Tenure-Track Assistant/Associate/Professor in Rural Aging & Cognitive Health, University of Minnesota Duluth

Tenure-Track Assistant/Associate/Professor in Rural Aging & Cognitive Health, University of Minnesota Duluth

Job Description

The Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team-Health Equity (MK-MDT) at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth is launching a nationwide search for a tenure-track Assistant Professor/Associate Professor/Professor in Rural Aging and Cognitive Health. The faculty member’s primary responsibility will be to conduct collaborative research concerning aging and cognitive health in rural populations in Minnesota within the MK-MDT environment.

The Medical Discovery Team seeks a dynamic scholar with demonstrated potential for innovation and leadership. Applicants at all ranks and from varied disciplinary backgrounds (e.g., health sciences, social sciences, psychology, neurology, medicine, and neuropsychology) will be considered. Programs of research with a focus on intervention design and/or implementation science are particularly welcomed. Experience with participatory community-based research is an asset.

The successful candidate will be appointed as faculty to the MK-MDT, with their academic home in the Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health or Biomedical Sciences, as appropriate, at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth campus.

Responsibilities

Research & data (80%)
• Act as project leader in collaboration with the Principal Investigator
• Review and synthesize dementia caregiver research literature; conduct critical reviews
• Develop research articles, manuscripts, and reports
• Create data analysis plans
• Conduct statistical analysis
• Recruit and screen research participants
• Organize and analyze qualitative interview data
• Manage and track online databases
• Summarize descriptive statistics
• Draft research proposals, grant applications and ethics (IRB) applications
• Coordinate and schedule research team meetings
• Other administrative duties as needed
• Work collaboratively with research team members and community partners to support the MK-MDT vision of healthy aging among caregivers in Indigenous populations

Community Engagement (20%)
• Work on outreach to Minnesota Tribal Nations for inclusion in the MDT research and education
• Assist in recruitment of research project participants
• Coordinate and facilitate research meetings with community partner organizations
• On-going community engagement activities to support research collaborations with tribal community partners
• Presentations and knowledge dissemination to community partner agencies
• Serve on committees as requested representing the MK-MDT.

Qualifications

All required qualifications must be documented on application materials

Required qualifications:

  • PhD or MD
  • Knowledge and Experience in one or more of the following research areas:
    • Dementia
    • Aging
    • Chronic Disease
    • Multi-causative disease pathways
    • Rural Health
    • Indigenous Health
  • Sensitivity to and desire to promote diversity. 

Preferred qualifications:

  • Track record of success in NIH grant awards or equivalent.
  • Experience with community-based participatory research approaches.
  • Experience and demonstrated interest in working with interdisciplinary research teams.
  • Experience with, or interest in, small populations research and small samples analyses. 

Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team

Based at the Medical School’s Duluth Campus, the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team on Rural and American Indian Health Equity (MK-MDT) is one of four University of Minnesota Medical School Medical Discovery Team’s funded by the State of Minnesota legislature. The Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team is a $15.6 million, ten-year initiative to achieve the state’s goals of improving patient and population health, lowering costs, and improving healthcare experiences.

Vision

Advancing the boundaries of health equity research to create innovative interventions to support healthy aging in Indigenous and Rural Populations.

Mission

The Mission of the Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team is to suppot an environment of Team Science to conduct community-based participatory action research on dementia in Indigenous and rural communities with the aim of achieving health equity. 

Community Engagement

The Memory Keepers Medical Discovery Team is committed to meaningful partnerships with community stakeholders. We have convened two advisory groups to help guide our mission – the Indigenous Advisory Council and Rural Advisory Council. We also support Elders and advisors in residence to guide our day-to-day activities.

Faculty and staff members use community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches to respectfully engage Indigenous and rural community members in all phases of planning and research. CBPR builds trust in researchers, boosts recruitment and retention in health disparities research. The results guide approaches to advance community health and foster the translation of new knowledge into community and clinical practice.

We seek to create an ethical research space that brings together University and local expert knowledge to create solutions appropriate to the population they are intended to benefit. Memory Keepers Team investigators and staff have decades of experience conducting Indigenous and rural community-engaged research. They have made significant contributions to the literature concerning ethical community-based participatory research practices within Indigenous and rural populations.

Community-Based Participatory Research Training Lab

Our Community-Based Participatory Research Training Lab includes interview and focus group training rooms, as well as spaces for observation. Our goal is to create a training framework that will build capacity among students, researchers, and faculty to conduct critically engaged, scientifically rigorous health equity research that honors Indigenous knowledge to benefit Indigenous and rural communities.

University of Minnesota Duluth

The University of Minnesota, Duluth (UMD) consistently ranks among the top Midwestern, regional universities in U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” issue. Overlooking Lake Superior, UMD provides an alternative to both large research and small liberal arts environments and attracts students looking for a personalized learning experience on a medium-sized campus of a major university. A firm liberal arts foundation anchors a variety of traditional degree programs, as well as professional and graduate students that draw on UMD’s many research institutes and labs.

 

How To Apply

The University of Minnesota has retained the services of Academic Med, a national leader in academic medicine executive recruitment, to assist with this strategically important search. The search will be led by Gentry Zacheis, Managing Principal for Academic Med. Please direct any initial inquiries, nominations, or applications to Mr. Zacheis via email, gentry@academic-med.com.

Diversity

The University recognizes and values the importance of diversity and inclusion in enriching the employment experience of its employees and in supporting the academic mission. The University is committed to attracting and retaining employees with varying identities and backgrounds.

The University of Minnesota provides equal access to and opportunity in its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. To learn more about diversity at the U:  http://diversity.umn.edu.

www.memorykeepersmdt.com

Twitter @MemoryKeeperMDT

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