CCHS - Associate Program Director, Doctor of Physical Therapy, Assoc/Full Professor - Tenure/Tenure

Job Description

Job Description

Department/Organization
208311 - CCHS-Physical Therapy

Rank
Associate/Full Professor

Position Summary
The University of Alabama invites applications and nominations for the position of Associate Program Director and faculty in its developing Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. Pending approval by The Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama and authorization by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), the DPT program will address a distinct workforce need while drawing from a strong pipeline of qualified students. We seek an entrepreneurial, collaborative, and student-centered physical therapist educator, clinician, scholar, and academic leader who will partner with the Program Director to build a nationally distinctive program aligned with the College of Community Health Sciences’ mission and expand access to high-quality physical therapy services, particularly in rural and underserved communities across Alabama and the Southeast. The Associate Program Director will provide operational and academic leadership across curriculum development and delivery, faculty and student support, assessment, accreditation readiness, and strategic program growth. The successful candidate will also teach in areas aligned with their expertise; advise and mentor students; maintain an appropriate record of scholarship, clinical engagement, and service; and represent the program within the College, University, profession, and community. CCHS is vibrant and growing, with academic programs in Rural Community Health, Population Health Sciences, Translational Science and Medicine, and additional health-professions programs in development. CCHS is home to a nationally renowned Sports Medicine Clinic and Fellowship, as well as Family and Psychiatry residencies and multiple fellowships. Appointments to the faculty of The University of Alabama are based on the personnel requirements of the University’s academic programs and on the goal of achieving and maintaining excellence in its teaching, research, and service/academic citizenship activities.

Detailed Position Information
Associate Program Director, Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)—Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor; tenure-track/tenured or clinical track, commensurate with qualifications.

Reporting to and working closely with the Program Director, the Associate Program Director will help lead the planning, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of the developing DPT program. Primary responsibilities may include coordinating day-to-day academic operations; supporting curriculum design, sequencing, integration, and review; facilitating faculty collaboration and development; contributing to faculty workload and course planning; coordinating student progression, advising, remediation, and success initiatives; supporting admissions and recruitment; overseeing collection and analysis of program outcomes; maintaining documentation for CAPTE candidacy and accreditation; contributing to policy development and implementation; and representing the Program Director when delegated or in the Director’s absence.

The Associate Program Director will collaborate with the Program Director, Director of Clinical Education, faculty, staff, College leadership, and external partners to ensure alignment among didactic education, clinical education, student outcomes, and workforce needs. Additional responsibilities include classroom, laboratory, simulation, or clinical instruction; student mentorship; scholarship appropriate to rank and track; development of clinical and community partnerships; and service to the program, College, University, profession, and community.

Minimum Qualifications
• Earned terminal academic or clinical doctorate (with clinical specialty certification) from an institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or an equivalent international credential.
• Physical therapist licensed in a U.S. jurisdiction and eligible for licensure in Alabama.
• Minimum of five years of full-time or equivalent experience in physical therapist education, including teaching and academic leadership responsibilities.
• Evidence of contemporary expertise relevant to an entry-level DPT curriculum.
• Demonstrated experience with curriculum development, program assessment, student progression, faculty collaboration, or academic operations.
• Demonstrated ability to lead collaboratively, manage multiple priorities, communicate effectively, and support colleagues and students in a developing program.
• Evidence of excellence in teaching, student mentorship, scholarship, and service.
• Qualifications commensurate with appointment at the Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor rank and the applicable tenure or clinical track.

Preferred Qualifications
• Prior experience as an associate program director, program director, department chair, academic coordinator, or in a comparable leadership role in a professional physical therapy program. • Substantive knowledge of CAPTE standards, candidacy requirements, accreditation processes, and continuous quality improvement. • Experience with curriculum mapping, instructional design, faculty workload planning, student assessment, remediation, and program outcome assessment. • Experience developing and implementing academic policies, procedures, and operational systems. • Record of scholarship, clinical practice, or externally supported work appropriate to rank and track. • Expertise in one or more areas that complement the developing curriculum. • Experience with interprofessional education, community-engaged practice, rural health, or service to underserved populations. • Experience developing clinical, health-system, educational, or community partnerships. • Active engagement in the American Physical Therapy Association or related professional organizations. • Mission-driven, collaborative, organized, and outcomes-oriented leadership style. • Commitment to academic excellence, student success, professional formation, and a respectful learning and working environment.

