Director, Research and Scholarly Partnerships

Heartland Whole Health Institute is a non-profit that addresses physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being by working with health systems, employers, and communities to redesign health care delivery.

Job Description:

Job Title: Director, Research and Scholarly Partnerships

Reports to: President

FLSA Classification: Exempt
Location: Bentonville, Arkansas (On-site)

Date Reviewed: 10/26/2025

Who We Are

Heartland Whole Health Institute (HWHI) is dedicated to transforming health care – beginning in our home of Northwest Arkansas and scaling to disrupt the national health crisis. We advocate, educate, and guide the implementation of an innovative system, rooted in whole health and the realignment of financial incentives. Our team members are collaborative, analytical, mission-driven, and working together to change the status quo.

The Institute’s 85,000-square-foot facility is located on the campus of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art near Alice L. Walton School of Medicine.

About The Position

The Director, Research and Scholarly Partnerships leads the strategic direction, initiatives, and infrastructure of HWHI’s population health research and scholarly endeavors, furthering HWHI’s mission to transform health care through whole-person approaches, rigorous research, and collaborative learning.

The Director oversees HWHI’s outcomes and impact evaluation strategy, ensuring that all studies are methodologically sound, data-driven, and aligned with whole health principles. This position oversees research design, implementation, and dissemination, and maintains high-quality relationships with scholarly partners, including the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (AWSOM) and other research collaborators, to ensure world-class research collaboration, scientific excellence, and credibility.

Success in this role requires strategic systems thinking, exceptional analytical and communication skills, and the ability to lead complex research initiatives at the intersection of science, strategy, and collaboration. The Director works closely with the President, senior leadership, and teams across Digital and Informatics, Value-Based Initiatives, and Policy and Workforce Development to ensure research initiatives are integrated, evidence-driven, and aligned with HWHI’s organizational priorities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership and Research Development

• Provide strategic leadership and creative vision for the development and expansion of HWHI’s research portfolio.
• Develop and maintain research infrastructure that ensures compliance with federal and state requirements while leveraging shared resources with AWSOM and other partners.
• Lead research and innovation initiatives that align with HWHI’s mission, vision, and strategic priorities.
• Oversee research administration, compliance, and operational processes supporting data integrity and transparency.
• Liaise with AWSOM, clinical partners, and other entities to advance collaborative research and innovation opportunities.
• Build and lead a high-performing research team, fostering an environment of inquiry, collaboration, and professional growth.
• Establish clear performance metrics and accountability mechanisms to ensure research outcomes are aligned with institutional goals.

Research Design, Execution, and Quality

• Serve as the Principal Investigator (PI) for a multi-year longitudinal study evaluating a comprehensive whole health program to improve cardiometabolic disease management.
• Lead the design of research and evaluation studies assessing outcomes and impact in partnership with AWSOM and other academic collaborators.
• Define study methodologies, sampling frameworks, and data collection strategies to ensure rigor and reproducibility.
• Oversee protocol development, IRB submissions, and adherence to research ethics and compliance standards, including but not limited to the management of adverse events and protocol deviations.
• Ensure that all studies align with HWHI’s broader organizational goals and contribute to measurable impact across programs.
• Ensure data validity, accuracy, and consistency across all research activities.
• Partner with the Data Infrastructure & Evaluation team to implement quality assurance and control procedures for data management.
• Oversee statistical modeling, biostatistical analysis, and interpretation of results to ensure evidence-based conclusions.
• Establish performance tracking systems and dashboards to monitor research progress, data integrity, and key outcomes.
• Collaborate with organizational leaders to integrate re