[S-48] | Professor - Research Chair in Anti-Racism and Health Equity

[S-48] | Professor - Research Chair in Anti-Racism and Health Equity

Date Posted: 10/30/2024
Closing Date: 12/31/2024, 11:59PM ET
Req ID: 40347
Job Category: Faculty - Clinical
Faculty/Division: Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Department: Dept of Medicine
Hospital Affiliation: Unity Health Toronto - St. Michael's
Campus: St. George (Downtown Toronto)

Description:

Racism is a key driver of inequitable health outcomes for Canadians. Racialized people access the health system at a lower rate, from primary care to specialized acute care. Racialized people also generally have a worse experience than their white counterparts in healthcare institutions, including hospitals, where many do not feel safe and tend to receive lower quality of care.



Inequitable healthcare contributes to racialized members of our society having a lower life expectancy and worse quality of life.

Eliminating racism and reducing health inequities requires a combination of innovative solutions, challenging the status quo of our systems, and dismantling structures of oppression/privilege. These changes need to address social determinants of health at multiple levels: transforming clinical care for individuals and families, bringing population health thinking into how health organizations function, collaborating with other sectors to intervene at the community level on factors like the built environment and access to care, and influencing policy to tackle systemic racism. This area of work exists at the interface of healthcare, public health, and public policy.

At Unity Health Toronto, the soon-to-be-launched Centre for Anti-Racism and Health Equity’s vision is a world with no health inequities caused by historical or ongoing racism. The Centre will build upon and expand the demonstrated commitment of St.



Michael’s Hospital and Unity Health Toronto to health equity and position our hospital as a living lab where care, research, education, and training, people, and partnerships function in tandem to dismantle barriers to healthcare for racialized people.

While health disparities have been extensively documented in countries with racially diverse populations, there is a paucity of research about determinants of health disparities and the effectiveness of interventions designed to reduce these disparities. There is also an acute need for more research on how to successfully implement and scale strategies and interventions to improve health outcomes for racialized groups in Canada. Consequently, researchers, policymakers, and healthcare providers experience significant challenges and barriers in developing strategies to mitigate the effect of discrimination and bias on health outcomes in racialized communities.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS





The Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto and Unity Health Toronto – St. Michael’s Hospital are seeking applications for the BMO Chair in Anti-Racism and Health Equity at the St. Michael’s Hospital site of Unity Health Toronto. The successful candidate must be eligible to hold a Scientist research appointment at Unity Health Toronto and be eligible to hold an Associate or Full Professor academic appointment at the University of Toronto. This Chair is a five-year term, with the opportunity to renew once, provided funding is available. The tentative start date of this appointment is April 1, 2025 (negotiable).

The Chair holder is expected to lead a world-class program of impactful research and innovation focused on addressing anti-Black racism/racism and the influence of social determinants of health.



Success will be measured by its effectiveness in contributing to improving the health and well-being of people belonging to systemically marginalized groups and contributing significantly to Unity Health’s goals towards being a leader in health equity. The research program should also impact health systems across Canada and internationally, through extensive knowledge translation and dissemination activities. The Chair will work closely with the Director of Anti-Racism, Equity, and Social Accountability in the hospital, to ensure implementation across Unity Health through the Centre for Anti-Racism and Health Equity. The Chair will join St. Michael’s Hospital’s MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Canada’s largest research centre focused on health equity and social determinants of health, developing and implementing real-world,



evidence-driven program and policy solutions that disrupt cycles of socioeconomic exclusion and poor health.

Qualities of the ideal candidate include:

- MD, PhD or equivalent, with graduate training in a relevant field (e.g., public health, health policy, health services research).
- Academic rank of Associate Professor (or eligible for appointment at this level) or higher at a recognized research institution.
- A record of excellence in scientific productivity, with a strong publication record and impactful knowledge translation activities.
- A history of success with obtaining external peer-reviewed funding over the past 5 years, as both NPI and co-PI.
- Experience in supervising and mentoring graduate students, post-doc fellows, and other trainees.
- Demonstrated knowledge and lived experience of health challenges facing Black,



Indigenous, and racialized Canadians.
- Experience with the design and evaluation of interventions to address anti-Black racism/racism, considering social determinants of health at multiple levels.
- Established track record of research leadership, including in establishing collaborative and impactful interdisciplinary teams.
- Established relationships and partnerships with racialized communities and non-profit/community-based organizations.
- Proven ability to work with healthcare organizations.
- Excellent communication with academic, policymaker, and public audiences.

Key accountabilities of the Chair holder include:

- Develop and sustain a world-class program of high-impact research focused on eliminating anti-Black racism/racism and reducing inequities.
- Co-lead the Centre for Anti-Racism and Health Equity,



overseeing research efforts.
- Initiate strong research collaborations with local, national, and international partners.
- Engage with policymakers through knowledge translation and dissemination activities.
- Build research capacity at Unity Health Toronto, supporting graduate students, mentoring junior investigators, and engaging the healthcare team in research.
- Engage patients and communities in research aligned with Unity Health Toronto efforts.
- Provide annual lectures and presentations on their research within Unity Health and relevant forums.
- Work with the Hospital Foundations to support fundraising efforts in this area.

The Chair will provide $200,000/year for 5 years, used to offset the salary support of the incumbent. Any remaining funds may support academic activities, including research operations and education events.





Applications will be accepted until December 31, 2024. Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, a 2-page outline of their academic program, and contact information for 3 referees via the Unity Health Careers site and by email to:

Dr. Ori D. Rotstein, MD
Vice President, Research & Innovation,
Unity Health Toronto
[email protected] and copied to:
Elizabeth Huggins, Faculty Office Specialist
[email protected]

The original job offer can be found in Kit Job:
https://www.kitjob.ca/job/89701444/s-48-professor-research-chair-anti-racism-and-health-equity-toronto/?utm_source=html