Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship

Position Details

Position Information

Position Type
Faculty

Faculty Track
Non Tenure

Position Title
Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship

Employment Status
Full Time

Months
12

Campus
Biddeford, ME

Description

THE OPPORTUNITY
The primary role of the Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship ( ADRS ) is to provide strategic leadership, direction, and support for scholarly and research programs, activities and experiences in the College of Osteopathic Medicine ( COM ). In collaboration with the Dean of COM and the Associate Provost for Research and Scholarship ( APRS ), the ADRS will develop and implement strategies to promote a vibrant scholarly culture across all four years of the student curriculum; partner with our clerkship campuses to expand research opportunities for students and residents; and advance excellence in biomedical, clinical, and translational research. The ADRS will work closely with the Office of Research and Scholarship ( ORS ), including the Offices of Research Integrity and Sponsored Programs to support the faculty, professional staff, and students gain experience and support in the ethical conduct of research and scholarship, assistance with extramural grant sourcing and submission, the recruitment, hiring and onboarding of research-active faculty and the oversight of research space allocation. The ADRS will strive to make students and faculty within COM aware of research and scholarly activities within other colleges and centers at UNE to promote scholarship and research collaboration. The ADRS will work with affiliate hospitals and training sites to increase collaboration, communication, and opportunities for research and scholarship involving students and faculty. The ADRS will support and advance research and scholarly collaboration within the COM, across the University, and with external affiliates and organizations.

ABOUT THE COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE
The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine ( UNE COM ) is dedicated to preparing students for successful careers as skilled and caring osteopathic physicians. As Maine’s sole medical school, UNE COM confers the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree (D.O.) and consistently achieves top scores in national licensing exams. UNE COM has recently established the Master of Science in Clinical Anatomy degree to address the need for more anatomy specialists and foster future health care professionals, educators, and researchers.
Our integrated curriculum, guided by the principles of osteopathic medicine, offers diverse learning experiences to develop the knowledge and clinical skills necessary for competent medical practice. UNE COM has been recognized among the top ten medical schools in the U.S. for graduates obtaining the residency of their choice.

UNE COM graduates are leaders in health care at the local, state, and national levels throughout the U.S., and within all branches of the military. Over 70% of UNE COM graduates practice in underserved areas, caring for our most vulnerable populations. While two-thirds of graduates practice in primary care, the remainder choose careers in specialty and subspecialty medicine.
Research plays a pivotal role at UNE COM, with opportunities for student participation in all educational, clinical, and biomedical science areas. Undergraduate, graduate, and medical students work with faculty, professional staff, and peers to conduct exciting and innovative research in fields such as cancer and metabolic disease, immunology and infectious disease, anatomy, interventional pain management, neuroscience, and pain research.

Our commitment to Interprofessional Education and Practice is evident through collaborations with programs in dental medicine, pharmacy, nursing, physician assistant, occupational and physical therapy, and social work. UNE COM facilitates collaborative initiatives with our health profession colleagues including rural immersion experiences, scholars’ programs, research opportunities, and shared clinical training assignments.

The UNE COM Department of Continuing Medical Education ( CME ) maintains dual accreditation with the American Osteopathic Association and the Maine Medical Association; authorizing UNE COM’s sponsorship of collaborative CME activities for both osteopathic (D.O.) and allopathic (M.D.) physicians. UNE COM is one of a handful of providers in the country that holds this distinction.

ABOUT THE OFFICE OF RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP
The University of New England Office of Research and Scholarship ( ORS ) plays a vital role in promoting scholarly activities across all of UNE’s colleges, programs, and centers. Through strategic planning, investment, and a comprehensive portfolio of research support services, ORS fosters collaborations both within the University and with external partners to expand the scope and impact of UNE’s research programs while fostering an inclusive scholarly environment.

As a Carnegie-classified R2 high research activity institution, UNE demonstrates remarkable strength in the biomedical sciences, including neuroscience, immunology, pharmacology, and biochemistry. The University engages medical, health professional, graduate, and undergraduate students in meaningful scholarly pursuits that enhance their educational experience while advancing our understanding of human health and disease. Faculty-led student research is a cornerstone of the UNE student experience, with 41% of UNE seniors working with faculty on research projects — almost twice the national average. ORS provides support for student experiential learning, including fellowships, travel awards, and opportunities to present and publish work.

As a part of a strategic commitment to advance biomedical research, UNE has prioritized key biomedical research areas for future investment and faculty recruitment, established strategic external partnerships, and fostered student participation in research through workforce development initiatives. Ranked No. 1 in NIH funding among colleges and universities in Maine, UNE is the only higher education institution in the state with two NIH -funded Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence ( COBRE ), including the recently established Center for Cell Signaling Research in 2024. UNE boasts 10 centers for research, scholarship, and interprofessional collaboration, as well as the recently established Portland Laboratory for Biotechnology and Health Sciences.

The ORS oversees the Office of Sponsored Programs, the Office of Research Integrity and the Office of Animal Care. These offices provide administrative support services to faculty, professional staff and students in order to enable pursuit of extramural funding, provide intellectual property and technology transfer expertise, and to ensure the highest ethical standards and regulatory compliance in UNE’s research and scholarship activities.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
About the University of New England
UNE is Maine’s largest private university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study-abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible online offerings. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to positively impact a world full of challenges. We are the state’s top provider of health professionals and home to Maine’s only medical and dental colleges, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care programs, and nationally recognized programs in the marine sciences, the natural and social sciences, business, the humanities, and the arts. For more information about these and other accolades, visit www.une.edu/about/glance.

