The Lewis Katz School of Medicine (LKSOM) at Temple University (TU) seeks a dynamic individual to serve as Director of the Center for Urban Bioethics (CUB). The new Director will be expected to carry on the program’s vision of a more ethical world where individuals and communities have an equitable capacity for health. This is an outstanding opportunity for the new leader to build upon the Center's current strengths, continue to teach, bring new knowledge, and partner collaboratively with the North Philadelphia community and Philadelphia and PA governmental agencies.
The new Center Director will demonstrate the leadership, management ability, and administrative experience to take the Center to the next level of achievement in its three core missions – education, research, and community engagement. The successful candidate will formulate and steward, in conjunction with key stakeholders, short, mid, and long-term strategic plans for the Center to identify opportunities for growth in all phases of Temple's mission. The Director will promote and encourage diversity, equity, and inclusiveness and display transparent financial stewardship of the Center, School, University, and State resources in the development and oversight of the budget for the Center. The successful candidate will be a spokesperson and advocate for the Center and University in the community and for the community in the Center and University.
Incorporated into the Center's work is explicit attention to the social and structural determinants of health and the larger issues of marginalization and disempowerment of historically underrepresented and ignored communities of people that further fuel inequities. Educational and research programs are designed to foster the capacity for community and individual health. It is paramount to the success and progress of the Center’s work that all activity is driven by community engagement.
The Director of the Center Urban Bioethics will ensure that the teaching mission of the Center continues to grow in excellence. The Center Director will: provide strategic insight for the Center's flagship education program, the MA in Urban Bioethics; support and encourage the Center's faculty in the presentation of scholarship locally, nationally, and internationally; provide teaching-track faculty members with opportunities for professional growth and development while ensuring that the goals of the Center, School, and University are achieved; and contribute to Center sponsored education in bioethics, the social and structural determinants of health, health policy, community engagement, immigrant health, service learning, and other related topics within the Lewis Katz School of Medicine and Temple University. This includes but is not limited to medical, physician assistant, post-baccalaureate, and dental students.
The Center Director will encourage strong interdisciplinary research collaboration with investigators within the Center, the School of Medicine, and other schools and research centers throughout the University. The successful candidate will demonstrate excellence in presenting and publishing scholarly activity, promote an atmosphere conducive to research & scholarship, and stimulate high levels of scholarly productivity by Center faculty as reflected in publications in peer-reviewed journals and invited presentations.
The Director will champion community engagement and work with the Center's primary community partners to continue ongoing collaborative discussions around health equity related to service, research, and education. The new leader will support community partners with like-minded goals to facilitate increased community involvement in research and bring community expertise into the medical school community regarding community engagement, education, and research.
Reporting Structure/Key Relationships
The Center Director of the Center for Urban Bioethics (CUB) will be accountable directly to the Dean of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine. Currently, there are two full-time tenure-track faculty and three NTT Instructional faculty who report directly to the CUB Director. Seven additional Temple faculty have secondary appointments in CUB, with their space and reporting lines within their home departments. CUB administratively sits in the Department of Urban Health and Population Science, where there are two other research Centers: The Center for Asian Health (CAH) and The Hope Center. Key relationships include the Chair of the Department of Urban Health and Population Science, the respective Directors of the CAH and the Hope Center, as well as members of Temple University governmental affairs and city/state governmental partners.
About the Center for Urban Bioethics
Mission
The Center for Urban Bioethics was established in 2010. Through support and the financial backing of a seed grant awarded by Temple University’s Office of the Provost, the Center for Urban Bioethics quickly became a leader and pioneer in the field, establishing a unique foothold within the world of bioethics. CUB also created the first and only Master of Arts degree program in Urban Bioethics in the country.
The Center consists of faculty and staff from a variety of disciplines, including physicians, clinicians, juris doctorates, social workers, anthropologists, community health workers, and other partners. Having the Center rooted in community engagement is paramount. Therefore, community residents are central to the design, implementation, and evaluation of the programs – and CUB employs key staff from the North Philadelphia community who enhance the credibility and effectiveness of its research, programs, and educational initiatives.
To learn more about the Center for Urban Bioethics (CUB), click HERE
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Specific Responsibilities
Educational Requirements
This position requires a doctoral degree, including Ph.D., MD/Ph.D., or equivalent. The candidate must hold the highest certification possible in their field and maintain excellence in his/her area of expertise. The individual must be qualified for an academic appointment at the rank of associate or full professor in the medical school and have an outstanding research, scholarship, and mentoring/education record.
Faculty Appointment, Benefits/Compensation
The Center Director will carry a non-Tenure Track or Tenure Track faculty appointment as an Associate or Full Professor in the Department of Urban Health and Population Science at LKSOM. The annual compensation shall be determined based on experience and qualifications. In addition to a competitive salary, there is a comprehensive suite of benefits – including a generous 403b retirement match, health, dental, vision, life, malpractice, tuition remission, and CME, among others.
