made him the strongest fit for the role. This candidate was Dr. G, the physician executive who had been doing the job all along.
“Sometimes, you begin a search thinking you need one thing, but as it evolves and you learn more, and you pivot,” Mark shared. “When we started, the theory was to hire an academic, but in practice, the talent pool reflected the importance of the operational side of the role. Dr. G had that background and was already successfully managing the practice, so the decision was an easy one to make.”
At the end of the day, launching the national search helped the health system see firsthand the realities of the market, balance this insight with its long-term goals, and discover what it was truly looking for. As a result, the organization is confident that it has secured the best candidate for the role.
A Division Chief of Vascular Surgery
The aforementioned organizational changes at the hospital created a crucial vacancy: a Division Chief of Vascular Surgery, whom Dirk was prepared to find. The organization had been searching for months and needed to transition the current director to a different role, so time was of the essence.
It was an exciting role at a well-funded cardiovascular institute embarking on a statewide expansion. The client was seeking a chief with past leadership experience and an inspiring vision for the future.
“They wanted an academically minded vascular surgery chief to provide mentorship and advance their academic reputation, while serving as a core member of a leadership team tasked with scaling clinical service offerings to match the cardiovascular service line’s expanding footprint,” Dirk described. “We anticipated that it might be challenging to find somebody who is academically accomplished with the chops and the breadth to run such a complex service line.”
The Target: An Experienced Leader Who Wants to Grow
Dirk knew he needed to find someone who had both experience and ambition. “The best place to start was with people who have done the job before, but without a line of sight of an entire network or system, so this would be a career advancement for them,” he shared.
He researched vascular surgery chiefs, medical directors, and program directors in the Eastern half of the country who worked in healthcare systems with excellent academic reputations, and initiated an outreach campaign via email, LinkedIn, Doximity, phone calls, and text messages. The response was positive and immediate.
“Many search outfits can identify these candidates given enough time and resources, but reaching them is another story,” Dirk explains. “You need multiple ways to contact them everywhere they are, with a tailored message that gets a response.”
Working Against the Clock
Within two months, Dirk submitted eight vetted candidates for the first round of the hiring committee’s process: a virtual interview, an on-site visit, and a second on-site visit for the top two finalists. As the rounds progressed, one candidate stood out: Dr. S, a Division Chief at a major academic center, whose advancement was stymied by a recent hire above him. However, Dr. S was considering two other offers, and the hospital’s interview process took about 3-4 months in total to complete.
“The timeline was a big challenge, as we had to keep Dr. S engaged and convince him to hold off on the other offers,” Dirk recalls. Dirk was committed to maintaining the momentum, consistently checking in with Dr. S for updates regarding the other offers and reporting back to hospital leadership, who was just as dedicated to building the relationship in the meantime.
“I don’t think we could have maintained Dr. S’ interest without the client being willing to regularly communicate with him to express their enthusiasm and explain the timeline constraints.”
Their commitment to communication paid off: Dr. S accepted the offer and will be joining the institution later this summer as both the Chief of Vascular Surgery and the Institute’s Co-Chair of Surgery, where he collaborates with Dr. G.
Transcending the Transactional
Successful search partnerships are like any relationship: they work on trust, transparency, communication, and adaptability. Throughout both searches, the recruitment consultants and the health system worked together to accomplish a shared goal: to hire the best physician for the job, regardless of where they were sourced.
The foundation of every successful search is a deep understanding of the role and its requirements, especially with physician executive roles, which involve more nuance and complexity than a typical physician search. Every “chief” or “director” title hides different operational, academic, and political realities that aren’t always clear when the search begins. But this hospital’s willingness to refine the interview process and recalibrate roles based on candidate and market feedback brought the best leaders forward.
Ready to Find Your Next Physician Executive?
Sourcing physician executives requires uncommon expertise: physician-leader market intelligence, targeted multi-touch research methodology, and the executive search discipline to navigate competing offers, evolving role profiles, and institutional dynamics.
If your organization is searching for a physician to meet your unique needs, the recruitment team at Jackson Physician Search has the access and expertise to accelerate your efforts. Reach out today to tell us more about who you are looking for and find out how we can help.
