Location: Chicago, Illinois
Business Unit: Rush Medical Center
Hospital: Rush University Medical Center
Department: RML Administration
Work Type: Full Time (Total FTE between 0. 9 and 1. 0)
Shift: Shift 1
Work Schedule: 8 Hr (7:00:00 AM - 4:00:00 PM)
Rush offers exceptional rewards and benefits learn more at our Rush benefits page (https://www.rush.edu/rush-careers/employee-benefits).
Pay Range: $69.41 - $103.42 per hour
Rush salaries are determined by many factors including, but not limited to, education, job-related experience and skills, as well as internal equity and industry specific market data. The pay range for each role reflects Rush’s anticipated wage or salary reasonably expected to be offered for the position. Offers may vary depending on the circumstances of each case.
Summary:
The HLA Laboratory Director is responsible for the strategic, clinical, and technical leadership of the Histocompatibility Laboratory at RUSH, serving as both the CLIA Technical Director and the HLA Director. This dual-role position ensures compliance with federal CLIA regulations, ASHI standards, and institutional quality expectations while supporting the RUSH solid organ and stem cell transplant programs. The Director, Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics, is accountable for providing leadership and direction of the Histocompatibility Laboratory, with a focus on clinical consultation, diagnostic innovation, education, and operational excellence. The Director will support the RUSH solid organ transplant programs, which encompass liver, kidney, and pancreas transplant. In this role, the Director plays an active role in pre- and post-transplant anti-HLA antibody testing review/interpretation and in transplant-related clinical consultation, including on-call virtual assessments/crossmatches. The Director will also be involved in short- and long-term laboratory planning and direction, quality assurance/quality improvement activities, and resident teaching.
Other information:
Qualifications
Education
•Doctorate in laboratory science, immunology, or a related discipline.
•Fellow of the American College of Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics [F(ACHI)].
•Meets all CLIA and ASHI requirements for HLA Lab Director as of December 28, 2024.
Licensure/Certification
•HLA Director Certification by ASHI in solid organ and stem cell transplant categories.
•Eligible for RUMC medical staff appointment and Rush University faculty position.
Experience
•Minimum 5 years in clinical histocompatibility and laboratory leadership experience
•Demonstrated success in regulatory compliance, test development, and staff development.
•Experience with solid phase, molecular, and flow cytometric HLA methodologies.
Skills and Competencies
•Strong leadership and team-building capabilities.
•Expert analytical and clinical decision-making skills.
•Exceptional communication skills for internal collaboration and external consultation.
•Proficient in LIS systems and Microsoft Office tools.
Reporting Structure
Reports to: CLIA Laboratory Medical Director / AVP, System Laboratory Operations
Collaborates with: Medical Director of RML and Transplant program.
Responsibilities:
I. CLIA Technical Director Responsibilities (Applicable to All Laboratory Testing)
•Oversee analytical performance of all tests, ensuring validity and timeliness of results.
•Provide consultation to clinical staff regarding test methodology, selection, and interpretation.
•Available to the laboratory staff to receive information on matters appropriately addressed at the professional staff level and take action to address and/or resolve these matters in a timely and appropriate manner.
•Introduce new or revised test methods and instrumentation.
oIntroduction of new tests, changes in tests or changes in interpretive protocols (e.g., reference ranges, critical values, chart report formats, etc
•Supervise staff training, competency, and continuing education programs.
•Direct quality assurance, proficiency testing, and process improvement efforts.
•Collaborate with laboratory management on space planning, budget alignment, and operational efficiency.
•Participate in professional development and represent the lab internally and externally.
•Maintain communication with RML’s Medical Director and align decisions with organizational goals.
•Represent the laboratory within and outside RML and Rush System as appropriate.
•Consult with vendor representatives regarding: Availability and characteristics of new methods or instrumentation. Problems with methods or instrumentation currently in use.
•Maintain an up-to-date working knowledge of the laboratory through continuing education activities
•Participate in the training and education of pathology residents and medical technology students.
•As necessary depending on clinical need, be available 23/7 for consultation and communication with internal and external professional and clinical staff regarding issues of availability, validity and appropriateness/interpretation of laboratory services, including but not limited to the following:
oQuestions about methodology, test selection or significance of test results
•Monitor all aspects of laboratory function to ensure compliance with the requirements of regulatory and accrediting agencies, acting and/or making recommendations as appropriate.
•Monitor and maintain regulatory and accreditation compliance (CAP, CLIA, ASHI).
II. HLA-Specific Duties (Focused on Transplant Program Support)
Clinical and Scientific Consultation
•Serve as the primary clinical consultant for histocompatibility testing, supporting solid organ (kidney, liver, pancreas) and hematopoietic stem cell transplant programs.
•Ensures accurate interpretation of HLA and antibody data in relation to organ matching, rejection risks, and long-term transplant outcomes.
•On-Call Duty: This position requires participation in a rotating on-call schedule to provide 24 hour, 365 day coverage to the Transplant Program
•The ability to respond promptly to organ offers and performing immunological risk assessment (Virtual Crossmatch-VXM) during and outside of normal working hours is essential.
•Ensures that VXM protocols are followed rigorously, including oversight of high-risk cases. This includes reviewing complex virtual crossmatch cases for sensitized recipients, assisting in donor allocation, and ensuring that the lab's VXM approach is aligned with current best practices and emerging clinical needs.
•Works collaboratively with transplant surgeons, nephrologists, and other transplant specialists to guide patient management decisions, particularly for patients with complex immunological profiles or unique challenges such as highly sensitized recipients.
•Participates in solid organ transplant multidisciplinary meetings and provides clinical consultation (i.e. consults for highly sensitized transplant recipients, consults after sensitizing events, living donor virtual crossmatch and donor selection, listing unacceptable antigens in UNOS and National Kidney Registry, post-transplant monitoring of donor specific antigens (DSAs)).
•Participates in stem cell transplant multidisciplinary meetings and provides clinical consultation (i.e. donor selection).
•Interprets and provides consults for HLA disease associations and pharmacology studies.
•Develops and implements educational programs to ensure that laboratory staff, clinicians, and allied healthcare professionals stay informed of advancements in histocompatibility and immunogenetics, including new technologies, clinical guidelines, and evolving best practices.
Operational Oversight
•Direct the implementation and validation of new HLA tests and technologies.
•Ensure all HLA protocols follow national standards and evolving best practices.
•Engage in annual review of interpretive comments for relevance and scientific accuracy.
•Promote staff education and ensure ongoing certification maintenance (e.g., ASHI, F(ACHI)).
•Lead collaboration with transplant physicians and national partners on innovation and research.
•Oversee quality systems and ensure HLA-specific regulatory compliance, especially ASHI accreditation.
Rush is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.