Director of the Center for Leadership and Disability, Mark Chaffin Center for Health Development, School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
Posted: Thursday, June 15, 2023
A Director for the Center for Leadership in Disability (CLD) is being sought at the rank of Associate/Full Research Professor or Associate/Full Professor (Tenured).
The CLD is a nationally recognized University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities whose mission is to translate research into sustainable community practices that contribute to independent, self-determined, inclusive, and productive lives for people with disabilities and their families. The CLD is also home to the prominent and highly respected Georgia Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (GaLEND) program. GaLEND leverages its many Atlanta-area partnerships to ensure a pool of competent and diverse future leaders for the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) workforce. A central focus is increasing underrepresented populations’ participation in services, dissemination, training, and post-graduate education related to autism spectrum disorders and related neurodevelopmental disabilities (ASD/DD). It has a demonstrated track record of engaging diverse groups of graduate and post-graduate public health and advocacy professionals in a highly interdisciplinary MCH setting, preparing them to assume leadership roles, and advance MCH science, research, practice, and policy.
The CLD is a unit within the Mark Chaffin Center for Healthy Development (MCCHD), a university-level research center, housed in the School of Public at Georgia State University. Georgia State is an enterprising urban public research institution in Atlanta, the leading cultural and economic center of the Southeast. With more than 52,000 students, Georgia State ranked first among public universities for undergraduate teaching and second for most innovative universities (U.S. News and World Report, 2023). The MCCHD is focused on public health research solutions that prevent child maltreatment, reduce sexual and family violence, optimize social-emotional health and development across the life course, and promote inclusion and quality of life for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. With cumulative extramural funding exceeding $70 million, including $8.9 million procured in the past fiscal year, MCCHD is engaged in research and outreach that fosters social ecologies that promote healthy development and well-being through positive developmental and behavioral supports at home and across multiple community-based systems of care (e.g., school, hospital, child welfare, and early care and learning). The School of Public Health (SPH) is CEPH accredited with Bachelors, Masters, DrPH and Ph.D. degree programs, and certificate programs in Public Health and Maternal and Child Health. Its vibrant student body is among the most diverse in the nation, inclusive of 95 Fulbright students, and exceeding enrollment of 900 students annually. A focal point of the SPH is addressing health equity in solving contemporary and emerging health issues through education, research, and community engagement.
The CLD Director will be appointed in the MCCHD and in the relevant academic department in the School of Public Health. The Director will provide dynamic leadership that facilitates growth of extramurally funded research and outreach initiatives and will guide the UCEDD and GA-LEND in providing interdisciplinary pre-service preparation and continuing education, implementing community services, conducting research, influencing policy and practices, and disseminating evidence-based information. At the rank of Associate/Full Research Professor or Associate/Full Professor (Tenured), the candidate will have an established national or international reputation for excellence in the field of developmental disabilities, hold a doctorate in an appropriate discipline related to the support of individuals with developmental disabilities (e.g., public health, psychology, education, special education, communication disorders, etc.). The candidate will bring an established program of extramurally funded research aligned with CLD priorities, possess professional experience in Maternal and Child Health, and expertise commensurate with the assumption of a leadership role for the direction of a large interdisciplinary research and training program including substantial experience with directing externally funded projects, managing large multi-year budgets, influencing policy and programs for individuals with developmental disabilities, and working in partnership with state agencies and advocacy organizations.
This position will provide day-to-day management and oversight of operations within the Center for Leadership in Disability. Responsibilities will include program development, securing external funds for research and outreach grants, supervising project staff and faculty, conducting research, teaching at the graduate level, producing scholarly peer-reviewed publications and presentations, and mentoring junior faculty. The candidate will collaborate with faculty colleagues in the CLD and MCCHD as well as partner with higher education institutions, state agencies, and community-based service providers to implement programs and conduct research to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities, their families and service providers.
Compensation: Competitive and commensurate with experience. Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until position is filled. Employment will be conditional on background investigation/verification. Application Process: Electronic submissions should be emailed to [email protected]. Please include MCCHD Search Committee (23120) in the subject line, and address to Dr. Kathleen Baggett, Search Committee Chair. Please submit a cover letter discussing interest and qualifications, curriculum vitae, two examples of published material, three letters of reference. Georgia State University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against applicants due to race, ethnicity, gender, veterans’ status, or on the basis of disability or any other federal, state, or local protected class.
