Assistant Professor- Health Informatics and Translational Digital Health Systems and Policy Research

The Canada Impact+ Emerging Leaders program is a one-time initiative designed to support institutions in attracting internationally based Early Career Researchers to Canada. Emerging Leaders will receive research funding and institutional supports to advance transformative research in Canada’s strategic priority areas , build partnerships across sectors and borders, and translate their research into applications and impacts that benefit Canadians and the world.

The Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto [St. George] invites applications for a full-time tenure stream position to advance transformational research projects that support the growth of the Canadian economy in the following strategic priority area(s):

• Advanced digital technologies (AI, quantum, cybersecurity)
• Health, including biotechnology

The nominee’s research area must demonstrably align with these categories. Awards are valued at $100K per year over six years, with the possibility of extension for another six years.

The appointment will be at the rank of Assistant Professor, with an anticipated start date of January 1st, 2027.

Emerging Leaders Awards are intended for exceptional emerging scholars. Candidates must be within five years (minus eligible delays) of the start date of their first research-related appointment, defined as an appointment where the individual has the autonomy to conduct research independently. All eligible delays in research (e.g., maternity, parental, medical, bereavement) are credited as twice the amount of time taken. Professional leaves (e.g., training, sabbatical, administrative) are not credited as eligible leaves.

REQUIREMENTS AND QUALIFICATIONS

The University of Toronto requires that candidates must have a PhD at the time of appointment, in one of the following fields: Health Informatics, Biomedical Informatics, Information Science, Information Systems, or other relevant fields. Candidates should have focused expertise in the implementation, or scaling of digital health innovations, such as application of AI to healthcare, with strengths in areas such as data governance and stewardship; effective, equitable application and monitoring of AI; socio-technical systems; safety and risk management. Candidates must also have a demonstrated record of excellence in both teaching and research in health informatics policy, leadership and systems research, and proven excellence or emerging excellence as a leader of collaborative, multi-/inter- trans-disciplinary research. The successful candidate will have established an independent program of research, with potential for impact through collaborations with, but not limited to, the Impact+ Research Chair in Translational Digital Health and to generate translation and impacts. The successful candidate will have also demonstrated commitment to integrating knowledge users, policy makers, and members of the public in their research.

Candidates must provide evidence of research excellence of an internationally competitive calibre, commensurate with their career stage, as demonstrated by a record of contributions or publications in leading journals in the field or a research pipeline that is at high international levels, presentations at significant conferences, accolades or awards, and strong endorsements by referees of high standing.

Evidence of excellence in teaching is required and is demonstrated by the teaching dossier, including a statement of teaching philosophy, teaching evaluations and sample course material, teaching accomplishments and strong endorsements from referees.

We seek candidates whose research and teaching interests complement and enhance our existing departmental strengths. Applicants are encouraged to review the research and teaching profiles of current faculty members. Please visit our home page: IHPME . 

RESPONSIBILITIES

Advances in cutting-edge technologies such as Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Generative Artificial Intelligence have paved the way to exciting opportunities to support learning health systems-to transform health service delivery in areas such as virtual care, mobile technologies, and wearable devices for health. However, recent research has largely focused on the accuracy of the technology and much less on real-life use at the patient, organizational, and system levels. There are research gaps in understanding how to best design information infrastructure and appropriate policies to sustain, scale, and spread these innovations safely and equitably (i.e., meso and macro level considerations). Examples of these research gaps include infrastructure and policy development related  to  digital  health  data  governance,  data  sharing,  privacy,  equity,  safety,  innovation mobilization and spread, change management, and strategies to avoid negative unintended consequences.

We seek candidates who demonstrate collegial and collaborative service, and whose research and teaching interests complement and bolster our existing departmental strengths – Health Informatics, Biomedical Informatics, Artificial Intelligence, Learning Health Systems, User-centred Design and Development of Digital Health Technologies, Health Systems Research, Implementation Science, Interoperability and virtual health.

The successful candidate will be expected to teach courses such as in Leadership for Digital Health Transformation; AI/ML and Precision Medicine and Digital health Implementation/Translation, Systems Design and Policy Development in the context of AI; Information and Interoperability Governance; Knowledge Management and Systems, and Translation for professional and research stream students. The candidate will have the opportunity to assume academic leadership positions including advancing the curricula related to health informatics in the Institute’s professional and research programs. The candidate may also have the opportunity to teach undergraduate courses.

ABOUT US

Established by Royal Charter in 1827, the University of Toronto is the largest and most prestigious research-intensive university in Canada, located in one of the world’s greatest cities. The University has more than 19,000 faculty and staff, some 73,000 students enrolled across three campuses, and annual budget of $1.8 billion, including $376 million in externally funded research, an additional $469 million in research funding in the affiliated teaching hospitals, and one of the premier research libraries in North America.

The Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) is one of the largest units of its kind in Canada. It is internationally competitive in the fields of health policy and governance, organizational management and leadership, performance management, comparative health systems, health services research, clinical epidemiology and health care research, knowledge transfer, health economics, quality improvement, and patient safety. It offers rigorous research and professional graduate degree programs, as well as continuing education. Multidisciplinary and collaborative, the Institute’s more than 600 faculty members represent a wide range of disciplines including health policy, economics, law, clinical epidemiology, innovation, e-health and technology, sociology, and political science.

This Institute—unique in Canada—brings together leading researchers from across the world and from a wide variety of disciplines to develop and to translate innovative ideas into evidence- informed practices that improve the planning, delivery and outcomes of health care. The current Director, Professor Audrey Laporte, was appointed January 1, 2020. For detailed information on the Institute, visit its website.

The Institute is located within the Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH). This School was founded in 1927 and has grown to be the largest and most productive cluster of public health scholars in Canada. The Dalla Lana School of Public Health (DLSPH) () has an illustrious history that began in the 1920’s and continued     with     a     recent      renaissance      beginning      in      2008      (see      synopsis     at ). The most prominent School of Public Health in Canada, the DLSPH now has a roster of over 800 students, and greater than $27 million in annual research expenditures. In addition to the Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, the DLSPH houses the graduate unit of Public Health Sciences, the Waakebiness Institute for Indigenous Health, major initiatives related to Healthy Cities, Big Data for Health, Quality Improvement, Environmental Sustainability in Healthcare and partnerships with institutions throughout Toronto that comprise the largest health-science research complex in Canada, alliances with multiple international partners and a central location in one of the most dynamic, multi-ethnic, and cosmopolitan cities in the world. The current Dean, Professor Adalsteinn Brown, was appointed July 1, 2018 and re-appointed on July 1, 2023.

HIRING SALARY RANGE

The expected salary range is $130,000-$160,000 CAD per annum, depending on experience. Negotiations beyond this salary range will be considered for exceptionally qualified candidates.

APPLICATION PROCESS

All application materials, including recent reference letters, must be received by August 13, 2026. Only complete applications will be considered.

To be considered for this position, all application materials must be submitted online at the link below. Your CV and cover letter should be uploaded into the dedicated fields. Please combine additional application materials into one or two files in PDF/MS Word format. Applicants must submit the following materials:  

• a cover letter describing their research agenda and identifying the specific stream(s) to which their research relates;
• a current curriculum vitae;
• a teaching dossier, including
  • a teaching statement,
  • sample course materials, and
  • teaching evaluations; and  
• the name and contact information of three references.

The University of Toronto’s recruiting tool will automatically solicit and collect letters of reference from each referee within 48 hours of an application being submitted. Applicants remain responsible for ensuring that referees submit recent letters (on letterhead, dated and signed) by the closing date. Submission guidelines and details on the automatic reference letter collection, including timelines, are available in the candidate FAQ .

Expatriate Canadians wishing to relocate to Canada are welcome to apply.

If you have questions about this opportunity, please contact Prof. Audrey Laporte at View email address on jobs.utoronto.ca .  All application materials must be submitted through the University of Toronto’s online application system. Submission guidelines can be found at of T.me/how-to-apply.

The University recognizes that scholars have varying career paths and that career interruptions due to personal circumstances can be part of an excellent academic record. Search committee members have been instructed to give careful consideration to, and be sensitive to the impact of, career interruptions in their assessments.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT

The University of Toronto embraces Diversity and is building a culture of belonging that increases our capacity to effectively address and serve the interests of our global community. We strongly encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized persons, women, persons with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual and gender identities. We value applicants who have demonstrated a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and recognize that diverse perspectives, experiences, and expertise are essential to strengthening our academic mission.

As part of your application, you will be asked to complete a brief Diversity Survey, accessed via the online application system. This survey is voluntary, but applicants are encouraged to self-identify in any of the groups, where applicable. For more information, please see of T.me/UP . Any information directly related to you is confidential and cannot be accessed by search committees or human resources staff.

ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT

The University strives to be an equitable and inclusive community, and proactively seeks to increase diversity among its community members. Our values regarding equity and diversity are linked with our unwavering commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission.

The University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment, and selection processes as accessible as possible, and provide accommodations as required for applicants with disabilities. If you require any accommodations at any point during the application and hiring process, please contact Anupreet Sandhu, Academic Recruitment Specialist, at View email address on jobs.utoronto.ca .