Chief Operating Officer

UTHealth Houston Behavioral Sciences Campus

Houston, Texas

AMN Healthcare has been exclusively retained by UTHealth Houston to lead a national search for a new Chief Operating Officer (COO) for UTHealth Houston Behavioral Sciences Campus, the largest academic psychiatric hospital in the country. 

The new Chief Operating Officer (COO) will be joining UTHealth Houston Behavioral Sciences Campus at an important juncture in its evolution. Already recognized as a regional leader in psychiatric and behavioral health services, the opening of a brand new, state-of-the-art academic psychiatric hospital, The John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center, combined with the nearby UTHealth Houston Harris County Psychiatric Center, position UTHealth Houston Behavioral Sciences Campus as the largest academic psychiatric hospital in the country with 538 beds combined between the two facilities. 

The John S. Dunn Behavioral Sciences Center, a 253,000 square-foot facility with 264 new inpatient beds, enhances UTHealth Houston’s ability to address significant gaps in mental health services and attain statewide and national prominence in the areas of excellent patient care, innovation, education and increased research initiatives. The expanded Behavioral Sciences Campus accommodates multiple patient populations and levels of treatment with access to medication management, group and individual therapy, and educational and life skills training.

The COO serves as the senior ranking administrative officer for the behavioral sciences campus and will work closely with the executive leadership team at UTHealth Houston and the Department of Psychiatry at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston in establishing strategic direction and priorities for the hospital. The COO provides the leadership, strategic guidance, and management direction necessary to fulfill the organization’s mission and is responsible and accountable for the organization’s operational excellence, competitive market position, and financial performance.  This executive will solidify a culture of inclusivity, working with faculty members, community physicians, affiliated delivery systems and other state/regional providers of behavioral health services. The COO will be supported by a highly capable senior leadership team and will be responsible for leading UTHealth Houston Behavioral Sciences Campus into its next phase of evolution as a fully integrated continuum of care, one where every patient/client receives the full complement of high-quality and coordinated behavioral and physical services, resulting in improved outcomes and cost of care. 

This is an outstanding opportunity for a highly motivated, experienced healthcare operations executive to impact the future of UTHealth Behavioral Sciences Campus and delivery of care to a highly specialized patient population. The ideal candidate will be a highly communicative and transparent leader with extensive hospital management experience and a comprehensive understanding of inpatient behavioral health services. Direct experience in building and managing integrated, patient centered models of care within a complex healthcare organization such as a hospital, academic medical center, psychiatric hospital, or health system, as well as with community and/or regional partners is required. The successful candidate will have ten (10) years of progressive leadership experience within a hospital or healthcare institution, preferably within in an organization that offers psychiatric inpatient/outpatient services. Bachelor's degree in healthcare, public health, social work or related field is required. A Master's degree and experience in both private and government funded settings are preferred.

For confidential consideration or to nominate a colleague, please contact:

Rachael Burns

Physician and Leadership Solutions – Executive Search

AMN Healthcare

Email:  Rachael.Burns@amnhealthcare.com