Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Digital Health

Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Digital Health

Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) or Associate Professor (Tenure)| Department of Pediatrics, and Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics; Faculty of Medicine

The Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics in the Faculty of Medicine, at The University of British Columbia (UBC) invite applications for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Digital Health.

Tier 2 Chairs are five-year positions, renewable once, intended for exceptional emerging scholars who have the potential to lead in their fields. Applicants must hold or be eligible to hold a full-time, tenure-stream appointment at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor at UBC. Normally, applicants for Tier 2 Chairs should be no more than 10 years from having earned their highest degree at the time of Chair nomination. Applicants who are more than 10 years from having earned their highest degree (and where career breaks exist, such as maternity, parental or extended sick leave, clinical training, etc.) may have their eligibility for a Tier 2 Chair assessed through the program’s Tier 2 justification process.

The Canada Research Chair Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Action Plan guides the University’s efforts to sustain the participation of people with disabilities, Indigenous people, racialized people, women, and people from minoritized gender identity groups, and thus pursuant to Section 42 of the BC Human Rights code, UBC is currently restricted in the recruitment, selection, and nomination of CRCs to members of these groups.

The Department of Pediatrics, located at BC Children’s Hospital, has training programs at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels, and pursues research to make innovative advancements in knowledge and practice to improve health. The Department consists of physicians, scientists, allied health professionals and administrative staff trained in pediatric and allied child health disciplines. Department members include full-time, part-time and community-based pediatricians throughout the province. The Department’s mandate is to provide leadership and excellence in patient care, education, research and child advocacy.

The Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics (APT) consists of more than 500 physicians, scientists and teaching faculty who provide undergraduate and graduate programs in pharmacology and therapeutics, postgraduate residency programs and fellowships in anesthesiology. The Department hosts 3 residency programs in anesthesiology and pain medicine and provides provincially-distributed training.

The BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, located at BC Children’s Hospital, is the largest research institute of its kind in Western Canada, where more than 300 Investigators form a dynamic and highly collaborative research community that aims to improve the health of children and their families. The successful candidate will have opportunities to collaborate with a large and diverse community of basic scientists and clinicians.

Reporting to the Heads of both the Departments of Pediatrics and of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, the incumbent will be expected to develop and maintain a strong, innovative and internationally-recognized research program focused on the development and evaluation of digital solutions that target diagnostics or therapeutics in point-of-care areas such as pain, complex care, and personalized clinical decision-making. This incumbent will have the potential to be a leader in their research field. As Chairholder, the individual will be expected to effectively supervise graduate students, collaborate with other faculty members, obtain external research funding, and teach in both the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics for undergraduate and graduate students. Clinician-Scientist will support clinical duties as a Pediatrician, Pediatric Subspecialist, or Pediatric Anesthesiologist, as appropriate. The potential of an applicant’s research program to complement and extend the existing research and teaching strengths of the department will be an important factor in selection.  The successful applicant will also hold a concurrent appointment as an Investigator within the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute.

As this is an academic position, the computational biology requirements are dependent on the candidate’s expertise and research focus and how they apply computational biology to supporting digital health in the areas of child health.

The successful candidate will hold a PhD, MD/PhD or MD with specialty certifications in Pediatrics, Anesthesiology, or a related area. Clinician Scientists must hold a medical license, or the ability to hold a medical license in Canada to practice as a Pediatric Anesthesiologist or Pediatrician. If appointed at the rank of Assistant Professor, Tenure Track, the successful candidate will have demonstrated evidence of ability in teaching and will be expected to participate in the undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate teaching activities of the unit. The incumbent will also show demonstrated ability in scholarly activity and will be expected to provide service to the University and the broader academic and professional community. If appointed at the rank of Associate Professor, Tenure, the successful candidate must demonstrate evidence of successful teaching and ability to direct graduate students, evidence of sustained and productive scholarly activity, and must be willing to participate in the affairs of the Department and the University. The successful candidate will have demonstrated ability to effectively communicate and interact with empathy, understanding and, respect of diverse and divergent perspectives and behaviours.

This position is located within a health-care facility. Therefore, this position requires successful verification of full vaccination against Covid-19 provided prior to the start date, as required by the provincial health mandate.

The successful candidate will contribute to fostering an environment that promotes inclusivity and embodies values of respect, integrity, compassion, collaboration, and equity. Equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice are essential to academic excellence, as well as to fostering an inclusive community for voices that have been historically underrepresented or discouraged. Candidates who bring diverse perspectives and lived experiences are encouraged to apply as we strive to enhance diversity, inclusiveness, socio-cultural representation, and perspective of the Department/School.