The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is seeking an energetic and innovative leader to serve as Associate Director (AD) of Community Outreach and Engagement. The AD will hold a faculty position in a department in one of the five UAMS colleges including medicine, pharmacy, nursing, health professions, and public health. Reporting to Michael Birrer, MD, PhD, Cancer Institute Director, the AD will lead all community outreach and engagement activities, including the management of the statewide navigation program, mobile screening efforts, and research focused on cancer burdens and disparities critical to the catchment area.
The AD will be a progressive visionary and an exceptional leader with a successful funding record in one of the areas of community engagement, health disparities, population science, cancer epidemiology, and/or implementation science research. The AD will join a team of community-focused researchers examining the important cancer issues specific for Arkansas, some of which include the epidemiologic and environmental factors that affect the incidence and type of cancer, important social and race-based determinants of equal access to cancer care, the role of economics in the effective delivery of cancer care especially in persistent poverty counties and rural populations.
Candidates must be eligible for an academic appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or above, with an MD, MD/PhD, PhD, or comparable degree in a relevant field, and have a mature understanding of community outreach and engagement in underserved and rural populations. The position will have access to substantial resources including an endowed chair and multiple year support to conduct transdisciplinary research focused on the unique cancer burdens of Arkansas in the areas of health disparities, community outreach and engagement, and implementation science.
This recruiting effort is made possible through significant institutional support and an annual commitment from the state of Arkansas to support the Cancer Institute’s efforts to attain NCI Designation. The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute is the only cancer center in the state of Arkansas with a robust cancer research portfolio and a mission to improve cancer outcomes for all Arkansans. The Cancer Institute treats over 2,500 new cancer patients annually and has an extensive effort focused on delivering cancer care and conducting research in underserved populations. Its 170+ members conduct outstanding cancer research in multiple scientific programs. Cancer Institute members receive approximately $20 million in extramural cancer research funds annually, including multiple “team science” grants. The Cancer Institute has six institutional shared resource facilities, including the IDeA National Resource for Quantitative Proteomics which provides protein identification, mapping of post-translational modifications, global proteomics, and quantitative comparison of proteins in biological samples, and has recently hired 21 laboratory-based cancer researchers. A robust clinical trials infrastructure currently supports nearly 270 cancer clinical trials. UAMS is one of 57 institutions with an NIH Clinical and Translational Science Award, which supports translational research and creates a supportive environment that synergizes with the Cancer Institute to promote transdisciplinary research. UAMS researchers also lead five NIH-funded Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE’s), with three having ongoing cancer focused research activities. UAMS faculty work in collaboration with Arkansas Children’s Hospital and its Research Institute, including a USDA-funded nutrition center, to address pediatric cancer-related clinical care and research.
TO APPLY: Applicants should send their Curriculum Vitae, a one page letter of interest, and three professional references directly to Jennifer Moulton at
[email protected]. Application deadline is March 1, 2023. Selected applicants will join a diverse and vibrant academic community that values its researchers and is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. Applicants must be able to work in a team environment.
UAMS is an inclusive Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer of individuals with disabilities and protected veterans and is committed to excellence.