The Medical College of Wisconsin and the Children’s Wisconsin Craig Yabuki Mental Health Center are seeking an innovative and scholarly leader to serve as The Lynn S. Nicholas Chair in Pediatric Suicide Prevention.

The Medical College and Children’s collaboratively offer both national and internationally recognized patient care programs and have well established roots in primary and specialty pediatric mental and behavioral health care, advocacy, research, and education excellence.

  The holder of the Lynn S. Nicholas Chair in Pediatric Suicide Prevention will play a lead role in supporting and further accelerating cutting-edge research on pediatric suicide prevention across the Children’s Wisconsin Health System.  

 The Chair in Pediatric Suicide Prevention will have research and leadership responsibilities within the Children’s Wisconsin Craig Yabuki Mental Health Center and work collaboratively with Dr. Michael S. Gaffrey, Children’s Wisconsin Craig Yabuki Research Chair and Director of Mental and Behavioral Health Research / Associate Professor Department of Pediatrics, to accomplish them. They will also hold an academic faculty appointment at the Medical College of Wisconsin, with rank and home department(s) varying by candidate. 

 The ideal candidate is someone who: 

• Has an established and productive program of research investigating pediatric suicide risk, prevention, and/or intervention. Research area is open but must have a primary focus on human participants, patients, and/or relevant datasets (e.g., electronic health records). A history of using hybrid approaches integrating quality improvement projects and research will also be reviewed favorably. 

• Will significantly contribute to the continued development of a system-wide infrastructure for integrating research activities into ongoing clinical efforts focused on pediatric suicide screening, prevention, and treatment. 

• Will demonstrate competency in incorporating principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion in research, patient care, and other associated professional activities. 

Primary Functions and Responsibilities as Lynn S. Nicholas Chair in Pediatric Suicide Prevention: 

• Maintains own program of pediatric suicide prevention research and provides ongoing mentorship of emerging scientists and other trainees as appropriate.  

• Work collaboratively with the Craig Yabuki Research Chair and senior clinical and administrative leaders to guide and oversee Children’s Wisconsin’s pediatric suicide prevention research strategy. 

• Act as key mental and behavioral health research liaison with other relevant departments including Marketing and Foundation Donor Development as necessary.  

Professional Time Allocation 

The Research, Clinical, Teaching and/or Administrative time allocation for this role will vary by applicant and will depend on the scale and scope of the role agreed to by both the candidate and MCW/CW. However, 60% or greater effort in support of research activities is expected.  

Craig Yabuki Mental Health Center 

The Craig Yabuki Mental Health Center is not a physical place and is not tied to a specific location. The center is the umbrella name for all mental and behavioral health services and research at Children’s Wisconsin. This includes experts in child and adolescent psychiatry, counseling, pediatric psychology, neuropsychology and psychotherapy, as well as the staff who support them. These experts are providing mental health services to kids and families at mental health walk-in clinics in Milwaukee and Kenosha, all Children’s Wisconsin primary care offices, the Children’s Wisconsin Milwaukee Hospital, regional clinics, family resource centers, schools and beyond. Since July 2021, more than 180,000 kids have been screened or seen for mental health concerns at Children’s Wisconsin. 

The namesake of the center, Craig Yabuki, is the late brother of former Fiserv CEO Jeff Yabuki. Craig died by suicide in 2017, leaving behind a wife and three young children. From that tragedy came hope in the form of a transformative act of philanthropy. Jeff and his wife Gail made a $20 million gift to bring mental and behavioral health into every Children’s Wisconsin primary care office and urgent care location, as well as the Emergency Department at the Milwaukee Hospital and at the two Children’s Wisconsin Mental Health Walk-in Clinics. As part of the largest-scale implementation in any pediatric setting in the nation, therapists and pediatricians are now working side-by-side, fully integrating mental and behavioral health touchpoints into every visit a child has with Children’s Wisconsin. This gift also further accelerated the prioritization of suicide prevention as a system-wide endeavor at Children’s Wisconsin. Suicide screening in children 10 and older is now in place throughout all of Children’s care spaces. And, with support from a recent “Zero Suicide” grant and other resources, implementation of suicide prevention interventions is now an area of active growth throughout the Children’s Wisconsin System. 

Being designated as a center at Children’s Wisconsin involves meeting requirements related to clinical outcomes, quality, education and outreach, research and innovation, and philanthropy. In line with this, the Yabuki family’s philanthropy also established and solidified research as a core element of the Center to ensure the best possible short- and long-term outcomes for the program and to expand MBH research across the Children’s Wisconsin System. As a result, The Craig Yabuki Mental Health Center joins the MACC Fund Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and the Herma Heart Institute as key, transformational programs for care and research at Children’s Wisconsin. 

• PhD, MD, MD/PhD, or equivalent degree 

• Eligible for an unrestricted license in the State of Wisconsin if clinical care is part of role 
• A track record of impactful scientific contributions in the area(s) of suicide risk and/or protective factors, prevention, and/or intervention.  

About Medical College of Wisconsin / Children's Wisconsin

Children’s Wisconsin and Children’s Specialty Group Children’s Wisconsin is the state’s only independent health care system dedicated solely to the health and well-being of children. With more than 1.3 million annual connections with kids and families statewide, Children’s provides a wide range of care and support — everything from routine care to lifesaving advances and treatment options, foster care and adoption services, child advocacy, and provides an insurance plan. In 2021, Children’s had net patient revenues of $1.1 billion ($1.7 billion including other operating revenues). Children’s and its joint venture with the Medical College of Wisconsin – the Children’s Specialty Group, or CSG - are the largest providers of pediatric healthcare in the state, serving the children and families of Wisconsin with the highest level of care through their American College of Surgeons Level I Children’s Surgery Verification Center, Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence, 72-bed Level IV NICU, Level IV Epilepsy Center, and a 72-bed PICU. In 2021-2022, CW and CSG had six specialties ranked by US News & World Report: cancer; cardiology and heart surgery; gas...troenterology and GI surgery; neurology and neurosurgery; orthopedics; and pulmonology. With over 70 specialties and 675 providers, CSG has an annual net patient revenue of ~$200 million. Last year, CSG providers had 220,000 outpatient visits at 13 regional care sites, 67,000 emergency department/trauma center visits, and over 9,000 admissions. CSG surgical providers performed 17,500 cases. In addition to its reputation for providing the highest quality patient care, Children’s has also been recognized as an employer and community partner, including as a top workplace by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

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