Faculty Position (Open Rank), Dissemination and Implementation Scientist in Cancer Control and Survivorship

We strongly encourage Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC); transgender and non-binary people; sexual minorities; people with disabilities; and women to apply. The Department of Medical Social Sciences (MSS) at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (FSM), along with the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Cancer Control and Survivorship research program, seek a full-time Team Scientist at the rank of Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor. We are seeking outstanding candidates with research interests and expertise in dissemination and implementation (D&I) science, with an emphasis on promoting the uptake of evidence-based, cancer control and survivorship-related health interventions. Candidates’ areas of interest may include, but are not limited to, approaches to designing interventions with an eye towards implementation, hybrid effectiveness-implementation studies, mixed methods contextual inquiry, developing and testing dissemination or implementation strategies in large comparative effectiveness studies, and evaluating real-world implementations using a suite of approaches including observational research and quasi-experimental designs. Candidates should have experience with leading implementation science theories, frameworks, and models, as well as those used in D&I research in the behavioral, communication, or organizational sciences or related fields. They should also have experience using a suite of methods including quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches. The candidate will join a robust transdisciplinary community of dissemination and implementation scientists and other methodologists both within MSS and across FSM and Northwestern Medicine, including the Center on Dissemination and Implementation Science (CDIS) described further below. This hire is part of a new initiative to expand implementation science lines of investigation within the multidisciplinary environment of MSS in partnership with CDIS, Lurie Cancer Center, and across Northwestern Medicine. MSS has a robust community of intervention and implementation scientists. New MSS Chair and CDIS member Dr. Beidas leads a large extramural portfolio focused on leveraging insights from implementation science and behavioral economics to make it easier for clinicians, leaders, and organizations to use best practices to improve the quality and equity of care and enhance health outcomes. She works across areas including cancer, mental health, firearm safety promotion, HIV, and cardiovascular disease and collaborates closely with key stakeholders, including patients, clinicians, health system leaders, payers, and policymakers. Other MSS faculty with implementation science portfolios, all of whom are members of CDIS, include Patricia Franklin, MD, MPH, MBA; Betina Yanez, PhD; Michael Newcomb, PhD, Brian Mustanski, PhD; Kelli Scott, PhD; Lisa Hirshhorn, PhD; and Andrea Graham, PhD. The candidate will importantly expand and synergize with such ongoing programmatic efforts. CDIS is the newest multidisciplinary, cross-departmental center within FSM’s Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM). Led by Sara Becker, PhD, CDIS was launched in August of 2022 to meet the need for leadership and coordination of D&I science activities throughout FSM and Northwestern Medicine. The mission of CDIS is to advance equitable access to evidence-based public health and medical interventions by accelerating research across the translational continuum; training the next generation of D&I science researchers and practitioners; and serving as a hub of pragmatic D&I science research at FSM, locally, domestically, and globally. The Center offers exceptional opportunities for faculty conducting research in both dissemination science strategies (e.g., direct-to-consumer marketing, technology-assisted and/or scalable interventions) and implementation science strategies (e.g., workforce training and development, implementation strategy design). CDIS provides an array of service, training, and educational opportunities to support faculty development in close partnership with the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Science Institute. In addition, MSS, the Lurie Cancer Center, and the Cancer Control and Survivorship (CCS) Program provide a unique scientific home for applied researchers who integrate biomedical and social science approaches to improvement of health and health care delivery in cancer survivors across the lifespan. MSS and the Lurie Cancer Center jointly provide a rich platform for research including a diverse and broad scientific portfolio of cancer-related studies, biostatistical and health informatics cores, expertise in multi-level assessment methods and technology implementation, and collaborative relationships across Northwestern’s biomedical and life sciences campuses. Because an interdisciplinary, collaborative orientation is a defining element of MSS and the Lurie Cancer Center, both provide an ideal home for scholars whose work is collaborative, integrative, and cuts across traditional content areas. The CCS program includes research themes that focus on behavioral and population science research, outcomes measurement, disparities research, quality of care, biobehavioral mechanisms, symptom management, and behavioral interventions across the lifespan. It offers exceptional opportunities for community-based and translational research and collaboration with investigators in the new CDIS. The Team Scientist track is a unique, exiting way for investigators to engage in team science while still having the flexibility to lead their own research. The track is non-tenure-eligible, and it is for non-clinical faculty who make substantial contributions to the research and/or educational missions of the medical school. Team Science track members’ skills, expertise and effort play a vital role in obtaining, sustaining and implementing programmatic research. Faculty on this track generally contribute to clinical studies, patient-oriented clinical outcomes research, community-engaged research, population-based studies and/or basic science research. Typically, they provide critical expertise to a program or group of research teams as a co-investigator with contributions that do not necessarily require or result in independent grant funding, but faculty on this track may also serve as principal investigator on related research. For this Team Scientist position, we are seeking candidates with a collaborative orientation and a track record of significant scientific contributions as part of a translational team. Candidates should have a strong publication record and a history of extramural funding as PI and/or co-investigator roles. MSS, the CCS program, and the Lurie Cancer Center have a highly collaborative culture in which multiple investigators have opportunities to work in tandem on large-scale outcomes and team science research. Participation in MSS Departmental training activities and University service are also expected and valued. The start date is negotiable and the position will remain open until filled. When applying, please upload a CV and cover letter describing your interest and alignment with the position. All applicants should include in their cover letter a clear statement about their commitment and contribution to diversity and equity initiatives. Also upload completed list of references form to suggest the names of individuals who could write letters of reference on your behalf. Northwestern requires all staff and faculty to be vaccinated against COVID-19, subject to limited exceptions. For more information, please visit our COVID-19 and Campus Updates website. The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today. Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging: MSS’s strong commitment to diversity and equity is critical to our mission of advancing access to excellence in academic programs, world-class research, and health programs. As our healthcare and academic institutions serve diverse constituencies, it is vital to understand the ways in which individual differences can both divide us and offer us better ways of thinking and working. Applications are encouraged from diverse applicants and the Department is committed to supporting faculty to work in an increasingly diverse society by promoting equity and justice for all individuals, actively working to eliminate barriers and obstacles created by institutional discrimination. Engagement in discrimination or harassment against any person because of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, military service, disability, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression will not be tolerated. Our work aims to advance the health and wellbeing of diverse populations. We highlight the importance of respecting and valuing this aspect of diversity among our faculty, trainees, and staff.

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