Assistant Professor - Leadership in Health Informatics Systems and Policy Research

Description:

The Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto (hereinafter, the Institute) invite applications for a full-time tenure stream in the areas of Leadership in Health Informatics Systems and Policy Research.  The appointment will be at the rank of Assistant Professor, with anticipated start date of January 1st, 2027.

Candidates must hold a PhD at the time of appointment, in one of the following fields: Health Informatics, Information Science, Information Systems, or other relevant fields. Candidates should have focused expertise in the implementation, or scaling of digital health innovations, with strengths in areas such as data governance and stewardship, 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 be expected to pursue innovative and independent research, and to establish an outstanding, competitive, and externally funded program.

Innovation in information technology is rapidly transforming healthcare across all levels—from improving individual patient care (micro), to enhancing operations within healthcare organizations (meso), and shaping policy, regulation, and governance at the system level (macro). Advances in cutting-edge technologies such as Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Generative Artificial Intelligence have paved the way to exciting opportunities 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, User-centred Design and Development of Digital Health Technologies, Artificial Intelligence, Health Systems Research, Implementation Science, Learning Health Systems, Interoperability and virtual health.

Excellence in research, including an emerging reputation in research, can be demonstrated by evidence of an ability to attract competitive external research funding, a record of publications in appropriate top-ranked peer-reviewed journals or forthcoming publications meeting the international standards of excellence, the submitted research statement, and strong endorsements by referees of high international standing. Successful candidates will have also demonstrated commitment to integrating knowledge users, policy makers, and members of the public in their research.

Excellence in teaching will be demonstrated through a strong teaching dossier, which must include a statement of teaching philosophy sample course materials, a record of previous teaching accomplishments and innovations, and teaching evaluations or other evidence of superior performance in teaching-related activities submitted as part of the application, as well as strong endorsements from referees of high standing. Other teaching-related activities can include performance as a teaching assistant or course instructor, experience leading successful workshops or seminars, student mentorship, or excellent conference presentations or posters.

The successful candidate will be expected to teach courses such as in Leadership for Digital Health Transformation; Systems Design and Policy Development in Health Informatics; Information and Interoperability Governance; Knowledge Management and Systems, AI/ML and Precision Medicine and Digital health Implementation 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.

The expected salary range is $130,000-$150,000 CAD per annum, depending on experience. Negotiations beyond this salary range will be considered for exceptionally qualified candidates.

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.

Application Process:

All qualified candidates are invited to apply online by clicking on the link below. Applications must submit a cover letter; a current curriculum vitae; a research statement outlining current and future research interests; a recent writing sample; and a teaching dossier including a teaching statement, sample course materials, and teaching evaluations or evidence of superior performance in other teaching relating activities as listed above.  

Applicants must provide 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 after an application is submitted. Applicants remain responsible for ensuring that referees submit recent letters (on letterhead, dated and signed) by the closing date. More details on the automatic reference letter collection, including timelines, are available in the  candidate FAQ .

Submission guidelines can be found at:  . 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. If you have questions about this position, please contact Precious Canlas at IHPME at  View email address on jobs.utoronto.ca . 

All application materials, including recent letters of reference, must be received by August 13, 2026. 

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

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. This survey is voluntary. Any information directly related to you is confidential and cannot be accessed by search committees or human resources staff. Results will be aggregated for institutional planning purposes. For more information, please see .

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 View email address on jobs.utoronto.ca .