Assistant/Associate Director, Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory Department of Laboratory Medicine Full-time

Assistant/Associate Director, Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory Department of Laboratory Medicine

The Department of Laboratory Medicine seeks outstanding candidates for a full-time faculty position at the Assistant, Associate, or Professor level in the Health Sciences Clinical or Clinical (X) series to support continued growth in our high-volume, CLIA/CAP-accredited Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory. The successful candidate will also serve as Assistant or Associate Director of the laboratory, commensurate with their experience.

Candidates must hold a PhD, MD, or DO in Clinical Laboratory Science, Genetics, Molecular Biology, or a related field, and must be ABMGG board certified or board eligible in Laboratory Genetics and Genomics, or Molecular Genetic Pathology, or a closely related field. Hands-on experience with molecular analyses in a clinical or experimental setting is required, including next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms, PCR-based methods; and experience with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and SNP microarray, and optical genome mapping is preferred. Experience in hematologic molecular diagnostics, including molecular testing for hematolymphoid neoplasms, is strongly preferred, as a primary focus of this position is supporting and expanding molecular testing for the UCSF hematology/oncology and hematopathology services. Prior experience directing, co-directing, or serving in a leadership role within a CLIA/CAP-accredited molecular diagnostics laboratory is also preferred.

Responsibilities include signing out cases across our test menu and serving as a consultant to physicians for all matters related to test selection and result interpretation. Our test menu includes: Targeted NGS panels, including our myeloid malignancy panel and additional solid-tumor and hematologic-malignancy assays – our largest and fastest-growing testing category; RT-PCR fusion transcript detection and monitoring, including quantitative BCR-ABL1 and PML-RARA testing; Single-gene and fragment-analysis assays with rapid turnaround times to support both oncology and clinical genetics practices; Repeat-expansion and inherited-disease testing; Methylation profiling and other assays that support the growing demand for somatic cancer testing; Hematologic cytogenomic testing, including FISH panels, SNP microarray analysis, and optical genome mapping.

A strategic priority for this role is providing molecular support for our hematology/oncology and hematopathology practices through these panels and rapid assays, while expanding the menu by developing and validating new assays. Beyond these hematologic and oncologic responsibilities, the successful candidate will participate in test development and in the interpretation and sign-out of select molecular assays across the UCSF Health Genetics and Genomics Laboratories, which include Clinical Cancer Genomics, Genomic Medicine and Cytogenetics laboratories. The faculty member will also collaborate on the design, validation, and clinical implementation of new assays across the full menu and collaborate with directors across UCSF Health Genetics and Genomics Laboratories. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are essential, as the successful candidate will work closely with clinicians, technical staff, laboratory administration, and pathologists to meet the molecular testing needs of our adult and pediatric patients.

The Department runs accredited Molecular Genetic Pathology and Laboratory Genetics & Genomics fellowship programs, in addition to Anatomic and Clinical Pathology residency programs. Teaching responsibilities include training fellows, residents, and students in genetics and molecular pathology. The position offers extensive opportunities for clinical and translational research. Applicants with experience developing or implementing artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms for assay interpretation and sign-out are especially encouraged to apply.