Chair and Full Professor, Dept. of Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences

Job Post

Applications are invited for the position of Chair of the Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of TorontoThe successful candidate must hold an academic appointment at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor and a clinical MD appointment at a fully-affiliated hospital. The appointment as Chair will be for a 5-year term effective July 1, 2023, or shortly thereafter, renewable for a second term following a favourable review.

 In addition to being a scholar, experienced clinician, educator and innovator, the successful candidate must be an effective communicator with a track record of collaborative and inclusive leadership. The candidate must demonstrate a deep understanding and track record of multidisciplinary collaboration with other ophthalmic professionals. To lead a department distributed across many affiliated hospitals, the Chair will bring a record of excellence in research, creative professional activity and education, and possess outstanding leadership, management and communication skills. Strong interpersonal skills and empathy-informed problem solving are necessary to cultivate collaborative relationships in the public and private sectors. Effective strategies are required to build and sustain partnerships locally, nationally and internationally.

The Chair will bring an inclusive vision and be deeply committed to implementing the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion, Indigeneity and accessibility (EDIIA) and professional values—in teaching, mentorship, research collaborations, faculty development, alumni engagement and in developing a future vision for the Department. The Chair will oversee the promotion and implementation of strategic priorities; recruitment, development and retention of faculty; collaborations with internal and external partners; and education and research programs in the geographically-dispersed department. Experience in alumni relationship building and successful fundraising will be assets. The successful candidate must have the vision and ability to take the Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences to an even higher level of academic achievement and recognition.

The Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences is the largest academic ophthalmology department in Canada with educational, research and tertiary care programs recognized worldwide. The research-intensive Department is a leader in vision health on an international scale. The Department comprises over 190 distinguished clinicians, clinician researchers, clinician scientists and basic scientists distributed across fully-affiliated academic hospitals and Kensington Health.

Home to over 75 residents, clinical fellows, research scientists and clinician scientists, trainees in the accredited programs also receive instruction from community hospital partners and participating centres. The Department offers education at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including a direct-entry residency program and 11 subspeciality fellowship programs in cornea, glaucoma, low vision, medical retina, neuro-ophthalmology, ocular genetics, ocular oncology, oculoplastic and orbital surgery, pediatrics, pediatric cornea and vitreoretinal surgery.

Times Higher Education ranks the University of Toronto 5th in the world for clinical and health. Spanning the basic, clinical and rehabilitation sciences, the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and its affilited hospitals and research institutes form one of the largest research enterprises in North America. The Toronto Academic Health Science Network is one of the top five clusters of academic medicine in North America. 

The successful candidate must have a medical degree and the equivalent of a Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada fellowship in ophthalmology. They will hold an academic appointment at the rank of Associate or Full Professor. The preferred fully-affiliated hospital or independent health facility site—Kensington Eye InstituteSinai Health: Mount Sinai HospitalSunnybrook Health Sciences CentreThe Hospital for Sick ChildrenUnity Health Toronto: St. Michael's Hospitaland University Health NetworkPrincess Margaret Cancer Centre and Toronto Western Hospital—for the Chair’s clinical activities will be negotiated with the successful candidate.

Compensation and rank will be commensurate with qualifications and experience

Interested individuals must submit a (1) letter of interest outlining their relevant experience and vision for the future of the Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences, (2) statement on contributions to EDIIA [300-word maximum] and (3) CV to academic.affairs@utoronto.ca. Examples of contributions to EDIIA include faculty and/or leadership development initiatives; development of inclusive pedagogies; research, scholarship and/or teaching with a focus on underrepresented and historically marginalized communities; public engagement activities that reach out to marginalized communities; mentoring of students, staff and/or faculty from underrepresented groups.

Applicants must also arrange for three confidential letters of reference—on letterhead, signed and dated—to be sent directly by the referee to academic.affairs@utoronto.ca by the closing date. 

The closing date for this position is Monday December 5, 2022

For detailed information on the Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences please visit https://ophthalmology.utoronto.ca. The Department of Ophthalmology & Vision Sciences is located at 340 College Street, Suite 400, Toronto, Ontario, M5T 3A9, CANADA.

If you have questions about this position, contact Anastasia Meletopoulos, Academic Affairs Manager, Temerty Faculty of Medicine at anastasia.meletopoulos@utoronto.ca

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Diversity Statement

The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons / persons of colour, women, Indigenous / Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

Accessibility Statement

The University strives to be an equitable and inclusive community, and proactively seeks to increase diversity among its community members. Our values regarding equity and diversity are linked with our unwavering commitment to excellence in the pursuit of our academic mission.

The University is committed to the principles of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). As such, we strive to make our recruitment, assessment and selection processes as accessible as possible and provide accommodations as required for applicants with disabilities.

If you require any accommodations at any point during the application and hiring process, please contact uoft.careers@utoronto.ca.