PhD Researcher

The UNC School of Medicine has a rich tradition of excellence and care. Our mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of North Carolinians, and others whom we serve. We accomplish this by providing leadership and excellence in the interrelated areas of patient care, education, and research. We strive to promote faculty, staff, and learner development in a diverse, respectful environment where our colleagues demonstrate professionalism, enhance learning, and create personal and professional sustainability. We optimize our partnership with the UNC Health System through close collaboration and commitment to service.
OUR VISION
Our vision is to be the nation’s leading public school of medicine. We are ranked 2nd in primary care education among all US schools of medicine and 5th among public peers in NIH research funding. Our Allied Health Department is home to five top-ranked divisions, and we are home to 18 top-ranked clinical and basic science departments in NIH research funding.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of North Carolinians and others whom we serve. We accomplish this by providing leadership and excellence in the interrelated areas of patient care, education, and research.
Patient Care: We will promote health and provide superb clinical care while maintaining our strong tradition of reaching underserved populations and reducing health disparities across North Carolina and beyond.
Education: We will prepare tomorrow’s health care professionals and biomedical researchers by facilitating learning within innovative curricula and team-oriented interprofessional education. We will cultivate outstanding teaching and research faculty, and we will recruit outstanding students and trainees from highly diverse backgrounds to create a socially responsible, highly skilled workforce.
Research: We will develop and support a rich array of outstanding health sciences research programs, centers, and resources. We will provide infrastructure and opportunities for collaboration among disciplines throughout and beyond our University to support outstanding research. We will foster programs in the areas of basic, translational, mechanistic, and population research.

The Department of Family Medicine at the University of North Carolina is well-poised to meet the call for more primary care research, as our nation restructures health care to improve the health of our population. The transition to value-based care, addressing health disparities, managing chronic disease, preventive health, and more, will require robust primary care with more investment in primary care research, training, and practice. Our department is committed to addressing the dearth of research that investigates the mechanisms by which primary care works to advance the health of people and populations. Building on the department’s already established reputation for excellence in clinical care and teaching, we will become a leader among family medicine departments in discovery and innovation in primary care. We have a particular interest in studying value-based care, identifying practices—-care delivery models, payment and incentive structures, optimized team structure, integrated behavioral health, workforce configurations, workflows, and data analytics that improve the delivery, quality, safety, accessibility, equity, and affordability of high-quality primary care.
The Department’s research infrastructure is embedded in a thriving clinical practice that serves as a laboratory for innovation and investigation. We have a growing number of patients in value-based care payment models, a well-developed population health staff, a supportive health care system, and an affiliation with a network of Federal Qualified Health Centers. The department also has an internal support system for grants development and post-award management.
As a faculty researcher, you will be an integral part of our department’s success. Our team members advance the tripartite mission of the UNC School of Medicine, including excellent patient care, superior teaching, and impactful research. We support our faculty with professional development opportunities in the department, in the institution, and nationally. Each faculty member is supported by a mentoring subcommittee that helps build the framework to a successful career, including career planning, counseling around career goals, and regular review of academic activities, all tailored to individual professional and personal goals.
The Department of Family Medicine is committed to building a culturally diverse faculty and strongly encourages applications from underrepresented minority (URM) groups. Faculty rank and salary is commensurate with qualifications and experience. We provide excellent UNC faculty physician benefits and clinical incentive pay.
Successful candidates will demonstrate the capacity for high-quality research, teaching, mentorship, expertise in primary care and preventive care topics, and will be expected to publish in top-tier academic/medical journals. Securing grant funding is expected (over time).

All faculty are expected to be good institutional citizens, working as part of the larger team, including with other researchers and clinical faculty, to develop research projects and generate data that aim to improve access, reduce cost, improve quality, and promote efficiency and better health outcomes. You will be asked to participate in all-faculty and research faculty meetings, and you may be asked to attend professional events to assist with program development and building professional relationships. You may also be invited to participate in opportunities for trainee mentorship and teaching in research methods.

PhD required. Must have research experience in health services research, evaluation of health care interventions, clinical trials, public health, health policy, population health, or a closely related field.

This position is ideal for a researcher interested in working in a vibrant, nationally prominent department to help us achieve greater excellence and impact. Candidates must have demonstrated capacity to work in a highly collaborative manner, maintaining positive and productive relationships within and outside the department, including project funders and clients.

Not Applicable.