Job no: 510506
Work type: Faculty Full Time
Location: UMass Amherst
Department: Dean - Pub Health & Health Sci
Union: MSP
Categories: Faculty, School of Public Health & Health Sciences

About UMass Amherst

UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.

The School of Public Health & Health Sciences comprises a highly collaborative group of researchers with a wide range of interests including health disparities, women’s health, cancer biomarkers, community-based research and engagement, disability, global health, reproductive health, nutrition, communication disorders, disability, addiction, environmental health, genomics, physical activity, aging, diabetes, and health policy. Our faculty maintain national and international collaborations as well as collaborations across SPHHS and the wider UMass campus, including the UMass Medical School in Worcester, MA, and Baystate Health in Springfield, MA.

Job Description

The UMass-Amherst School of Public Health and Health Sciences (www.umass.edu/sphhs/) is seeking applicants from a range of fields in public health and health sciences for a tenure-track position as an Assistant or Associate Professor of Health Equity. We are particularly interested in applicants with a demonstrated track record of scholarly work in health equity, broadly defined as improving the health of those most directly affected by inequality, structural racism, and other forms of exclusion through research, policy and intervention.

The School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS) is committed to promoting health equity through rigorous research, innovative teaching, and community engagement. We recognize that societal factors such as systemic racism and discrimination are among the root causes of many chronic and infectious diseases including COVID-19. This tenure-track search aims to increase the research capacity in SPHHS to understand policies, practices, and environments that produce health inequities and to develop programs to address those gaps. The conception of “health” for this interdisciplinary position is intentionally flexible, including physical, mental, and social-emotional health. Research and teaching interests may include, but are not limited to, expertise in areas such as health equity, structural racism, stigma/prejudice/bias/discrimination in healthcare, intersectionality, cultural humility, environmental justice, social determinants of health, food sovereignty and food security, women’s health, disability, sexual and reproductive health, feminist/queer kinship, or health across the lifespan. The successful candidate will provide leadership in the advancement of health equity research, including the social determinants of health, for groups who experience worse health outcomes than the general population.

Responsibilities of this fully state-funded (9-month) tenure track position include an active program of research, teaching, professional and community service, as well as mentoring graduate and undergraduate students. Depending on background, training and research interests, the successful candidate may join the faculty in any SPHHS Department (Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Communication Disorders, Environmental Health Sciences, Health Promotion and Policy, Kinesiology, and Nutrition). The successful candidate will also have the opportunity to become affiliated with the UMass Amherst Center for Community Health Equity Research and other institutes or centers on campus.

The School of Public Health & Health Sciences is committed to increasing the diversity of the faculty, student body, and curriculum. A record of, or potential for, building diverse and effective collaborations in research, teaching and service is positively considered. The School is interested in candidates who have the potential to work with, or have their research help, diverse populations. Further, the School values candidates who have experience working in settings with students from diverse backgrounds, and who possess a strong commitment to contributing to the success of historically underrepresented students.

Requirements

Candidates for the position must possess the following:

Preferred Qualifications

• Preference will be given to candidates with a commitment to an interdisciplinary approach to health research.

Salary Information

The University offers a competitive salary with an attractive benefits package. Details on benefits can be found at https://www.umass.edu/humres/benefits-0. This position is in the MSP/MTA bargaining unit.

Applicant Instructions

Interested candidates should submit the following materials electronically via the UMass careers site Job Openings | Human Resources | UMass Amherst by searching Tenure Track Assistant Professor Health Equity:

• Curriculum vitae
• A description of their research and teaching interests
• A diversity statement that details how their research, mentoring, and teaching will promote diversity and inclusivity at our school
• Contact information for three (3) references.

Applications should be received by November 15, 2021 for priority consideration. Review of applications will continue until the position is filled. The anticipated start date is September 2022.

For questions about the search process, please contact Carey Simos at csimos@schoolph.umass.edu.

UMass Amherst is committed to a policy of equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, disability, military status, or genetic information in employment, admission to and participation in academic programs, activities, and services, and the selection of vendors who provide services or products to the University. To fulfill that policy, UMass Amherst is further committed to a program of affirmative action to eliminate or mitigate artificial barriers and to increase opportunities for the recruitment and advancement of qualified minorities, women, persons with disabilities, and covered veterans. It is the policy of the UMass Amherst to comply with the applicable federal and state statutes, rules, and regulations concerning equal opportunity and affirmative action.

Advertised: Oct 14 2021 Eastern Daylight Time
Applications close: