CONTINUING EDUCATION SPECIALIST

As a UW employee, you have a unique opportunity to change lives on our campuses, in our state and around the world. UW employees offer their boundless energy, creative problem solving skills and dedication to build stronger minds and a healthier world.

UW faculty and staff also enjoy outstanding benefits, professional growth opportunities and unique resources in an environment noted for diversity, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits and natural beauty.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (PBSCI) within the UW School of Medicine is the third largest clinical department  with 285 full-time faculty members, 280 clinical faculty members, and over 300 staff. Department faculty provide clinical services in 5 hospitals, 14 primary care locations, and several outpatient sites in addition to telepsychiatry consultations to more than 150 clinics in Washington and beyond. As the only academic psychiatry department serving the five state WWAMI region (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, Idaho), the Department’s highly competitive residency training program is largely responsible for developing the mental health workforce in the Pacific Northwest. The Department’s robust research portfolio totals $35 million in grants and contracts per year for projects ranging from clinical neurosciences to treatment development to health policy and population health. The Department is recognized as an international leader in developing, testing, and implementing Collaborative Care, an integrated care model increasingly seen as a solution for population-based mental health care. Other areas of excellence include Addictions, Autism, High Risk Youth, Neurosciences, and Trauma, and the Department is developing innovative new programs in Technology and Mental Health, Global Mental Health, Maternal and Child Mental Health, and Targeted Intervention Development.

The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences is recruiting for a Continuing Education Specialist.

Under general direction from center director(s), this position will support both the CoLab for Community and Behavioral Health Policy (50%) and the Allies in Healthier Systems for Health & Abundance in Youth (AHSHAY Center) (50%). Both centers sit within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine. This position will develop, build, and maintain community relationships through education and outreach. The purpose being to provide a bridge between academic and community partners who share policy, advocacy, and mission driven goals to improve youth mental health and end youth incarceration in the state of Washington. This role will be involved in direct communication and outreach to communities that are most profoundly impacted by systemic inequality that results in poor health outcomes and assist in bringing them together with policy makers to facilitate bidirectional conversation and bolster efforts to further community led and collaborative policy design and implementation.

This position will work in collaboration with CoLab and AHSHAY team members to produce deliverables related to the overall community partnership and collaboration goals of the labs. Thinking creatively and having a mind toward the mission and values of the two labs is key. Deep understanding and experience working with and/or being part of BIPOC communities is essential.  

The CoLab engages community expertise and research evidence to spark creative and sustainable change in behavioral health policy and systems, particularly those involving youth and families. We believe communities and systems have deep knowledge and expertise that must be leveraged to promote effective, sustainable, and impactful community programs and strategies. To support this collaborative social innovation framework, we provide development and implementation support for behavioral health programs and systems, evidence translation and synthesis services, and evidence-based policy and programmatic decision support. We work with a variety of community and systems partners, including policymakers, community-based organizations and coalitions, government agencies and administrators, service providers, and healthcare payers. Our funding partners include national and local private foundations as well as federal, state, and county level funding mechanisms. Additionally, the CoLab includes the Evidence Based Practice Institute (EBPI), a statewide resource to promote high quality mental health services for children and youth in Washington State. The mission of AHSHAY is to end youth incarceration in Washington State by 2030 and to promote paths to opportunity that are youth-centered, community-informed and evidence-based, with a focus on communities historically most impacted by youth incarceration. The Center promotes solutions, including new programs and policy changes, that are centered on the health and well-being of children and youth while considering the overall well-being of families and communities.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop, build, and maintain community relationships through outreach, education, and facilitation of group dialogue (50%).
• Provide support to CoLab and AHSHAY center directors and program teams to develop project goals and implement outreach and education to communities related to those goals, including developing training and/or presentation materials (25%).
• Manages administrative duties related to public facing communications events and meetings including providing direction and consultation on related communications materials, and/or training/educational content (25%).

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s Degree in social work, criminal justice, public health or related
• 3 year of experience working in community-based settings, with direct knowledge and experience in community organizing and/or leading groups. Deeply knowledgeable and experienced working with and/or being part of BIPOC communities.
Equivalent education/experience will substitute for all minimum qualifications except when there are legal requirements, such as a license/certification/registration.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience in educational context with understanding of intersecting systemic challenges for youth and families related to mental and physical health and youth incarceration.

Application Process:

The application process for UW positions may include completion of a variety of online assessments to obtain additional information that will be used in the evaluation process.  These assessments may include Workforce Authorization, Cover Letter and/or others.  Any assessments that you need to complete will appear on your screen as soon as you select “Apply to this position”. Once you begin an assessment, it must be completed at that time; if you do not complete the assessment you will be prompted to do so the next time you access your “My Jobs” page. If you select to take it later, it will appear on your "My Jobs" page to take when you are ready. Please note that your application will not be reviewed, and you will not be considered for this position until all required assessments have been completed.