Professor and Department Chair - Public Health Leadership and Practice

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Primary Purpose of Organizational Unit
Background. Founded in 1997 as an interdisciplinary academic program growing out of a school-wide initiative called the Interdisciplinary Curriculum in Practice and Leadership, PHLP has built nearly three decades of legacy, innovation, and impact. Long described as ‘a department without walls,’ PHLP was designed from its inception to transcend traditional academic boundaries preparing public health professionals with the leadership education needed to meet the challenges inherent in assuring and improving population health. In 2024, PHLP achieved a significant milestone, formally transitioning from a program to a full academic department: the Department of Public Health Leadership and Practice. At that time, the school’s North Carolina Institute for Public Health merged with the PHLP department, further strengthening the department and Gillings School’s applied public health research-to-practice (and practice-to-applied research) capabilities.

Department Vision and Mission. Through its graduate academic programs, housed within the top ranked UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, PHLP’s mission is to equip future and current public health leaders with the technical and strategic skills essential to driving transformational change in population and community health. Its vision is to serve as a dynamic hub where public health leaders think holistically and act collaboratively to address complex challenges and promote innovative practice to improve health outcomes, systems, structures, and processes. The department is guided by core values that are both aspirational and operational: public health as a public service; health for all; practice-driven research with collaborative partners; leading with transparency, courage, honesty, humility, and compassion; and learning through curiosity, risk-taking, flexibility, and change.

Academic Programs. PHLP offers MPH concentrations in Leadership in Practice (LIP) and Population Health for Clinicians (PHC), as well as graduate-level certificates for degree-seeking and non-degree seeking individuals in residential and online formats. The department is home to 16 full-time faculty members; a 38-member team working under the NCIPH umbrella; and 290 students. It’s distinguished by a collegial culture, a commitment to applied learning, and long-term partnerships with communities, health agencies, and public health organizations across North Carolina and beyond. PHLP’s community-facing work spans five core areas: community assessment and strategy, community engagement and systems change, quality improvement, workforce development, and implementation science focused on the advancement of public health practice. A key priority is maintaining authentic and impactful engagement with communities, working with faculty, staff and students across the Gillings School to do so.

Position Summary
Reporting to the Dean of the Gillings School of Global Public Health, the Public Health Leadership and Practice Department Chair, with a primary appointment as a tenured Professor, will provide academic and administrative leadership for the department; champion PHLP’s distinct identity and public health practice mission within Gillings and across the University; advocate for resources and recognition commensurate with the department’s enrollment and contributions; lead the implementation of newly approved Appointment, Promotion, and Tenure (APT) policies appropriate for practice-focused faculty; strengthen the integration of the North Carolina Institute for Public Health (NCIPH) into the department, and the department and NCIPH’s high impact work with community organizations, and public health practice partners; and lead curriculum innovation that keeps PHLP’s programs competitive and relevant to the evolving public health workforce.

The primary appointment will be a tenured Professor, with the Department Chair role serving as a five-year term, renewable at the discretion of the Dean.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements
The successful candidate will have an earned terminal degree appropriate for faculty appointment at the Gillings School (e.g., DrPH, PhD, MD), demonstrated expertise in public health leadership and/or practice, and a record of leadership, either within higher education or in public health practice. The individual will also have a record of achieving goals within a complex institutional environment, supporting staff – and faculty and students, if relevant – along the way.

Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience
The ideal candidate will demonstrate application of specialized and measurable skills required to perform research, deliver high-quality instruction, and manage administrative responsibilities; a commitment to research, practice and teaching; excellent verbal and written communication skills; experience overseeing projects, practicums, and capstone projects in college or university settings or similar organizations; and a record of leadership in both higher education and public health practice.

Please apply online at https://unc.peopleadmin.com/postings/318476

The University is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes all to apply without regard to age, color, gender, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.