The Organization
Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, and Temple Health
The Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University is dedicated to excellence in education, research, and patient care, achieved by faculty, staff, and learners who represent and serve its diverse society.
In 2015, the Temple University School of Medicine was renamed the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in honor of Temple alumnus, former trustee, and philanthropist Lewis Katz. The school enjoys a national reputation for training humanistic clinicians and biomedical scientists - a school that values not just technical excellence but cultural competence through diversity, equity, and inclusion. LKSOM enrolls 220 medical students, 22 graduate students in the biomedical sciences, 35 physician assistant students, and 40 post-baccalaureate students per year.
Katz School of Medicine has 27 basic science and clinical departments, comprising over 900 full-and part-time faculty, over 900 volunteer faculty, and more than 500 staff.
With more than 13,000 alumni, LKSOM has trained a significant proportion of the physician base in the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Delaware region. Reflecting the excellent quality of a Temple medical education, the MD graduates are highly regarded by competitive residency training programs. They have made significant career contributions to both medical practice and medical research. Many have become department chairpersons, deans, and vice presidents of major academic medical centers.
At Katz, students learn the true art and science of “doctoring.” In addition, the school’s world-class faculty set the pace in key areas of investigation, pushing the boundaries of science to advance patient care.
The Katz School of Medicine home base is a modern, 11-story medical education and research building with state-of-the-art facilities and technologies. The building opened in 2009 and boasts open-air research labs, smart classrooms, and a state-of-the-art anatomy lab. More than half of the space in the building is dedicated to research. With specialized research centers and strengths focused on population health, neuroscience, cancer, metabolic disease, lung disease and inflammation, infectious diseases including HIV, cardiovascular disease, substance addiction, and translational science, Katz conducts investigations to break new ground and trains future generations of researchers to follow suit.
Katz confers the following degrees: MD; PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) and MS (Master of Science) in Biomedical Sciences; Physician Assistant MMS (Master of Medical Science); MA (Master of Arts) in Urban Bioethics, the only program in the country; and the dual degrees MD/PhD, MD/MPH, MD/MA in Urban Bioethics and MD/MBA.
In addition to its Philadelphia campus, Katz has a four-year regional campus in Bethlehem, PA. The St. Luke’s University Health Network-Bethlehem Campus currently provides medical education for 40 medical students each year.
The Katz School of Medicine also provides opportunities for international students through educational affiliation agreements with universities worldwide. Visiting medical students may take up to two rotations within the program and they must be full-time students in their final year of medical school.
Katz has numerous research centers:
With its affiliates, including Fox Chase Cancer Center, Katz has been awarded over $135 million in research grants over the last year, including more than $55 million in NIH funding for LKSOM. Philanthropic support of scholarships - a top priority, along with support for education, patient care, research, and service to the community - averages more than $30 million annually, typically representing a quarter of Temple University’s overall philanthropic revenue.
Temple University
Founded by Russell H. Conwell in 1884, Temple’s official motto - Perseverantia Vincit, or Perseverance Conquers - reflects its students’ drive to succeed and ability to turn opportunities into accomplishments. Conwell’s purpose was “to give education to those who were unable to get it through the usual channels.” In Temple’s earliest incarnation, working-class citizens were taught late in the evening and referred to as “night owls,” giving rise to the school’s mascot and team name.
In 1965, the University became a member of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education, one of three state-related, comprehensive research universities in Pennsylvania. In addition to its Main Campus in North Philadelphia, Temple has three additional locations in Philadelphia: Temple University Center City, the Health Sciences Center, also in North Philadelphia, and the School of Podiatric Medicine near Philadelphia’s historic district. Regional campuses are located in Ambler and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with international campuses in Japan and Rome.
Temple’s influence extends around the globe, with longstanding campuses in Tokyo and Rome; programs in London, Beijing, and other locations; nearly 190 institutional collaborations in 43 countries; and more than 350,000 alumni worldwide. High graduation rates, accomplished graduate degree programs, new living and learning facilities and groundbreaking work in science education and research fuel Temple’s momentum. In the latest Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, Temple is in the “highest research activity” category, or R1, placing it among the top four percent of all four-year institutions in the nation.
Temple had a budget of $3.7 billion in FY2022, including $2.5 billion for the Temple University Health System and $1.2 billion for the University. Approximately 73 percent of the University’s operating budget is derived from tuition and fees, and 13 percent from Commonwealth appropriation. The remaining budget comes from indirect cost recovery, gifts, auxiliary enterprises and other sources.
