Assistant Professor (Tenure Track)

The Department of Medicine at The University of British Columbia (UBC), in partnership with the Northern Medical Program, invites applications for a full-time faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor (tenure track) in virtual/rural and remote health. This position will be based at the Northern Medical Program (NMP), a distributed site of the UBC MD Undergraduate Program, at UNBC, one of the UBC Faculty of Medicine Affiliated institutions, or at one of its clinical academic campuses in Northern BC. A joint appointment with the Departments of Emergency Medicine, Family Practice, and Dermatology, will be considered based on the successful candidate.

The UBC Department of Medicine provides excellence in research, teaching and clinical services related to the nature, cause and prevention of adult diseases. We are the largest Department in the Faculty of Medicine with over 1,200 faculty and staff. The Department is comprised of 18 divisions with faculty located throughout the Province of British Columbia. The UBC Department of Medicine is committed to ensuring the success of our learners and faculty, and to contributing to the health of the Province of British Columbia.

As a faculty member, the incumbent will be expected to lead a strong, externally funded, research program in virtual health in the rural and remote setting of northern BC where virtual health is used to augment in-person health care for remote and rural communities in Medicine and several subspecialties, such as family practice, emergency medicine, and dermatology. The intent is to solidly establish the scholarship of remote and rural virtual healthcare delivery and knowledge translation in this field. The work will be grounded on a framework based on quadruple aim and social accountability with an emphasis on equity of access of care and also cultural sensitivity and safety. The research program will answer questions about the effectiveness, best practices, impact of and use of new technologies for virtually enabled care systems in rural regions.

The position will be embedded in healthcare teams in Northern Health and work with organizations that support virtual health in rural and indigenous communities, such as the Rural Co-ordination Centre for BC (RCCbc). Given the paucity of research in virtual enabled care, there are many research questions to be answered but specific areas of research might include:

1. Team based care: Developing and evaluating patient-centred, interdisciplinary, models of virtually enabled team-based care including the impact on effective longitudinal care, health outcomes, the patient experience and equitable care for remote and rural populations. Evaluating the key components and outcomes of virtual collaborative clinical decision making in isolated communities.
2. Technology evaluation and development: Evaluating the use of specialty and disease specific virtual platforms which engage patients in diagnosis, monitoring and managing their health alongside their specialist, family physician and the interprofessional team. This will build on existing examples such as teledermatology. Developing and evaluating the use of virtual enabled procedures to support health professionals in isolated communities, such as radiologist-assisted ultrasound, echocardiography and dermoscopy.
3. Real time support: Further developing and evaluating real-time virtual “bedside” support pathways (RTVS) engaging specialists in patient care in remote and rural communities. This will build on existing initiatives such as RUDi (Rural Urgent Doctor in-aid) developed by the Digital Emergency Medicine Unit under the BC Emergency Medicine Network.
4. Workforce impact: Evaluating the impact of specialist supported virtual enhanced care on quality of life, work satisfaction and retention of rural physicians, nurses and other health professionals.

The successful candidate will be supported by and have opportunities to partner with researchers across other departments who have an interest in rural, remote, Indigenous, and virtual health, and the UBC Chair in Rural Health. They will find a welcoming environment in the NMP and UNBC which have a diverse group of researchers conducting health research in the rural and remote context. A Northern Centre for Clinical Research is currently being developed in partnership with UNBC and Northern Health that will have a focus on virtual health. The Centre will be located in Northern Health facilities and will provide infrastructure support and an interdisciplinary axis for northern clinical researchers including this position.

Reporting to the Head of the UBC Department of Medicine in consultation with the Regional Associate Dean, Northern BC, the successful candidate will have training and experiences in health research, ideally in the rural context. The appointee will be expected to participate in the teaching activities of the Departments in northern BC, as well as provide mentorship and training to undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate learners.

The successful candidate will hold an MD with an advanced research degree and/or PhD or equivalent degree. 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.

Salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. A letter of application outlining the applicant’s research and teaching interests, intended research plan, expertise and strength, accompanied by a detailed curriculum vitae and the names of three references should be directed to:

Dr. Anita Palepu, MD, MPH, FRCPC, MACP
Professor and Eric W. Hamber Chair
Head, Department of Medicine
University of British Columbia
c/o Faculty Hires and Promotions Coordinator, UBC Department of Medicine
Email: [email protected]
Subject Line: NMP Virtual Health Assistant Professor Position

Review of applications will begin on November 15, 2021 and continue until the position is filled. The anticipated start date for this position is July 1, 2022 or upon a date to be mutually agreed.

The University of British Columbia is a global centre for research and teaching, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world. Since 1915, UBC’s entrepreneurial spirit has embraced innovation and challenged the status quo. UBC encourages its students, staff and faculty to challenge convention, lead discovery and explore new ways of learning. At UBC, bold thinking is given a place to develop into ideas that can change the world.

Our Vision: To Transform Health for Everyone.

Ranked among the world’s top medical schools with the fifth-largest MD enrollment in North America, the UBC Faculty of Medicine is a leader in both the science and the practice of medicine. Across British Columbia, more than 12,000 faculty and staff are training the next generation of doctors and health care professionals, making remarkable discoveries, and helping to create the pathways to better health for our communities at home and around the world.

The Faculty - comprised of approximately 2,200 administrative support, technical/research and management and professional staff, as well approximately 650 full-time academic and over 10,000 clinical faculty members - is composed of 19 academic basic science and/or clinical departments, three schools, and 24 research centres and institutes. Together with its University and Health Authority partners, the Faculty delivers innovative programs and conducts research in the areas of health and life sciences. Faculty, staff and trainees are located at university campuses, clinical academic campuses in hospital settings and other regionally based centres across the province.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.

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