"Tenure-Track Assistant Professor of Public Health"

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.