The University of New Mexico National Cancer Institute (NCI) Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center (UNMCCC) and the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Preventive Medicine at the UNM School of Medicine (UNM SOM), are seeking cancer population scientists with expertise in population-based molecular and/or genetic epidemiology to expand programmatic efforts in cancer control and population science in New Mexico. A distinguishing characteristic of the UNMCCC is the multiethnic, multicultural, rural, and underserved populations it serves in its catchment area - primarily Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, and non-Hispanic White - with strikingly different patterns of cancer incidence, mortality, and disparity. We seek accomplished mid-career to senior faculty with sustained records of outstanding scholarly achievement, including peer-reviewed funding (preferably NCI and NIH) and impactful publications. With the opportunity for UNMCCC endowed leadership roles (Associate Director, Program Leader), selected candidates will have the requisite organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills to foster interdisciplinary collaborations. Selected candidates will join a vibrant and highly collaborative research community based in the UNMCCC Cancer Control Research Program whose members conduct research along the cancer continuum. We particularly seek epidemiologists engaged in biomarkers of risk and prognosis, genomics, epigenetics, gene-environment interactions, genetic ancestry, and genetic risk assessment. Tremendous opportunities are available to translating these laboratory-based approaches to interventions for those cancers with high incidence or disparity in New Mexico. The UNMCCC has an extensive array of shared resources, registries, and infrastructure to conduct population science research, including a Behavioral Measurement and Population Science Resource and an Office of Health Equity and Community Engagement. Particularly exciting opportunities include collaborative biomedical research consortia with New Mexico’s Tribal Nations and extensive education and training programs for underrepresented minorities. Additional infrastructure and opportunities include: the NCI SEER-funded New Mexico Tumor Registry; the nation’s only prospective HPV/PAP Screening Registry; a developing Colorectal Cancer Screening Registry; the innovative Project ECHO™ (echo.unm.edu), a hub-and-spoke knowledge-sharing network led by expert teams who use multi-point videoconferencing to conduct virtual clinics with community providers which center investigators are using to conduct cancer control interventions; the New Mexico NCI Community Oncology Research Program (NM NCORP: Minority/Underserved), a statewide cancer research and clinical trials network; and the NIEHS/USEPA-funded Center for Native Environmental Health Equity, the NIEHS/NIH/NCI-funded METALS Superfund Research and Training Center, and the Navajo Birth Cohort/Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Program who are investigating the role of environmental exposures in our catchment area with cancer causation; and a NIH-funded Clinical and Translational Science Center. The UNMCCC is a member of the ORIEN National Cancer Precision Medicine Network (http://oriencancer.org/). The successful candidate will hold a tenured faculty position in the Department of Internal Medicine, UNMCCC membership, and will be provided significant resources, including Endowed Chairs or Fellowships, excellent salaries, comprehensive start-up packages, and support to recruit additional faculty. Faculty rank and appointment will be commensurate with accomplishments.

The University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center (UNMCCC) is the Official Cancer Center of New Mexico and the only National Cancer Institute (NCI) Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in a 500-mile radius. The 134 oncology physicians, 122 cancer research scientists, and staff are particularly focused on discovering the causes and the cures for cancers that disproportionately affect the people of the American Southwest – primarily Hispanic, American Indian, and Non-Hispanic White – with strikingly different patterns of cancer incidence, mortality and disparity. The Center treated 12,000 unique patients in FY18, 12% of whom participated in therapeutic interventional studies and 35% of whom participated in interventional studies. The UNMCCC has outstanding research programs in Cancer Control and Cancer Health Disparities; Cancer Genetics, Epigenetics, and Genomics; Cancer Cell and Systems Biology; and Cancer Therapeutics. These programs house several national centers including: The Molecular Discovery and High Throughput Target Screening Center (nmmlsc.health.unm.edu), one of the nation’s 6 Chemical Biology Consortium Centers of Excellence in The NCI NExT Program; The New Mexico Center for the Spatiotemporal Modeling of Cell Signaling (stmc.health.unm.edu), one of 13 NIH National Centers for Systems Biology; and a NIH Clinical and Translational Sciences Center. Rich collaborations with UNMCCC partners (Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories; Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute) enrich our research endeavors.  The UNMCCC has well-established Shared Resources for centralized biospecimen collection and tissue analysis, genomics, biostatistics, bioinformatics, cancer population science and behavioral interventions, and the conduct of clinical interventions. The UNMCCC is the center of a collaborative statewide cancer clinical trials and health delivery research network funded in part through a NCI NCORP Grant (Minority/Underserved) and is also a member of the ORIEN National Cancer Precision Medicine Network (http://oriencancer.org/). Center members have conducted more than 60 statewide community-based cancer education, prevention, screening, and behavioral intervention studies involving more than 10,000 New Mexicans. Learn more at http://cancer.unm.edu/ .

Minimum Qualifications:

• PhD in epidemiology or a related field,
• Postdoctoral training in molecular or genetic epidemiology in populations,
• A track record of relevant scholarly achievement, including peer-reviewed funding and high quality publications focused on cancer; and,
• Must be eligible to work in the U.S.

 Preferred Qualifications:

• Interest or expertise in cancer disparities research, and
• Expertise in primary data collection with human populations and
• Laboratory–based biomarker, genetic/genomic methods related to cancer in humans.
• Expertise in applying molecular genetic epidemiologic methods to the study of cancer.

AALeigh@salud.unm.eduLeigh@salud.unm.edu

The University of New Mexico is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.