Assistant or Associate Professor (Teaching), Small Animal Community Veterinary Medicine

University of Calgary

We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the traditional territories of the people of the Treaty 7 region in Southern Alberta. The City of Calgary is also home to Métis Nation of Alberta, Region III.

Position Description
The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (UCVM) in the University of Calgary invites applications for academic scholars in small animal community veterinary medicine. This position will help with the development of a community care veterinary clinic and contribute to the DVM teaching across all years. Depending on qualifications and career track expectations, the appointment will be made at the rank of Assistant Professor (Teaching) or Associate Professor (Teaching). This is a limited-term (3-year) position. The start date will be April 1, 2024 or at a mutually agreeable date.

Position Description and Associated Responsibilities
We are seeking an energetic leader to collaboratively develop and launch our new community veterinary care initiatives. This position will develop initiatives to enhance small animal clinical teaching. Under the successful candidate’s leadership, the community care veterinary clinic will provide a safe and supportive clinical environment where veterinary students perform and assist in wellness exams, spays, neuters and minor surgeries, routine dental care, urgent care, and more. In collaboration with small animal faculty, the successful applicant will be involved in developing the curriculum as well as working with the Assistant Dean Curriculum and Associate Deans Curriculum to develop new clinical teaching opportunities for students in the DVM program. This will include integrating clinical teaching in already existing courses (e.g., clinical skills, professional skills) as well as creating clinical rotations in core veterinary skills (e.g., general medicine, surgery, anesthesia, etc.). With this, the successful candidate will join an energetic team that will help to create learning objectives, competency outcomes, and help to develop longitudinal assessments to ascertain competency in the fourth-year program.

The position will have the majority of its time dedicated to the lead the development and running of the new community care clinic, with the remainder of the time focused on DVM student teaching and service (e.g., committee work). Teaching will largely be comprised of small animal primary care medicine and surgery in clinical settings, didactic, and laboratory teaching of DVM students. Contributions to course coordination may be required. Emphasis is placed on the ability to coach students successfully through common primary care procedures.

Position Requirements and Qualifications
The position requires the ability to build strong relationships with the community to promote health and wellbeing of underserved animal populations through collaborating with community shelters, while creating a great learning environment for our students.

Essential qualifications include a DVM (or equivalent) and a minimum of three years of clinical experience preferably in a shelter medicine or general practice setting. Experience in a high volume spay/neuter, basic knowledge of ultrasound, and experience with dentistry, or the willingness to learn, is valued. An understanding of the veterinary and shelter community is expected. The applicant must be licensed or eligible for immediate licensure in the Province of Alberta as a general practice registered veterinarian.

Appointment to the rank of Assistant Professor (Teaching) normally requires evidence of teaching effectiveness, an awareness of how to apply scholarly approaches to teaching and learning practices, participate in reflective practice, and professional learning activities related to teaching and learning. Commitment to, or experience with, defining learning goals, supporting student learning activities and engagement, and creating assessment strategies may also be required. The rank of Assistant Professor (Teaching) also requires engagement in the research and scholarship required to maintain currency in pedagogy and curriculum design of the relevant discipline or field as well as engaging in other scholarly professional or creative activities that strengthens and informs the academic staff member’s knowledge base and expertise.

Appointment to the rank of Associate Professor (Teaching), in addition to the requirements for an Assistant Professor (Teaching), requires evidence of teaching effectiveness, a demonstrated ability to apply scholarly approaches to teaching and learning and student engagement, to design student learning experiences and assessment strategies grounded in a clearly articulated teaching philosophy. The rank of Associate Professor (Teaching) also requires the continuous development and demonstration of a scholarly foundation for designing and implementing innovative teaching and that supports student learning, ability to create respectful and inclusive learning environments that promote student engagement, participate in learning activities, networks and communities and engagement in reflective practice to adjust and strengthen one’s teaching, learning and assessment practices.

Information About the Faculty
UCVM’s DVM program provides a comprehensive general veterinary education to approximately 50 students per year, with an expected expansion to 100 students. The program is an integrated core-elective program, with enhanced educational opportunities in defined areas that combine discipline-based courses with extensive on-campus and off-campus experiential learning. UCVM is a research-intensive faculty with expanding research, graduate education, and advanced clinical trainee programs. Descriptions of the Faculty, its programs, and its departments can be found at http://www.vet.ucalgary.ca/.

The University has established the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning that supports the development of teaching excellence and scholarly activity.

Interested individuals are encouraged to submit an application online via the 'Apply Now' link on the UCalgary careers website: https://vetmed.careers.ucalgary.ca/jobs/13418958-assistant-professor-teaching-or-associate-professor-teaching-small-animal-community-veterinary-medicine-faculty-of-veterinary-medicine

A complete application should include:
• Cover letter and curriculum vitae, including the name and contact information of three referees
• Statement of teaching philosophy or teaching dossier
• Statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Within your application, indicate the rank you are applying for. Please be aware that the application process allows for only four attachments, which may require you to merge documents.

Questions may be addressed to:
Aylin Atilla, Associate Dean Professional Development
aylin.atilla@ucalgary.ca

Application Deadline: December 4, 2023

The University of Calgary has launched an institution-wide Indigenous Strategy committing to creating a rich, vibrant, and culturally competent campus that welcomes and supports Indigenous Peoples, encourages Indigenous community partnerships, is inclusive of Indigenous perspectives in all that we do.

As an equitable and inclusive employer, the University of Calgary recognizes that a diverse staff/faculty benefits and enriches the work, learning and research experiences of the entire campus and greater community. We are committed to removing barriers that have been historically encountered by some people in our society. We strive to recruit individuals who will further enhance our diversity and will support their academic and professional success while they are here. In particular, we encourage members of the designated groups (women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible/racialized minorities, and diverse sexual orientation and gender identities) to apply. To ensure a fair and equitable assessment, we offer accommodation at any stage during the recruitment process to applicants with disabilities. Questions regarding [diversity] EDI at UCalgary can be sent to the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (equity@ucalgary.ca) and requests for accommodations can be sent to Human Resources (hrhire@ucalgary.ca).

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority. In this connection, at the time of your application, please answer the following question: Are you a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada? (Yes/No)

The University of Calgary recognizes that candidates have varying career paths and that career interruptions can be part of an excellent academic record. Candidates are encouraged but not required to provide any relevant information about their experience and/or career interruptions to allow for a fair assessment of their application. Selection committees have been instructed to give careful consideration to, and be sensitive to the impact of career interruptions, when assessing the candidate’s research productivity.

Additional Information
To learn more about academic opportunities at the University of Calgary and all we have to offer, view our Academic Careers website. For more information visit Careers in the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.

The University strongly recommends all faculty and staff are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

About the University of Calgary

UCalgary is Canada’s entrepreneurial university, located in Canada’s most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 36,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada’s leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary. For more information, visit ucalgary.ca.

About Calgary, Alberta
Calgary is one of the world's cleanest cities and has been named one of the world's most livable cities for years. Calgary is a city of leaders - in business, community, philanthropy and volunteerism. Calgarians benefit from a growing number of world-class dining and cultural events and enjoy more days of sunshine per year than any other major Canadian city. Calgary is less than an hour's drive from the majestic Rocky Mountains and boasts the most extensive urban pathway and bikeway network in North America.