Chair and Associate Professor / Professor-Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy

Date Posted: 11/19/2020
Closing Date: 01/11/2021, 11:59PM EDT
Req ID: 1376
Job Category: Faculty - Tenure Stream (continuing)
Faculty/Division: Faculty of Medicine
Department: Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
Campus:St. George (Downtown Toronto)

Description:

Applications are invited for the position of Chair of the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy (OSOT), Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. The successful candidate must be eligible for a tenure-stream academic appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor. The appointment as Chair will be for a 5-year term effective July 1, 2021, or shortly thereafter, renewable following a favourable review.

The successful candidate will have a PhD in a field relevant to occupational science and/or occupational therapy and have a degree in occupational therapy and be eligible for registration with the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario. They must demonstrate an exceptional record of excellence in research, teaching, and leadership. We seek candidates whose research and teaching interests complement and strengthen OSOT’s existing strengths. Candidates will have an established international reputation and will be expected to sustain and lead innovative and independent research at the highest international level and to maintain a competitive externally-funded research program. Candidates must also have demonstrated teaching excellence in a degree-granting program at the graduate level and significant experience as an effective mentor to successful trainees.

In addition to the submitted research statement and strong endorsements by referees of high national and international standing, the successful candidate must show excellence in research and be an internationally-recognized scholar as evidenced by a record of sustained high-impact publications in leading internationally-recognized journals, presentations at significant conferences, distinguished awards and accolades for creative professional/research activity, and other noteworthy activities that contribute to the visibility and prominence of the discipline.

Along with the teaching materials submitted that include a statement of teaching philosophy and strong letters of reference, the successful candidate must show evidence of excellence in teaching as demonstrated through teaching accomplishments, including successful experience with graduate teaching, providing mentorship and professional development to graduate students, and the leading of workshops or conferences. Innovation in teaching methods and experience with online teaching is an asset.

Candidates must have comprehensive knowledge of the occupational therapy profession—academically and clinically—and bring a vision for innovative research and education relevant to the future of occupational science and occupational therapy. They will have a record of accomplishment in collaborative leadership to engage with leads in other rehabilitation science disciplines at the St. George and Mississauga campuses of the university and across fully-affiliated hospitals, community-based health and rehabilitation organizations, school boards and private practices, as well as cultivate strategic partnerships with stakeholders in corporate sectors and government ministries including Canadian occupational therapy leadership organizations. The recent expansion of the MScOT program to a second campus (Faculty of Medicine, Mississauga) will afford an opportunity for the successful candidate to lead and to grow the program and research opportunities and partnerships. The candidate must demonstrate a commitment towards the advancement of equity, inclusion and social justice in occupational therapy education, research, and practice. Previous experience managing the financial, budgetary, and human resources aspect of a department or unit is required, as are strong communication and interpersonal skills and a creative approach to problem-solving. The candidate will have oversight over the promotion and implementation of strategic priorities, recruitment, development and retention of faculty, and education and research programs in a geographically-dispersed department. They will be deeply committed to the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion. They will have experience both in alumni relationship-building and successful fundraising, as well as a clear vision and demonstrated ability to take OSOT to a new level of recognition and academic achievement.

Salary and rank will be commensurate with qualifications and experience.

The latest Times Higher Education ranks the University of Toronto among the top 10 universities in the world for health sciences. Spanning the basic, clinical, and rehabilitation sciences, the Faculty of Medicine and its affiliated hospitals and research institutes form one of the largest research enterprises in North America. The Toronto Academic Health Science Network (TAHSN) is one of the top five clusters of academic medicine in North America.

The University of Toronto is the birthplace of Canadian academic occupational therapy and home to the first occupational therapy program established over a century ago. The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MScOT) program prepares students to be leaders in the profession—innovative therapists, life-long learners, and scientist practitioners. A PhD program is offered through the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute. OSOT comprises 32 core faculty, 4 professors emerita. ~7 sessional instructors, 20 status-only professorial rank and adjunct professors, over 350 statusonly lecturers, 8 full-time staff members, 5 postdoctoral fellows, and more than 265 MScOT students. Faculty with primary academic appointments currently hold 3 Canada Research Chairs and 4 endowed chairs/professorships.

Interested individuals must apply online. Applications must include a letter of interest with evidence of successful leadership experience, a current CV, a research statement, and teaching materials that include a teaching statement, sample course materials, and teaching evaluations.

Applicants must arrange for three confidential letterss of reference—on letterhead, signed, and dated—to be sent directly by the referee to academic.affairs@utoronto.ca by the closing date. PLEASE NOTE: This search is not using the University's automatic solicitation and collection functionality for reference letters.

Submission guidelines can be found at http://uoft.me/how-to-apply.

The closing date for this position is Monday January 11, 2021.

For detailed information on the Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, visit https://ot.utoronto.ca/. OSOT is located at 500 University Avenue, 9th floor, Toronto, Ontario, M5G 1V7, CANADA.

If you have questions about this position, contact Anastasia Meletopoulos, Academic Affairs Manager, Faculty of Medicine at anastasia.meletopoulos@utoronto.ca.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Diversity Statement
The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons / persons of colour, women, Indigenous / Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

As part of your application, you will be asked to complete a brief Diversity Survey. This survey is voluntary. Any information directly related to you is confidential and cannot be accessed by search committees or human resources staff. Results will be aggregated for institutional planning purposes. For more information, please see http://uoft.me/UP.

Accessibility Statement
The University strives to be an equitable and inclusive community, and proactively seeks to increase diversity among its community members. Our values regarding equity and diversity are linked with our unwavering commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission.

The University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment and selection processes as accessible as possible and provide accommodations as required for applicants with disabilities.

If you require any accommodations at any point during the application and hiring process, please contact uoft.careers@utoronto.ca.

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