Transplant Section Chief – Nashville

The Nashville VA Medical Center and the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are seeking a highly qualified Physician to serve as Transplant Section Chief within our dynamic Medical Service team for a Part-time - 35 HOURS/WEEK position. This joint appointment offers an exceptional opportunity to provide world-class care to Veterans while contributing to education and clinical excellence in one of the nation’s top academic health environments.

Specialties considered: Transplant, Hematology/Oncology, Nephrology, Dermatology, Gastroenterology, and Cardiology.

Position Summary

The Transplant Section Chief will lead the VA Tennessee Valley Health System’s transplant program, providing direct patient care and administrative oversight. The incumbent will:

• Deliver high-quality transplant medicine care within their parent specialty.
• Evaluate and manage patients referred for transplantation in both outpatient and inpatient settings.
• Oversee the inpatient transplant consult service.
• Participate in teaching and mentoring medical students, residents, fellows, and advanced practice trainees.
• Devote approximately 50% of their time to clinical activities, with the remainder focused on leadership, administration, and education.

Leadership Responsibilities

The Section Chief will serve as a key member of the Medical Service leadership team, assisting the Chief of Staff and Chief of Medicine with:

• Oversight of transplant-related administrative and clinical operations.
• Supervisory responsibilities for attending physicians and section staff.
• Maintaining adherence to all applicable privacy and information security regulations.
• Promoting a culture of integrity, respect, and Veteran-centered care.

Demonstrated experience in transplant medicine and leadership within an academic or VA setting is preferred.

Work Schedule

Full-time: Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Flexibility for additional coverage and ADHOC telework may be approved at the supervisor’s discretion.

Serve America’s Veterans while advancing your academic career in collaboration with Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

For more information or to apply, send your CV to Jason.tafoya@va.gov.
To schedule a time to speak, please use our booking link:
https://outlook.office365.com/owa/calendar/JasonTafoyaVA@DVAGOV.onmicrosoft.com/bookings/

The Department of Veterans Affairs Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS) is an integrated, complex-1A health care system. VA TVHS is comprised of a mixture of rural and urban settings which include two large medical centers and thirteen outpatient clinics. Our main medical center campuses are the Alvin C. York Campus which is located in Murfreesboro, TN, and the Nashville Campus which is located in Nashville, TN. Our patient care outreach is comprised of community based outpatient clinics located throughout Tennessee which are VA staffed clinics at Athens, Chattanooga, Clarksville, and Tullahoma with contract clinics in Cookeville, Dover, McMinnville, Maury County, and Roane County.

Paid Time Off:

• 26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave
• 13 Days paid sick leave each year with no limit on accumulation
• 11 Federal holidays with pay annually
• 5 Days paid absence to attend approved CME courses

Insurance:

• Health Insurance: VA employees have an outstanding number of health insurance plans from which to choose (premiums are partially paid by VA) Lifetime Healthcare Insurance options available
• Dental & Vision: Our insurance options also include exceptional vision and dental plans (premiums are partially paid by VA)
• VA employees have the option to use Flexible Spending Accounts, which allow you to use tax-free dollars to pay for medical, dental, and vision care expenses that are not reimbursed by your health insurance plan
• Term life insurance, family, and additional coverage options are available with the cost shared by the Federal Government
• Long-term care insurance is available as an option

Federal Retirement Plan:

• VA employees are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). FERS is a three-tiered retirement plan composed of 1) Social Security benefits, 2) FERS-RAE basic benefits (pension), and 3) Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) which is a 401K-type plan
• How is the pension funded? VA employees automatically contribute 4.4% of their salary each pay period and the VA contributes 12.2% of the employee’s salary each pay period for a total annual contribution percentage equal to 16.6% of the employee’s salary
• Similar to the 401(k) savings plans widely available in the private sector, the TSP allows employees to tax defer a portion of their income each year, subject to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service. For calendar year 2025, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $23,500, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $31,000.
• The Federal Government also provides an automatic basic contribution (1% of salary) and up to 4% of salary in matching contributions, depending on the amount of the employee contribution
• For retired military personnel, these benefits are in addition to full monthly retirement pay or pension
• In addition to FERS, VA provides health care insurance coverage for retired personnel
• Disability Retirement
• Employees are vested in a federal pension after only 5 years service