Sessional Instructor: MDCH Fundamentals of Epidemiology, Dept of Community Health Sciences

Position: Sessional Instructor: MDCH 640: Fundamentals of Epidemiology, Dept of Community Health Sciences

Description

The Department of Community Health Sciences within the Cumming School of Medicine invites applications for a Fall 2026 Term Sessional Instructor for MDCH 640:
Fundamentals of Epidemiology. The appointment has an assigned teaching workload of 1.0 half-course equivalent.

Sessional Instructor: MDCH 640:
Fundamentals of Epidemiology Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine

Location:

Foothills Campus

The successful applicant will design, coordinate, and deliver the graduate-level applied laboratory component of the course. Responsibilities include developing laboratory and assessment materials using Stata and R, delivering in-person laboratory sessions, grading laboratory assignments, providing academic support to students, and working collaboratively with the course instructors and teaching assistants. The successful applicant will also provide input on the integration of the laboratory component with the overall course design, content, learning outcomes, and assessments.

MDCH 640 introduces students to the principles and methods of descriptive and analytic epidemiology. The course emphasizes epidemiologic reasoning, measures of disease frequency and association, study design, random and systematic error, bias, confounding, effect‑measure modification, causal judgment, statistical analysis, interpretation, and critical appraisal. The laboratory component provides students with hands‑on experience applying epidemiologic concepts through data management and statistical analysis using Stata and R.

The laboratory component supports students in developing the ability to:

• Apply principles and methods of descriptive and analytic epidemiology.
• Manage and analyze epidemiologic data using Stata and R.
• Select and conduct appropriate statistical analyses and interpret the resulting estimates.
• Critically analyze epidemiologic methods, including their appropriateness, strengths, limitations, and implications for interpreting research findings.
• Present and communicate epidemiologic findings accurately and clearly.

Fall 2026 Term Dates:
August 24, 2026 - December 24, 2026 Delivery Mode:
All course components will be delivered in-person. Teaching

Schedule:

Lectures, Tuesdays 9:00 - 11:00, Tutorials, Tuesdays 11:00 - 11:50, and Labs, Thursdays, 9:30 - 11:20

Qualifications:

The successful candidate will have excellent written and oral communication skills, strong interpersonal and organizational skills, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of an instructional team. The successful candidate must hold a PhD in epidemiology, public health, population health, community health sciences, or a related field, with specialized training in epidemiology. They must also have demonstrated experience conducting epidemiologic research and teaching epidemiologic methods and applied data analysis at the graduate level, including teaching the use of both Stata and R.

Preference will be given to candidates with experience designing and delivering applied epidemiology laboratories, developing instructional and assessment materials, and grading graduate‑level applied data‑analysis assignments. The successful candidate must also demonstrate proficiency in using D2L Brightspace to organize course materials, administer assessments, manage grades, and communicate with students.

Final date to receive applications:
August 10, 2026 Questions may be addressed to:

Dr. Gavin McCormack, Professor

Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine

Email:

For salary information, please refer to TUCFA's Collective Agreement, Schedule

B. As per the Collective Agreement, the Cumming School of Medicine adheres to the right of first refusal terms (Section 23.12.1 and 23.12.2) for Sessional Appointments.

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