The Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the Bioethics Graduate Program at Wake Forest University invite applications for a tenure-track professor (assistant, associate, or full). Applicants must have a PhD, JD, or MD; education in any field is acceptable, but candidates should have strong grounding in both empirical approaches to bioethics and moral theory in bioethics and should demonstrate ability to integrate empirical research with conceptual analysis. The area of bioethics specialization is open; we seek scholars who will complement our existing strengths and contribute to the collegial and collaborative environment. Examples of possible areas of research include structural justice and health, health care disparities, population health, regenerative medicine, research ethics, and global bioethics.
The Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy is one of four departments in the Division of Public Health Sciences at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. The Division is a group of public health-oriented faculty and staff whose activities focus on developing better strategies for maintaining the health of the entire community. Social Sciences and Health Policy has 26 core faculty and 80 staff. Faculty aim to improve the human condition through the application of social sciences and public policy research to health and health care. The Division’s other departments are Biostatistics and Data Science, Epidemiology and Prevention, and Implementation Science. The Division has a diverse, extensive, and highly successful research portfolio.
Bioethics at Wake Forest University encompasses a broad range of programs and activities, including the Bioethics Graduate Program, the Center for Bioethics, Health, and Society, the undergraduate Bioethics, Humanities, and Medicine Minor, and periodic extracurricular scholarly activities directed toward undergraduate, graduate, and professional students interested in bioethics issues. Core Bioethics faculty come from the University, School of Medicine, and Law School.
Candidates should have a strong track record of research and teaching, as well as the potential for funding a non-trivial portion of their position through external grant funding. Interdisciplinary research is actively welcomed. In addition, the ideal candidate’s education and professional background will be consistent with having a tenure home in SSHP, primary teaching responsibilities in the Bioethics Graduate Program, and a joint or secondary appointment in one of the tenure-granting departments or schools at Wake Forest University.
The bioethics teaching load is one graduate course per semester, plus graduate student supervision; additional teaching responsibilities through the Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy may include one or two additional graduate-level courses per year. The candidate with interest in an appointment in a Wake Forest University department or school may also be able to teach undergraduate or professional students through that appointment. Contributions to the learning health system through membership on the Clinical Ethics Committee and/or Human Research Protection Program (HRPP) committees, and/or participation in the School of Medicine teaching mission, are expected.
We are committed to building a diverse intellectual community and strongly encourage applications from those from underrepresented backgrounds. The search committee will not discriminate on the basis of race, gender identity, disability, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, age, or any other demographic identity. We are committed to working with candidates to meet their access needs. We are also committed to making sure that all events concerning this search are as accessible to participants as possible.
If you are interested, please submit your CV and statement of interest. The statement of interest should highlight a) your commitment to bioethics research, b) why you are interested in joining the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, c) experience you have collaborating with researchers and/or clinical partners, and d) teaching philosophy/statement.