Instructions and Required Materials for Application
1. Cover letter addressing qualifications, academic leadership experience, and interest in serving as Associate Program Director of a developing DPT program. 2. Curriculum vitae. 3. Leadership statement describing the candidate’s approach to collaborative program administration, curriculum quality, faculty support, student success, and accreditation readiness. 4. Teaching statement describing educational philosophy, instructional experience, and approach to student learning and mentorship. 5. Statement of scholarly, clinical, or professional agenda appropriate to the candidate’s rank and track. 6. Names and contact information for three professional references; references will be contacted only with the candidate’s consent.

About the Division/College/School
The College of Community Health Sciences (CCHS) was founded in 1972 by William Willard, MD, author of the “Willard Report” and considered the “Father of Family Medicine,” with a mandate to train family physicians for Alabama, particularly its rural areas. The College also provides medical student education as the Tuscaloosa Regional Campus of the four-campus University of Alabama School of Medicine, based at UAB in Birmingham. The College’s mission focuses on improving the health of individuals and communities in Alabama and the region through leadership in medical education and primary care; the provision of high-quality, accessible health care services; and scholarship.

CCHS is sponsor of the UA Family Medicine Residency and seven fellowships for family physicians. The Residency, a 16-16-16 program now in its 45th year, is the second largest family medicine residency in the country. Of the more than 470 Residency graduates, 85% practice in the five-state area of the Southeast, with half in rural areas, and comprise 1 of 7 family physicians practicing in Alabama. Nearly 900 medical students have completed their clinical training at the College since 1974, entering Family Medicine and primary care careers at more than twice the national average.

The College’s nationally recognized Rural Pipeline Programs and the Institute for Rural Health Research, along with basic sciences, social sciences, and health professional faculty and resources on the UA campus and innumerable specialty and medical research faculty among the School of Medicine faculty, create a uniquely resource-rich environment for a medical educator. The College’s clinical enterprise also conducts 150,000 ambulatory visits and more than 10,000 admissions a year to a broad patient population, including UA faculty and staff and the general population of West Alabama.

For more information about the College, visit

About the University
The University of Alabama is located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, named one of Travel + Leisure’s 25 Best College Towns and Cities in the U.S. As one of the nation’s premier universities, UA offers bachelor’s, master's and doctoral degrees in nearly 200 fields of study. With more than 1,400 acres of tree-lined academic core campus and over 300 state-of-the art facilities, UA has been ranked among the most beautiful and most impressive college campuses in the South, in the state of Alabama and in the nation.

In Fall 2023, the Capstone set a new enrollment record with more than 39,000 students, including more than 8,200 in the freshman class. The current enrollment includes students from every county in Alabama, every state in the nation and 92 countries around the world. More than 1,100 National Merit Scholars are currently enrolled, making UA one of the largest enrolling institutions of the scholars in the country.

UA was recently recognized as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. students for the seventh time in nine years, as well as a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Scholars for the first time. UA is one of only 12 universities in the nation to receive both honors.

For reasons like this, the University made Forbes list of America’s Top Colleges for 2023 and Time magazine’s list of Top 50 Best Colleges for Future Leaders. It also made Princeton Review’s list of Top Value Colleges.

UA is also designated among the top doctoral research universities in the United States in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. One of the fastest growing major research institutions in the nation, UA saw a 21% increase in sponsored awards in the 2023 fiscal year.

Since 2015, UA has invested over $1.1 billion in the physical campus, adding more than 2.55 million gross square feet of space, over 150 new research-intensive faculty, signature research areas (e.g., “The Alabama Research Institutes”), and a growing number of partnerships with industry and with state and federal agencies.

The University employs nearly 2,100 faculty and over 4,500 staff, with 52 UA researchers included in the National Academy of Inventors. An additional 40 current faculty have received the NSF CAREER Award, the nation’s most prestigious recognition of top performing young scientists in disciplines ranging from nanoscience and engineering to biological sciences.

Background Investigation and EEO Statement
Background Investigation Statement: Prior to hiring, the final candidate(s) must successfully pass a pre-employment background investigation and information obtained from social media and other internet sources. A prior conviction reported as a result of the background investigation DOES NOT automatically disqualify a candidate from consideration for this position. A candidate with a prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags will receive an individualized review of the prior conviction or negative behavioral red flags before a hiring decision is made.

Equal Employment Opportunity: The University of Alabama is an Equal Employment/Equal Educational Opportunity Institution. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment or volunteer status without regard to any legally protected basis and will not be discriminated against because of their protected status. Applicants and employees of this institution are protected under Federal law from discrimination on several bases. More information is available in the EEOC’s Know Your Rights: Workplace (-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12ScreenRdr.pdf) discrimination is illegal poster.

The University of Alabama affirms its longstanding commitment to institutional neutrality, free speech, and academic freedom.