Research Leadership: Directing research efforts to identify and disseminate drivers of and interventions for enhancing health equity. The goal is to actively contribute to the implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of findings in the field of health disparities research. Education and Training: Establishing an educational and training environment to encourage individuals at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate levels to pursue health careers. This includes supporting curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation related to health disparities. Service Model Development: Ensuring the creation and sustainability of effective service models for delivering empirically supported strategies to eliminate health disparities and promote health equity. In addition to these core responsibilities, the Director is tasked with: Developing the CHDR as a valuable resource for population health-level research. Collaborating with partners and stakeholders to secure and maintain access to relevant data sources for addressing stakeholder needs. Building and maintaining campus and community partnerships at local, regional, and state levels, particularly with historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), Hispanic and/or Native American serving institutions, and local community-based organizations addressing disparities. Supporting ECU campus-wide priorities related to community outreach and collaboration. Leading the University by coordinating efforts with regional, state, and national partners to advocate for health equity through scientific support for policy and leadership initiatives.

The Center Director will have demonstrated dedication to health equity with skills in leadership and partnership, research methods for a variety of data types, grant writing, mentorship, and scholarly productivity.

20% Mentoring, developing research capacity and collaborations. Serve as a central resource to provide infrastructure for multidisciplinary students and faculty to be exposed to, develop skills in, and participate in productive scholarship and mentorship around health disparities. The Center Director will lead Center faculty and staff to help develop ideas, provide guidance, conduct analyses, and shepherd faculty and student learners to complete products (abstracts, presentations, and manuscripts) for career development and to spark future interest in research. Projects would be selected around unifying themes chosen by the Center director with stakeholder input. 20% Community engagement, partnership development: Interacting with local/regional healthcare agencies (Brody School of Medicine at ECU, ECU Health, state, and county health departments), faith-based organizations, priority population agencies and community organizations, Area Health Education Centers, and clinical departments to inform curricula and training initiatives related to promoting health equity in health care. Leading by example in community engagement and partnerships to address health disparities, utilizing an “open door” policy that promotes inclusivity, mutual respect, and free exchange of ideas within and between campus and community entities. Representing the CHDR at local and regional events and in national/international forums to increase awareness of the Center, and to foster collaboration in pursuit of its mission. Actively supporting, organizing, and promoting events aligned with the CHDR mission, such as research seminars, symposia, and conferences. 40% Research: The director will be responsible for building and leading a collaborative, interdisciplinary health disparities research center. This will entail the support of faculty affiliate research programs and surveillance and evaluation data resources that reflect the combined resources, strengths, best practices, and expertise of the people, institutions, and communities in eastern North Carolina. Supporting the dissemination of CHDR research findings and best practices through scholarly publications, presentations at professional conferences/meetings, and community/stakeholder dissemination both internal and external to ECU. The director will develop a needs assessment and a CHDR strategic plan for research, education, and service in collaboration with all major stakeholders throughout eastern North Carolina (i.e., academic, clinical, and community constituents). 20% Center administration: Collaborating with ECU leadership to develop a sustainable annual budget for Center growth. Overseeing the efficient management of the Center, which includes supervising staff, managing budgets, coordinating reporting processes, and providing leadership for various events. This entails ensuring smooth administrative operations, fostering a cohesive team environment, and upholding accountability in financial and operational matters.

The Director of CHDR will play a lead role in the Center’s mission by overseeing the development of comprehensive programs that focus on three key areas: I) Research aimed at identifying and disseminating drivers of and interventions to increase health equity; 2) Education/Training for medical, academic, and lay populations on empirically supported strategies for increasing health equity, and 3) Development and sustainability of effective service models for the delivery of empirically supported strategies for eliminating health disparities and promoting health equity.