Director of the Fetal Health Center

Children’s Mercy Hospital (CMH) welcomes nominations and applications for the Director of the Elizabeth J. Ferrell Fetal Health Center (FHC) and the Elizabeth J. Ferrell Endowed Chair. The Director will have a history of funded research and an excellent track record of clinical care as a board-certified MFM physician. The Director will provide scientific leadership to foster research that pairs with the excellent clinical care of the FHC and the larger mission of the Children’s Mercy Research Institute (CMRI), a newly opened state-of-the-art facility that supports bench to bedside research initiatives. The successful candidate will be an ambitious, visionary leader and will play a crucial role in building out critical research in early life events at one of the largest freestanding children’s hospitals in the United States and the primary pediatric referral center for the greater Kansas City region.

The Director will lead the FHC, a vital center for the region’s perinatal care network. The FHC is located next to the only Level IV neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in the region, providing immediate access to life-saving care for infants with serious medical challenges. The FHC delivered 212 babies, consulted on 516 pregnancies, and performed 111 interventions in FY21. The FHC is the referral center for the most complex cases in the region, serving a large catchment area and positioned to expand its impact locally, nationally, and internationally.

The Director will have the opportunity to support the development of a comprehensive research program while continuing the FHC’s strong clinical operations. The Director will be well-supported by a strong team of eight MFM specialists - five employed by CMH, subspecialist providers across numerous departments, the CMRI, and the Center for Perinatal Research. The Director will bring a vision for the future of the center, leading the center’s expansion into one of the top perinatal research and clinical operations in the country. CMH is prepared to invest substantially into the FHC to grow its capabilities and produce high impact research that has the capacity to improve perinatal care globally.

Reporting to the Physician-in-Chief and the Chair of Maternal Fetal Medicine, the ideal candidate will embrace CMH’s vision of an expanded perinatal presence in the region, partnering with neonatology, cardiology, nephrology, and surgery inside CMH and labor and delivery units throughout the region. The next Director will integrate research into a strong clinical foundation to develop a leading MFM program that continues to deliver excellent care, provides top training opportunities to trainees from Truman Hospital’s MFM fellowship, and produces high-impact research. The Director will serve as a recruiter and mentor, guiding providers as they develop their own careers and pursue research interests including outcomes research, epigenomics, fetal interventions, and quality initiatives. The CMRI provides the infrastructure necessary for the full spectrum of bench to bedside research. A proactive approach to cultivating relationships in the greater Kansas City community is key and the ability to build and maintain partnerships is paramount in this position.

Please direct inquiries, nominations, and applications below. All replies will be held in strict confidence. Correspondence and applications, which should include a CV and letter of interest, should be submitted electronically below. 

Jamie Sands is leading this search with Nicholas Strand.


Children’s Mercy Hospital is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer