Clinical-Track/Tenure-Track/Tenured Faculty in Health Equity – Public Health / Pharmacy

With a strong commitment to advancing diversity in research, thought and representation, the Department of Pharmacy Practice in the College of Pharmacy at Purdue University invites applications for clinical track, tenure-track or already tenured positions in the area of Equity / Health Equity, as part of a cluster hiring initiative in Public Health, Health Policy, and Health Equity.  A national leader in the graduation of Black and African American doctorates in the physical sciences, computer science, and veterinary medicine over the past 5 years, Purdue’s track record of supporting diversity dates back well over a century and is rooted in our land-grant mission. Today, the University has embarked upon a comprehensive 5-year, $75 million plan to further enrich and diversify its faculty, staff, student body, as described here. [web link] 

This cluster, comprised of 14 new faculty members across four colleges—Health and Human Sciences, Liberal Arts, Libraries and Information Studies, and Pharmacy—is just the first wave of a larger, multi-year cluster hiring initiative totaling 40 FTE overall that aims to expand our research enterprise, add to the range of perspectives of our faculty, and promote a supportive community for all students. Alongside several other ongoing initiatives, this program evinces Purdue’s strong commitment to further enhancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. For more information, a comprehensive plan may be found here.

The appointments would start in July/August 2022 or a future date subject to negotiation. 

We are looking for candidates who are interested in addressing disparities in the social determinants of health locally in Indiana and/or in settings outside of the United States.  Pertinent experience and desirable areas of impactful engagement may include, but are not necessarily limited to:

• Providing healthcare services for underserved populations
• Working directly with marginalized communities to develop contextualized services aligned with their needs
• Assisting with nutrition insecurity
• Promoting youth education and wellness
• Evaluating public health programs
• Developing population health enhancing programs
• Addressing economic disparities

These areas of emphasis align with Purdue’s Center for Health Equity and Innovation (CHEqI) which the faculty will be expected to contribute to, based on their expertise. 

The candidate(s) will also be expected to actively contribute to instruction at Purdue University within the Doctor of Pharmacy and/or Public Health curricula as well as related graduate programs and post graduate residents and fellows with a focus on health disparities and equity.

Appointments are expected to be at the level of Assistant Professor.

Qualifications:

• Must hold an advanced degree (e.g., PhD, DrPH) in a discipline relevant to public health, health system design/engineering, and/or, a terminal clinical degree (e.g., PharmD, MD, DNP) with either relevant post-doctoral training or clinical experience according to the appointment track. 

Desirable qualifications include (not required):

• Experience in implementing community-centered care and/or research
• Relevant experience in assisting underserved populations, especially youth
• Experience teaching in didactic and/or experiential settings related to equity and health disparities
• Experience with implementation science research
• Evidence of grantsmanship/extramural funding related to equity and health disparities
• Evidence of publishing peer-reviewed manuscripts and related scholarly output

Position Responsibilities (may vary based on the appointment track):

• Participate in impactful engagement efforts in domains relevant to the candidate
• Contribute to the discovery of new knowledge or application(s) of fundamental knowledge through the conduct of pertinent equity and health disparity related engagement efforts
• Develop an extramurally funded research program directed toward the advancement of science as it relates to equity and health disparities
• Participate collaboratively in research across disciplines, including with investigators at Purdue University and other universities, as well as mentor students/trainees.
• Provide effective teaching and mentoring to PharmD and Public Health, graduate students, residents, and post-doctoral fellows on topics related to health disparities and equity.
• Contribute to the service mission of the department, College, and University, and more broadly to the profession of the candidate.

The Department of Pharmacy Practice is part of the College of Pharmacy, which has 600 PharmD students, an active graduate program, and is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 colleges of pharmacy in the nation.  Purdue itself is one of the nation’s leading land-grant universities, with an enrollment of over 48,000 students.   Purdue has also been a national leader in advancing faculty in the scholarship of engagement.  Purdue has seen a five-fold increase in the number of faculty promoted and/or tenured on the basis of the scholarship of engagement since 2010.

There are abundant opportunities for interdisciplinary collaborations across Purdue’s campuses and the State.  On the West Lafayette campus, which houses the #2 ranked public school for engineering and a newly established school of public health, there are opportunities to work with research centers such as the Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering.  Housed within Discovery Park, Purdue’s large-scale multidisciplinary hub for health-related research, the Center supports interdisciplinary research efforts focused on healthcare delivery. Similarly, more than 25 departmental faculty members are based in Indianapolis. This location is home to several major healthcare systems, the Regenstrief Institute, the Indiana Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute, and the Indiana University School of Medicine. Purdue has also established itself as a global pharmacy leader through its longstanding partnership in care, teaching, and research in western Kenya with the Nobel Prize Nominated Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) program.  AMPATH has also recently launched a replication effort in Mexico and Ghana.  Faculty would have the ability to collaborate in all of these settings in addition to collaborating with experiential opportunities in Colombia and England. 

Application Procedure: Applications need to be submitted to this site [application web link] and need to include (1) a complete curriculum vitae, (2) a statement on your perspective on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (1-2 pages), and 3) at least three names of professional references with contact information.  Purdue University’s Department of Pharmacy Practice is committed to advancing diversity in all areas of faculty effort, including learning, discovery, and engagement.  Candidates should address at least one of these areas in the required Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement, indicating their past experiences, current interests or activities, and/or future goals to promote a climate that values diversity, equity, and inclusion.

A background check will be required for employment in this position.  Applications will be accepted through the success factors weblink starting on October 25^th, 2021 and conclude on January 10th, 2022.  This will then be followed by phone-based interviews for eligible candidates in January 2022 with onsite interviews occurring in February 2022.  Inquiries can be sent to: Sonak Pastakia, PharmD, MPH, PhD, BCPS, FCCP, Professor of Pharmacy Practice at spastaki@purdue.edu.

Purdue University is an EOE/AA Employer.  All individuals, including minorities, women, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged