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Associate Dean, Student Affairs, MD Undergraduate Program

By nicole bell | October 3, 2024

At UBC, we believe that attracting and sustaining a diverse workforce is key to the successful pursuit of excellence in research, innovation, and learning for all faculty, staff and students. Our commitment to employment equity helps achieve inclusion and fairness, brings rich diversity to UBC as a workplace, and creates the necessary conditions for a rewarding career.  

The Faculty of Medicine (FoM) at The University of British Columbia (UBC) invites applications for the position of Associate Dean, Student Affairs, MD Undergraduate Program (MDUP). This position will be approximately 0.8 FTE (four days per week) for a five (5) year term, with potential for renewal for a second term, subject to satisfactory review, and is expected to be filled by a candidate internal to the Faculty.

The UBC Faculty of Medicine is committed to fostering excellence in education, research, and service that contributes to the health of individuals and communities locally, nationally, and internationally. The Faculty of Medicine, together with its partners including British Columbia’s health authorities, provides innovative programs in the areas of health and life sciences through a province-wide delivery model. The Faculty teaches students at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels and generates more than $450 million in research funding each year. 

The Associate Dean, Student Affairs, MDUP is the academic lead in providing strategic leadership and support in building a student culture and community that enriches students’ experience and engagement across all four regional sites of the MD Undergraduate Program, and over 15 clinical academic campuses across the province, with 328 MD students. This includes ensuring sufficient personal supports are in place for, and providing guidance to, all MD students in the FoM, UBC. In leading a decanal team of six (6) Assistant Deans, Student Affairs, the Associate Dean supports structures, collaborations and resources that promote student services and wellbeing across the province as well as initiatives that embrace student equity, diversity and inclusion. The Associate Dean, Student Affairs, MDUP will report to the Vice Dean, Education in the Faculty of Medicine.

The Associate Dean, Student Affairs, MDUP will provide leadership in advancing the Faculty’s strategic plan and goals that align with the University. Equity, diversity, inclusion, and justice are essential to academic excellence, as well as to foster an inclusive community for voices that have been historically underrepresented or discouraged; the successful candidate will contribute to fostering an environment that promotes inclusivity and embodies values of respect, integrity, compassion, collaboration, and equity.

Key responsibilities will include leading strategic planning of all student affairs activities, initiatives and support services across the province; ensuring all student affairs activities and initiatives align with the UBC FoM strategic priorities and institutional policies and procedures; managing the student affairs’ finances and resources equitably, transparently and effectively; overseeing a process for regular identification and resolution of key risks in relation to student affairs; collaborating with associate and assistant deans to ensure a cohesive, integrated approach across the province that meets or exceeds the Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS) accreditation standards related to student affairs; developing, implementing and ensuring compliance of policies, procedures, referral and specific action related to accommodation of students, in collaboration with the UBC Centre of Accessibility; and providing leadership and liaising with university-wide programs and external bodies.

The successful candidate will have an MD or equivalent designation, and demonstrated experience functioning in a fast-paced environment; knowledge of medical education in Canada, educational program development and course accreditation standards is preferred; experience in an academic (or related) environment with recent experience at a leadership level is preferred; understanding of UBC Faculty of Medicine MD Undergraduate Program is an asset; demonstrated commitment to inclusive excellence; excellent administrative experience and organizational skills; collaborative leadership skills and the ability to work effectively with students, faculty, staff and administrative leadership. In addition, the successful candidate will demonstrate willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own, and a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion.

A detailed job description is available in the Vice Dean, Education’s Office for those who wish to review it.  Please inquire at the email address below. Candidates who bring diverse perspectives and lived experiences are encouraged to apply as we strive to enhance diversity, inclusiveness, socio-cultural representation, and perspective of the Faculty.

An application package should include:

  • a letter of application with a detailed curriculum vitae that addresses (i) scholarly, professional and creative work, (ii) teaching (including summary of academic and/ or clinical teaching), (iii) administrative service and experience fostering collaboration across partners, and (iv) a brief statement of your current or previous contributions to advancing anti-racism, equity, diversity, decolonization, Indigenization and inclusion in an academic, professional, or community context;
  • publications record;
  • and names of three references.

Applications should be directed to:

Roger Wong, CM, BMSc, MD, FRCPC, FACP, FCAHS, FCGS
Vice Dean, Education
Faculty of Medicine
c/o Tara Chapman, Manager, Office of the Vice Dean, Education
Email: med.vdeoffice@ubc.ca 
Subject line: Associate Dean, Student Affairs, MDUP

Should you have any queries around this position, please contact the Manager, Office of the Vice Dean, Education at med.vdeoffice@ubc.ca.

Review of applications will begin November 5, 2024 and continue until the position is filled. The anticipated start date is February 1, 2025, or upon a date to be mutually agreed.

We invite applications from qualified candidates who share our commitment to employment equity and inclusive excellence, and we welcome applications from candidates belonging to historically, persistently, or systemically marginalized groups: Indigenous (First Nation, Métis, Inuit) Peoples, racialized persons, persons with disabilities, women, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and trans and non-binary people.

The University is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and equitable work environment for all members of its workforce. An inclusive work environment presumes an environment where differences are appreciated, recognized, and integrated into current structures, planning, and decision-making modes. Within this hiring process we are committed to creating an inclusive and equitable process for all candidates (including but not limited to people with disabilities).  Confidential accommodations are available on request. Please contact med.vdeoffice@ubc.ca. If you have any questions regarding accommodations or accessibility during the recruitment and hiring process or for more information and support, please visit UBC’s Centre for Workplace Accessibility website at https://hr.ubc.ca/health-and-wellbeing/workplace-accessibility/centre-workplace-accessibility or contact the Centre at workplace.accessibility@ubc.ca.

With gratitude, we acknowledge that the University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine and its distributed programs, which include four university academic campuses, are located on traditional, ancestral and unceded territories of First Nations Peoples and communities around the province.

UBC — One of the World's Leading Universities. As one of the world's leading universities, the University of British Columbia creates an exceptional learning environment that fosters global citizenship, advances a civil and sustainable society, and supports outstanding research to serve the people of British Columbia, Canada and the world.

Our Vision: To Transform Health for Everyone.

Ranked among the world’s top medical schools with the fifth-largest MD enrollment in North America, the UBC Faculty of Medicine is a leader in both the science and the practice of medicine. Across British Columbia, more than 12,000 faculty and staff are training the next generation of doctors and health care professionals, making remarkable discoveries, and helping to create the pathways to better health for our communities at home and around the world.

The Faculty — comprised of approximately 2,200 administrative support, technical/research and management and professional staff, as well approximately 650 full-time academic and over 10,000 clinical faculty members — is composed of 19 academic basic science and/or clinical departments, three schools, and 24 research centres and institutes. Together with its University and Health Authority partners, the Faculty delivers innovative programs and conducts research in the areas of health and life sciences. Faculty, staff and trainees are located at university campuses, clinical academic campuses in hospital settings and other regionally based centres across the province.

UBC hires on the basis of merit and is committed to employment equity. All qualifies persons are encouraged to apply. Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority.