The University of Ottawa invites applications for a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Medical Education

Overview

The successful candidate will hold a tenure track position in the Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Innovation in Medical Education (DIME). The Faculty of Medicine’s education community is emerging as a national leader. Members of the Department of Innovation in Medical Education are strongly engaged in nationally and internationally funded research and dissemination, curricular innovations, and serve in important leadership roles in education. The successful candidate will become an integral part of the dynamic, collaborative, and interconnected research-intensive education portfolio of the Faculty of Medicine, which includes DIME, Faculty of Medicine affiliated skills and simulation centres (University of Ottawa Skills and Simulation Centre, Hôpital Montfort, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa Exam Centre), the office of Faculty Development, and the Affaires Francophones portfolios, as well as collaborations with the Faculties of Education and of Health Sciences.

We are interested in attracting an emerging world-class researcher with demonstrated strength and expertise in medical education, spanning fields such as health professions education, psychology, kinesiology, or other related fields. Medical Education research - and its implications for curriculum and pedagogies - is undergoing major transformations, with a transition to competency-based medical education (CBME), increased interactions with technology with the move towards virtual care/education and rapid advances in artificial intelligence in healthcare, as well as an increased role in educating and communicating research findings to the public. Additionally, there is increased recognition of the critical need for medical schools to be more accountable to the population and societies that they serve, as well as foster learning environments that are equitable, diverse, and inclusive. These forces are leading to important changes in education that will have long-term systemic effects for the education of current and future clinicians, creating an urgent need for innovative approaches to education in a healthcare system that has become heavily dependent on learners to deliver patient care. Recruitment of expertise in translational research that can inform socially responsive curricular innovations and evaluation is key. The selected candidate will have the opportunity to engage closely with the Faculty of Medicine’s Centre for Innovative Medical Education (launching in early 2022), whose goals are to support members engaged in the practice and scholarship of education; foster interdisciplinary and interprofessional collaborations in education; promote best practices, innovations and translation between the scholarship and the practice of education; and develop and disseminate high-quality innovation and scholarship in education in both official languages.

Tier 2 Chairs, tenable for five years and renewable once, are for exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field. For each Tier 2 Chair, the institution receives $100,000 annually for five years, with an additional $20,000 annual research stipend for first-term Tier 2 Chairs. Candidates should, at a minimum, be assistant or associate professors, or possess the necessary qualifications to be appointed to these levels. Candidates who are more than 10 years from their highest degree must contact the University of Ottawa directly for questions related to their potential eligibility for a Tier 2 Chair. The institution may nominate a professor or a researcher who is more than 10 years from their highest degree at the time of nomination and has experienced legitimate career interruptions (see acceptable justifications). In such cases, the institution must submit to the Secretariat a formal justification (using the Tier 2 Justification Screening Form), explaining why the nominee is still considered to be an emerging scholar. The University recognizes the legitimate impact that leaves (e.g., parental leave, leave due to illness) can have on a candidate’s record of research achievement and that these leaves will be taken into careful consideration during the assessment process. New CRC nominees are also eligible for infrastructure support from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to help acquire state-of-the-art equipment essential to their work.

Selective hiring

The University of Ottawa is committed to ensuring equity, diversity and inclusion in the scholarly and leadership environments of our students, staff, and faculty. In accordance with the University’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, the selection will be limited to members of the four designated groups such as Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, persons with disabilities, and women, as defined in the Employment Equity Act. Candidates from these groups who wish to be considered for this position must complete the confidential self-identification form during the application process online (go to My profile / Employment Equity section). The objective of this measure is to increase the representation of the four designated groups (women, persons with disabilities, Indigenous peoples and members of visible minorities as defined in the Employment Equity Act) in the allocation of Canada Research Chair positions.

Skills requirement

  • Education: Ph.D. in health professions education, psychology, kinesiology, social sciences, humanities or other relevant fields, with demonstrated strength and expertise in medical education.
  • Required Qualifications: superior research achievements in the CRC’s identified area(s), proof of interdisciplinary collaborations, a solid record with respect to teaching and training of students at the graduate level, and mentorship of junior education researchers, the ability to obtain external research funds, and excellent communication skills in either English or French. Passive understanding of the other official language in Canada is a requirement for tenure. English-French bilingualism is an asset.

Rank and salary

Regular tenure-track academic appointment in the Faculty of Medicine. Academic rank will be at the Assistant or Associate Professor. Salaries are competitive and commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Benefits package

The University of Ottawa provides a complete benefits package, which includes long term disability, basic group life insurance, supplementary health insurance, University of Ottawa Pension Plan and optional life insurance, as well as relocation expenses.

Location of work

Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5

Application package

  • A cover letter;
  • Up-to-date curriculum vitae (please include any personal circumstances and/or career interruptions such as parental or sick leaves that may have impacted your research trajectory. These will be taken into consideration in the selection process);
  • A research plan (2 to 3 pages);
  • A statement of teaching interests (1 to 2 pages);
  • A statement on equity, diversity and inclusion philosophy and practice (1 page)
  • The names of three people who may be contacted by the University for letters of reference which will follow the Canada Research Chairs guidelines (i.e. Tier 2: one arm’s length and two who are not affiliated to the University of Ottawa unless they are the candidate’s PhD or postdoctoral supervisor).
  • Self-identification: Complete the confidential Employment Equity section online (go to My profile / Employment Equity section) during the application process online.

Submission process

Deadline: January 4, 2022

Applications should be submitted electronically through the University of Ottawa Academic Careers website

The selection process will begin immediately after the closing date and will continue until the position is filled. Only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Please address your cover letter to the following person:

Dr. Sylvain Charbonneau, Vice-President, Research
University of Ottawa
550 Cumberland St., room 246
Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 CANADA

For questions, please email: [email protected]

According to government policy, all qualified candidates are invited to apply; however, preference will be given to Canadians and permanent residents. When submitting your application, please indicate if you are legally entitled to work in Canada.

The University of Ottawa provides accommodations for applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If you are invited to proceed in the selection process, please notify us of any accommodations that you require by contacting the Office of the Vice-Provost, Faculty Relations by email at [email protected].

Any information you send us will be handled respectfully and in complete confidence. The University of Ottawa is proud of its 160-year tradition of bilingualism. Through its Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute, the University provides training to staff members and to their spouses in their second official language.

Date posted: 2021-11-04