Physician - Developmental Behavior

As part of its mental health strategic plan, Children’s Mercy is opening a Partial Hospitalization Program (CM PHP) in August 2025. This program will offer a combination of medication management and evidence-based assessment and intervention, including group and family therapy, parent coaching, and individual therapy. Patients will attend the program 6 hours each day, 5 days per week, returning home each evening. It will serve youth who 1) have both medical and psychiatric complexity, 2) have acute psychiatric needs but are too young to be served in other community programs, or 3) have developmental complexity and psychiatric or severe behavior concerns.

The CM PHP will be staffed by psychiatry, clinical psychology, doctoral and master’s level behavior analysts, clinical social workers, child life, nursing, schoolteachers, and other staff who will work together as a team to implement individualized treatment plans for complex youth and their families. We are looking for a pediatrician to join our team and work closely with other providers in the program to provide comprehensive behavioral and medical care for the patients served.

The pediatrician in the PHP will serve important roles in patient care and disposition:

The pediatrician will ensure a truly integrated plan of care that promotes treatment effectiveness, caregiver and family reassurance, and robust patient participation in the PHP. Given that many of our patients will have chronic medical conditions and/or functional disorders, the pediatrician assessment will help inform the behavioral health plan of care. While our psychiatry team will focus on psychiatric medication management, the pediatrician will manage physical symptoms related to patients’ medical conditions and/or overall health to facilitate patient attendance in the program and prevent unnecessary escalation of care. Patients presenting to the PHP may have a variety of underlying medical conditions such as neurological, GI or endocrinologic problems including diabetes. Admission to the program may be due to psychological factors impacting management of these conditions or because of functional disorders accompanying them.

The PHP pediatrician will promote coordination of care. The pediatrician will coordinate care with our patients’ primary care providers or work with our program coordinator to assist families with identification of, and establishment with, a primary care pediatrician. In addition, the pediatrician will facilitate communication and collaboration with consultants and subspecialty providers, including care conferences. Because the pediatrician will have access to direct observation and robust clinical data collected in the PHP, they will serve an important role in communicating valuable information back to PCPs and specialists about symptom presence and frequency, functional behaviors, and treatment progress.

Based on patient volumes in the PHP and candidate interest, there will be opportunities to provide outpatient consultation, evaluation, and management within our ambulatory clinics, including within our ADHD programs and clinics that provide follow-up care for youth with autism or developmental differences.

This position includes time allocated to general academic, administrative, research, and education activities necessary for the faculty member to achieve academic goals, including research development, QI and education. Faculty mentoring and hospital-wide educational programs are available for those interested in clinical scholarship (e.g., program evaluation, quality improvement initiatives). This position carries an academic appointment at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine, with rank commensurate to qualifications and experience. We are recruiting at all levels of rank and experience.

Successful candidates will be required to possess strong interpersonal and clinical skills, as well as:

• MD/DO degree
• Completion of an accredited pediatric residency program
• Board certification/eligibility in pediatrics
• Eligibility for licensure in Missouri and Kansas
• Experience in General pediatric care.

https://faculty-childrensmercykc.icims.com/jobs/32958/physician/job

Please apply online with a cover letter and your CV or send to [email protected].

The Division of Developmental and Behavioral Health at Children’s Mercy is growing and expanding programs as part of the institution’s Mental and Behavioral Health Strategic Plan. We offer a dynamic and collegial work environment that includes 52 psychologists, 7 developmental pediatricians, 10 child and adolescent psychiatrists, master’s and doctoral level board certified behavior analysts, and other allied health professionals who work together to provide outstanding mental and behavioral health care to youth in our region and beyond. This position includes a competitive salary and benefits package.

Please contact Dr. Bob Batterson with any questions or for more information:

Bob Batterson, MD

Medical Associate Division Director

Division of Developmental and Behavioral Health

[email protected]

The successful applicant must share our unwavering commitment to excellence, integrity, collegiality, antiracism, and respect for inclusion of individuals with diverse backgrounds.