UNE offers a generous comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. The package includes varied health and dental plans; a retirement plan that includes up to an eight percent match; extensive paid leave including holidays, vacation, sick, and personal time; and educational benefits. Please visit the Human Resources Benefits site for additional information regarding UNE’s benefits package.

About Life in Maine
The University of New England is located on two beautiful campuses in Maine – an oceanfront coastal campus of Biddeford and a vibrant health sciences campus in Portland, a city of great appeal and historic significance. With breathtaking scenery, a rich cultural environment, world-class dining, low crime rates, and classic New England charm, southern Maine provides an unparalleled quality of life. The quality of life is exemplified by safe towns and cities, top school systems, and a variety of highly accessible outdoor activities, from the beach to the mountains. Whether you enjoy local shopping in Portland’s Old Port, sampling unique breweries and distilleries in Biddeford, strolling the harbor-side trail on the Eastern Promenade, hiking, sailing, skiing, or the arts, the area offers something for everyone. The greater Portland region combines city living with small-town charm, frequently cited as one of the best cities in America to live and work.

Responsibilities

• Create and identify opportunities for UNE COM students to have experiential education in research and scholarship that will make them more competitive for residencies, fellowships, and additional apprenticeship programs.
• Develop methods for integrating research and scholarship principles into the curriculum to foster inquiry and life-long learning in UNE COM graduates.
• Support the development, assessment, publication, and funding of novel and innovative curriculum development/medical education initiatives at UNE COM .
• Develop research programs in the UNE COM associated residency sites in collaboration with the Northeast Osteopathic Medical Education Network ( NEOMEN ) and COM affiliate hospitals.
• Collaborate with affiliate hospitals and training partners to develop research opportunities for UNE COM faculty and students.
• Coordinate and track all student research opportunities with MaineHealth and other partners
• Support the faculty in refining or developing student-inclusive research initiatives that will lead to publication and external funding.
• Facilitate scholarly interactions between biomedical science faculty, clinical faculty, clinical campus faculty, and faculty within other UNE colleges.
• Collaborate with the Associate Provost for Research and Scholarship and other UNE components to build a strong environment for scholarship and research that will increase competitiveness for UNE COM research faculty to obtain extramural funding.
• Develop training and educational resources for students and clinical faculty on research methodology, processes, ethics, compliance, and safety.
• Mentor junior faculty in the development of research that will lead to publication and funding in the context of a medical school.
• Provide faculty and their mentored students with assistance in locating funding sources and successfully writing and submitting grant proposals.
• Work with Chair BMSc, COM Research & Scholarship Committee and faculty to develop and implement an internal pre-review structure to ensure the strongest possible external grant submissions by UNE COM faculty.
• Work closely with the faculty to secure Maine Osteopathic Association ( MOA ), American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine ( AACOM ) and American Osteopathic Association ( AOA ) external funding.
• Work closely with research active faculty to secure federal external funding from the NIH and other sources to support their research programs.

Research Infrastructure

• Collect, maintain, and distribute data on research outcomes of faculty and students both internally and externally in order to promote UNE COM to prospective students, funding agencies, alumni, donors, and the Board of Trustees. When needed assist with coordinating the purchase and maintenance of common infrastructure and equipment to support the overall research mission of UNE COM and ensure adequacy of research facilities.
• Maintain ongoing records of student, recent alumni, and faculty scholarship and research for the purposes of accreditation reporting.
• Oversee the content, maintenance and updating of the UNE COM research web page.
• Develop and enhance UNE COM facilities, instrumentation, and technical capacity by identifying and applying to funding mechanisms that will directly support these initiatives to strengthen the environment scores on grant proposals.
• Work with our clinical partners to identify and apply to funding mechanisms that will support shared facilities, and resources.
• Facilitate communication regarding UNE COM research initiatives and resources to foster interdisciplinary collaborations in research for faculty.
• Serve on appropriate College and University research committees and activities to represent UNE COM and create/promote productive working relationships.
• Serve on the Dean’s Leadership Team ( DLT ) to advise the Dean on aspects of UNE COM research and scholarship to integrate into the education and development of student osteopathic physicians.
• Maintain close working relationships with UNE Research Centers across campuses that offer collaborative opportunities.
• Work collaboratively with other Associate Deans and Department Chairs to establish and maintain national and international recognition of the University as a center of excellence in research.
• Assist the Dean with special projects and other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• PhD, DO, or MD from an accredited institution, in an appropriate field or discipline, Board Certification if applicable.
• Eligibility for the rank of Associate Professor or Full Professor within one of the departments in UNE COM .
• Successful history of funded and published research/scholarship.
• History of competitive grant-funded research.
• Active, funded research program.
• Experience in research proposal writing and management of federal grants encompassing interdisciplinary research teams.
• Experience as a principal investigator on an extramurally funded research grant.
• Minimum of 3-5 years’ experience in professional leadership roles.

EEO Statement Summary

Consistent with federal and state law and University policy, the University of New England is committed to the fundamental concept of equal opportunity for all of the members of the University community. The University prohibits, and will not tolerate, discrimination in employment, the provision of academic services or in any other area of University life based on race, color, sex, physical or mental disability, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, ethnicity, genetic information, HIV status, or status as a veteran. Prohibited bias factors should not motivate decisions regarding students, employees, applicants for admission, applicants for employment, contractors, volunteers or participants in and/or users of institutional programs, services, and activities.

COVID Vaccination Statement (PLEASE NOTE)

Employees in clinical settings must meet the State of Maine’s immunization requirements for clinical activity.

Posting Detail Information

Posting Number
2022F0146P

Open Date

Close Date

Open Until Filled
Yes

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

Documents Needed to Apply
Required Documents

1. Cover Letter
2. Curriculum Vitae

Optional Documents