Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Public Health

ABOUT WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY:

Willamette University, founded in 1842, is a nationally-renowned private university enrolling 2800 students across five colleges. Our historic campus, adjacent to the Oregon State Capitol, hosts a distinguished undergraduate liberal arts college in Salem, Oregon. Our downtown Portland campus is home to the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA). We offer a wide range of professional graduate programs, including Oregon's top-ranked MBA program, the Northwest's oldest law school, as well as MA/MFA programs at PNCA and master's degrees in data science and computer science.

Willamette University provides a high-value and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our Benefits Summary includes options for health, dental, life insurance, retirement, substantial paid time off, tuition and more. If you need assistance applying for a job or have any questions on recruitment at Willamette, please contact our HR Department, hr@willamette.edu or call us at 503-370-6210.

POSITION DESCRIPTION

The Public Health, Ethics, Advocacy, and Leadership (PHEAL) program of Willamette College, staffed by Faculty of Arts & Sciences at Willamette University, welcomes applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Public Health to begin in August 2026. A terminal degree or scheduled defense date is required by the start of the Fall 2026 term.

PHEAL is an undergraduate program with dedicated faculty who teach core classes in public health and electives in their areas of specialty; students round out their studies through relevant electives that span the arts and sciences. The successful candidate will share our focus on global health and health equity, and our commitment to (and enthusiasm for) high-impact undergraduate education, including community-based research and learning. Applicants should be prepared to cover core classes as needed, typically at least one per term: Introduction to Public Health, Introduction to Epidemiology, and Public Health Ethics. In addition, the candidate will contribute topical and applied courses that expand on our existing offerings in subspecialties such as child and adolescent health, communicable disease, comparative health systems, global health, implementation science, public health communication, refugee and migrant health, or reproductive health. Across the college, our tenure-track faculty teach approximately 120 undergraduate students per year (typically over 5-6 courses), research in their fields, advise students, and engage in rotating service to department, college, and university. All Faculty of Arts & Sciences are expected to teach non-majors as well as majors and contribute to the General Education curriculum.

Willamette believes that a diverse and inclusive community is essential to achieving academic excellence. Accordingly, we seek candidates, particularly those from historically marginalized groups, whose work furthers equity and who bring to campus varied experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds. Willamette College is proud to enroll a substantial number of low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students of color. Over the past four years, 24% of our students identified as first-generation; 24% were Pell-eligible, and 33% identified as African American, Hispanic/LatinX, Native American/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, or multiracial. The successful candidate will have demonstrated potential for growth and success as a teacher and scholar, and a capacity for professional and student-centered work that will further inclusivity and diversity at Willamette.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Teach 5-6 undergraduate courses per year
• Advise and mentor students
• Maintain a scholarly research agenda, marked by peer-reviewed publication
• Engage in rotating service to department, college, and university
• Other duties as outlined in the faculty handbook

Minimum Qualifications:

• A PhD or DrPH in a core public health field; alternatively an MPH combined with a PhD in a relevant field will be considered. If the degree is not yet conferred, a scheduled dissertation defense prior to Fall 2026 is acceptable.
• Experience with college-level teaching or potential for teaching excellence

Salary: Faculty of Arts and Sciences are paid on a step system. The 2025-26 salary for a Step 1 Assistant Professor is $70,301.

You will need to upload the following documents as part of your application materials in the "My Experience" section labeled "Resume:"

• Letter of application addressing how your teaching, scholarship, and life experience would contribute to Willamette College and to the PHEAL program
• Curriculum vitae
• A teaching statement including a discussion of how issues of global health, health equity, diversity, and inclusivity would be addressed in your teaching
• A research statement describing your work to date and vision for the next 3-5 years
• Evidence of teaching effectiveness such as student evaluation or peer observation evaluations

Semifinalists will be asked to provide a working or published paper and the names and contact information for three recommenders who can supply letters of reference.

Review of applications will begin on a rolling basis starting October 7, 2025; applications should be received by November 1, 2025 for full consideration.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

If you have questions about the position, please contact Dr. Nicole Iroz-Elardo, Chair .

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BACKGROUND CHECK REQUIREMENT:
All University positions require that candidates submit to a criminal conviction record check prior to hire. Conviction does not automatically preclude candidates from being hired. Nature of conviction will be considered relative to the duties of the position.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS STATEMENT:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICANTS:

Please read the following carefully before beginning the online application process. To be considered for employment at Willamette University, please complete our online employment application. Your application and all required attachments -- listed at the bottom of the page -- must be submitted for each individual job post that you are interested in applying. Once you submit your application you will not be able to edit your application.