Temple offers 630 academic degree and certificate programs including two associate degree programs, 176 bachelor’s programs, 182 master’s programs, 54 doctoral programs, and 13 professional practice degree programs. Temple is also among the nation’s largest providers of professional education with approximately 3,800 students enrolled in the schools of dentistry, law, medicine, pharmacy, and podiatric medicine.
About Temple Health
Temple University Health System (Temple Health) is a $2.5 billion academic health system dedicated to providing access to quality patient care and supporting excellence in medical education and research. Temple Health includes Temple University Hospital (TUH)-Main Campus; TUH-Episcopal Campus; TUH-Jeanes Campus; TUH-Northeastern Campus; Temple University Hospital – Fox Chase Cancer Center Outpatient Department; TUH-Northeastern Endoscopy Center; The Hospital of Fox Chase Cancer CSAR, together with The Institute for Cancer Research, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center; Fox Chase Cancer Center Medical Group, Inc., The Hospital of Fox Chase Cancer Center’s physician practice plan; Temple Health – Chestnut Hill Hospital; Temple Transport Team, a ground and air-ambulance company; Temple Physicians, Inc., a network of community-based specialty and primary-care physician practices; and Temple Faculty Practice Plan, Inc., Temple Health’s academic physician practice plan. Temple Health is affiliated with the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.
Temple Health refers to the health, education and research activities carried out by the affiliates of Temple Health and by the Katz School of Medicine. Temple Health neither provides nor controls the provision of health care. All health care is provided by its member organizations or independent health care providers affiliated with Temple Health member organizations. Each Temple Health member organization is owned and operated pursuant to its governing documents.
TUHS is a progressive and innovative organization. Within the past year, it has earned national and regional accolades for excellence in healthcare. Among these recognitions are the Philadelphia “Employer of Choice” (the only healthcare provider named), Forbes “Best in State”, Healthcare Equality Index Leader, Nursing Magnet, and Leapfrog “A” Safety Grade. These honors speak to the proud team culture of TUHS.
Notable statistics about Temple Health include:
Temple Faculty Physicians (TFP)
Temple Faculty Physicians is made up of more than 500 dually employed physicians who are the cornerstone of clinical care and teaching for Temple’s healthcare enterprise. These physicians practice in 20 academic departments encompassing every subspecialty in modern medicine.
While remaining committed to serving patients in the North Philadelphia community, Temple Faculty Physicians has expanded its geographic reach beyond Temple University Hospital’s Health Sciences campus in recent years. Today, Temple physicians care for patients in several Temple-affiliated hospitals, in satellite offices in Center City Philadelphia, Fort Washington, PA, Oaks, PA and various other outpatient settings. This expanded reach has brought Temple medical care closer to home for many patients.
A Board of Directors comprised of key physician and executive leaders of the Temple University Health System and the Lewis Katz School of Medicine governs Temple Faculty Physicians.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Located in the heart of a diverse urban area, the Katz School of Medicine is acutely aware of the impact of the national systemic problems related to the lack of health equity and access to affordable, culturally responsive healthcare. In response, Katz works to address issues that promote health equity through education, care delivery, workforce development, and research. LKSOM recognizes that an environment enriched with persons from varied backgrounds working to address health disparity enhances scholarly work and the development of a culturally aware and responsive healthcare workforce.
The Katz School of Medicine is committed to achieving a climate of inclusion that respects and affirms diverse backgrounds and life experiences. Katz recognizes that excellence in education, training, research, and care delivery is achieved when all students, faculty, staff, community members, and patients experience authentic connection and engagement, feel supported, and are encouraged to participate and contribute to creating health equity.
Procedure for Candidacy
To be considered for this position, you must complete an online application. Your application will not be considered complete until you have submitted all the required documents and information.
Application materials should include the following: a cover letter, curriculum vitae, one-page summary of current research interests and past accomplishments, and a one-page summary of educational and leadership philosophy and accomplishments. LKSOM values diversity and is committed to working towards achieving equity and inclusion within all of its programs. Candidates applying for this position are required to provide a statement addressing how they would utilize their experience and knowledge to promote diversity and inclusion, and how that commitment would add value to the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.
The review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.
For confidential inquires and or questions about the opportunity please contact, Michael Lester, Assistant Dean, Physician/Faculty Recruitment and Retention, LKSOM, Email: michael.lester@tuhs.temple.edu
We are especially interested in qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds and under-represented groups. For more information about diversity at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, please visit the Office of Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
COVID-19 vaccinations are required for employment at Temple University, unless granted a religious or medical exemption (see www.temple.edu/coronavirus).
Temple University is especially interested in qualified candidates who can contribute through their research, teaching, and/or service to the diversity and excellence of the academic community. Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and strongly encourages applications from women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities.