Pharmacology Faculty, Biomedical Sciences

Full-time Faculty

Department:   Department of Biomedical Sciences

Entity: Medical College

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

Introduction

Established in 2004, the Aga Khan University Medical College in East Africa seeks to provide high quality education for health professional leaders who will then go on to become reputable specialists generating a positive and lasting impact in the lives of their patients and in the communities they serve. Our goal is to produce health professional leaders through our unique training programmes, building strong research programmes, supporting the best practice in the delivery of health services, and contributing to the broader community through strategic partnerships regionally and globally. We aspire to build for the youth of East Africa, a medical college of international quality, providing them with the opportunity to get the best health professional education that is relevant and has impact across East Africa, and indeed, in the world.

Job Summary

The department of Biomedical Sciences is seeking a Full-time Faculty to make a significant contribution to the delivery of the undergraduate teaching including the delivery of high-quality teaching in Pharmacology across MBChB, BSc. and nursing undergraduate programmes. The incumbent will have an important academic and research leadership role in embedding research expertise into the life of the discipline and the department. They will be required to develop high-quality, productivity-driven networks across AKU and with local, national and international, internal and external partners.

Responsibilities

•    Teach Pharmacology through lectures, small group work, and online materials.

•    Share responsibility for the operational planning and management of Pharmacology teaching and assessment sessions, taking account of health and safety issues, and balancing competing pressures to ensure they are well organised, pedagogically sound and make effective use of resources.  

•    Contribute to curriculum development and innovation in teaching, learning and assessment in Pharmacology, within the guidance set. 

•    Work with colleagues to create an effective integrated curriculum within the programme and to engage students in interactive learning methods using innovative technology and imaging. To collaborate with other colleagues, particularly clinical staff, to achieve these ends.    

•    Contribute to the regular evaluation and development of blocks that include Pharmacology, in terms of content, delivery and assessment. To use evaluation information to continuously improve the quality of the achieved learning and the student experience and help distribute findings and developments to students and staff. 

•    Provide academic support and advice to Medical College and SONAM students. 

•    Develop and supervise a student selected component (project) within the MBChB programme as required. 

•    Participate in departmental examinations (Written and OSCE) preparations, standard setting and invigilation   examinations.

•    Provide Resident formative assessment/ feedback (360 Evaluations)

•    Contribute to scholarship or research in Medical Education or other areas of enquiry within the Medical College and SONAM in collaboration with colleagues. 

•    Carrying out research work in relevant fields or specialization.

•    To disseminate output from scholarship/research activities.

•    To advise and supervise post-graduate students.

•    Participate in own and collaborative research that ensures professional growth.

•    Seeks grants to fund research activities.

•    Manage the relationship with all key stakeholders both internally and externally and maintain appropriate communication with them.

•    Represent the Medical College and SONAM at local, regional and national meetings relevant to medical education and the specialist subject of Pharmacology with internal and external bodies and develop leadership in this domain.

•    Participate in and develop external networks, for example, to contribute to student recruitment, outreach work, income generation, consultancy projects and building external relationships for future activities. 

Requirements

•    Undergraduate Degree in Medicine with a  Masters Degree in Pharmacology OR a recognized honors degree with a Postgraduate Degree in Pharmacology.

•    Minimum academic position of Senior Instructor.

•  Accomplished teaching of Pharmacology in an undergraduate medical programme (or similar) using evidence-informed interactive approaches for large and small groups and incorporating information technology.

•    Teaching postgraduate and undergraduate students in programmes other than MBChB, BSc. Nursing or equivalent.

•    Educational management ensures well-organized delivery with continuous quality improvement.  

•    Research interest and competence.

•    A track record of publications in international journals.

•    Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills both written and verbal communication.

•    Ability to independently prioritize work, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

•    Flexibility towards work, meeting deadlines and taking initiative while seeking advice as necessary.

•    Excellent teamwork, ability to lead and manage delegated tasks and small projects.

•    Mature and commands respect among professional colleagues and residents.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.