The Department of Community Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health (FSPH) invites applications for a tenured/tenure-track faculty member at the assistant, associate, or full professor level, with expertise in the areas of aging and the health and well-being of older adults.
In recent years, public health researchers have grappled with the complex challenges posed by an aging population, including increased healthcare needs, social isolation, and the intersections of age with other social determinants of health. The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the vulnerabilities of older adults, bringing renewed attention to the importance of gerontological public health research and interventions. In response, the field of public health has increasingly emphasized the critical need to address the unique health challenges and disparities faced by older adults.
The Department of Community Health Sciences (CHS), one of five departments within FSPH, is concerned with the social and behavioral research applied to health, health promotion, and public health practice. The focus is on programs, policies, and actions that can promote health in the context of social, cultural, political, economic, and environmental factors. The faculty is multidisciplinary and includes those whose primary training is in the social sciences, behavioral sciences, medicine, nutrition, demography, economic, and health promotion and education.
For this position, we seek applicants who are strongly committed to cutting-edge research, high-quality graduate and undergraduate teaching, and public service related to aging and advancing health equity within communities. Specifically, we are seeking scholars whose research focuses on the process of aging across the life course with an emphasis on middle and older adulthood. Although the specific health field and specialization is open, we welcome scholars who have a demonstrated record (or the demonstrated potential) of aging-related research that addresses complex public health challenges.
We are particularly interested in research that:
• Assesses the impacts of aging and the well-being of older adults at various ecological levels (i.e., individual, interpersonal, community, and institutional)
• Explores the interplay of aging, policy, and population health
• Elevates evidence-based approaches and community interventions to improve the health and well-being of older adults
• Addresses health equity and social justice issues in aging populations
• Utilizes innovative research methods, including Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) and data science approaches
Our department seeks to expand its capacity and complement existing strengths in aging-related research. We are looking for candidates who can contribute to and enhance our current work in various aspects of health equity and social justice as they pertain to aging populations. Areas of particular interest include, but are not limited to:
• Mental health and well-being among older adults
• Prevention and management of chronic diseases in aging populations
• Intersections of aging with other key public health concerns
• Aging experiences of socially marginalized communities, including but not limited to: Latinx and Black Americans, LGBTQ+ older adults, refugee and migrant communities, unhoused individuals, and other underserved populations.
We welcome research that addresses these issues and populations, recognizing the complex and multifaceted nature of aging in diverse communities.
The ideal candidate will have interdisciplinary scholarship experience, a commitment to translating research into practice, the ability to teach core courses and foundational methods in Community Health Sciences, as well as specialized courses in their area of expertise, and a dedication to mentoring students at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Faculty in the Department of Community Health Sciences utilize a wide array of methodological approaches in their research and teaching. For this position, we are excited to add to our methodological diversity. Candidates should have expertise in quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods approaches. We are especially interested in growing our capacity in specific methodological areas related to aging research, including:
• Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR)
• Survey methodology
• Program planning and evaluation
• Implementation science
• Data science and health informatics
Candidates with demonstrated expertise in one or more of these areas will be given special consideration. Additionally, clinicians and public health practitioners with research experience are especially encouraged to apply, as their practical insights can greatly enrich our research and teaching endeavors.
UCLA offers a rich environment for collaboration on aging research and is home to the National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Aging (NIH/NIA)-funded Center for Health Improvement of Minority Elderly (CHIME), a Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR). We would encourage successful applicants to affiliate with CHIME, as well as other campus wide centers such as the California Center for Population Research, Center for Health Policy Research, and Center for Policy Research on Aging.