KCOM is hiring an assistant or associate professor in microbiology and immunology, and the application is live now. If you've taught microbial pathogenesis or the host immune responses that decide whether a patient gets sick, this is a post worth your attention.

The position sits at A.T. Still University's Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri. KCOM is the founding institution of osteopathic medical education in the United States. That history matters, because the faculty hired here shape the first two years of a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) curriculum for the field's oldest school.

What the posting makes clear is a dual-rank search, which tells you the committee has room to consider both a new assistant professor and a more experienced associate professor. That's not a small detail. It changes what you should emphasize in your materials.

What the role actually involves

A faculty member in microbiology and immunology at KCOM teaches within the first- and second-year biomedical sciences curriculum. You should expect lecture-based delivery, small-group case work, and the lab sessions where the organisms become visible under a microscope. You'll also assess student progress and serve on academic committees.

Because the title spans assistant and associate professor, the work is not identical for every hire. An assistant professor may carry more structured mentorship and a heavier onboarding expectation. An associate professor may be expected to step into curriculum leadership or faculty development sooner. Ask the search chair which track matters for this cycle.

The posting lists microbiology and immunology together. That pairing is deliberate. Medical schools need someone who can teach both the organisms that cause disease and the host responses that determine whether a patient gets sick.

Why this hire matters at an osteopathic medical school

Osteopathic medical schools train a growing portion of U.S. physicians. The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine describes the DO approach as whole-person care with added training in the musculoskeletal system. Microbiology and immunology are not optional. They're the foundation for infectious disease, antibiotics, vaccination, transplantation, and a long list of acute and chronic conditions.

KCOM's location in Kirksville means the people who teach in this role are not just delivering content. They're helping build the next cohort of clinicians who will practice across Missouri and the Midwest, often in rural and underserved communities. A strong preclinical foundation in microbiology can change how a future physician recognizes sepsis, orders a culture, or explains a vaccine schedule.

Andrew Taylor Still founded A.T. Still University in 1892 in Kirksville. The school's longevity means the curriculum has deep roots, but the course content in microbiology and immunology has to stay current with antibiotic resistance and emerging pathogens, along with new vaccine platforms. That mix of tradition and currency is part of the job.

Read the official description from A.T. Still University's Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine to see how the department frames its mission. The posting itself covers required qualifications, and the application portal is where the committee expects materials.

What separates a strong application

Search committees see two kinds of weak applications most often: the one written for any faculty job, and the one that overemphasizes research while ignoring teaching. The application that gets a closer look is the one that demonstrates the candidate has read KCOM's curriculum and thought about where microbiology and immunology fit.

Prepare four things before you hit submit.

• Write a cover letter that names KCOM and the Kirksville campus, not just A.T. Still University.
• Put your microbiology and immunology teaching experience in the first third of the letter.
• Show how your research interest can involve medical students instead of running separately from your teaching.
• Have a clear answer for how you'd teach host-pathogen interactions to a first-year DO student.

If your academic CV needs a refresh before submission, use this guide to writing a winning academic CV to cut outdated sections and sharpen the teaching evidence.

What to expect from the process

Academic faculty searches often move slower than private-sector hiring. That's not a reason to wait. The posting is live through the A.T. Still University applicant portal, so you don't need to wait for a print deadline. Send your materials early and confirm receipt.

You'll likely go through a short phone or video screen before an on-campus or virtual interview. For a preclinical sciences role, prepare a teaching demonstration and a brief research talk. The search committee will ask about how you'd teach students who are heading into clinical medicine, not just future researchers.

Do not assume the assistant and associate tracks are decided by a simple publication count. At teaching-heavy institutions, course evaluations and case facilitation can carry as much weight as a grant record. If you have experience teaching in a problem-based learning format, say so.

Do not skip the cover letter. Even if the portal calls it optional, it is the one place you can speak directly to the search chair. Use it to answer the question every committee asks but rarely writes down: "Why do you want to teach at KCOM specifically?"

Applying without wasting your time

The posting asks for a set of application materials through an external applicant tracking system. Before you start, collect a current CV and a teaching statement plus any research statement or diversity statement the portal requests. If you have a recent teaching evaluation, you may not need to include it unless asked, but it can help you speak to your teaching results.

Use the official application link at https://apptrkr.com/9788042 to see the full position description and submit your materials. Keep a copy of your submitted file. If you are selected for an interview, you'll need to talk through every claim in your CV without flipping through it.

This is not a post to apply to at 11 p.m. without checking the institution's history. Spend twenty minutes on the KCOM website before you write. The committee knows when a candidate is applying broadly and when a candidate has done the homework.

What happens after you apply

After you submit, send a short email to the search contact if one is listed. Confirm that your materials arrived and ask about the expected review timeline. That's not pestering. It saves you from checking a portal for six weeks with no signal.

If you don't hear back within the timeline, follow up once. Faculty searches sometimes stall over budget approvals or committee calendars. A polite follow-up can move your file back to the top of the pile.

If you're not selected, use the process as a practice run. Ask for feedback only if it is genuinely welcome and brief. The same materials can be adapted for other faculty jobs in microbiology and immunology or in the broader biomedical sciences.

One action to take this week: open the official posting and read the required qualifications line by line. Then write the first paragraph of your cover letter around KCOM's osteopathic curriculum and send it. Committees remember the candidate who did the homework.