Geriatric psychiatrist- Associate Professor

Geriatric Psychiatrist sought for a tenure-track position at the Associate Professor level at the Brain Health Institute ( BHI), and Robert Wood Johnson Medical School ( RWJMS) within Rutgers Biomedical & Health Sciences ( RBHS).

Qualifying tenure-stream applicants must have an established scholarly record demonstrating ability to develop and lead a program of independent, NIH (or other extramurally) funded research. Successful applicant(s) will serve as a core member(s) within the new Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer's Center at BHI, with a primary appointment in the Department of Psychiatry at RWJMS.

We seek a board-certified geriatric psychiatrist with clinical experience in caring for persons with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias. The successful candidate will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team including neurologists, neuropsychologists, and neuropathologists, on a clinician-scientist track. Applicants should have experience in conducting clinical trials (as PI or site PI), experience conducting longitudinal studies, and an interest in studying preclinical Alzheimer's disease.

The Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer's Center is a new center within BHI at Rutgers University with the mission of establishing an interdisciplinary, integrated program to provide comprehensive research focused on prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. This center is the first of its kind in New Jersey, and the successful applicant will be integral to its development. Ideal candidates will bring vision and experience in modern aging and memory research and enthusiasm for team science and collaboration.

We are seeking an engaged clinician-scientist who can lead the development of a research cohort of individuals at high risk for dementia. This cohort will be extensively phenotyped for clinical, cognitive, genetic, neuroimaging and biomarker measures. In addition to scientific leadership, responsibilities will also include mentorship of young physician-scientists, and leading clinical and neuropathological consensus conferences.

Duties of the Position Related to the Cohort Study:

* Participate in the leadership team developing the high dementia risk cohort.

* Lead clinical consensus conferences and participate in neuropathological consensus conferences.

* Lead and contribute to the preparation of manuscripts using Cohort data for submission to peer-reviewed journals.

* Conduct preliminary analyses to support grant proposal development.

* Significantly lead and contribute to grant proposals that support future rounds of Cohort data collection and address research questions of high scientific and public health importance in Alzheimer's disease.

* Contribute to translational research communication activities with Cohort participants, industry, basic science lab investigating AD, and community and policy stakeholder audiences.

* Participate in training, coaching, and professional development of staff, post-doctoral fellows, young physicians, and others collaborating on the Cohort study.

MD, MD/PhD, or equivalent terminal degree. Additional requirements include board certification and fellowship training as applicable to specialty, and subspecialty if trained; applicants must possess or be eligible for a New Jersey Medical License.

* Ability to develop and lead a program of independent extramurally funded research including a record of leadership of, or contributions to, major successful peer-reviewed grant proposals to the NIH or other peer-reviewed grant sponsors, appropriate to applicant's academic rank.

* Academic credentials that qualify for appointment as an Associate Professor at Rutgers University including a record of successful extramural funding and peer-reviewed publications addressing Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.

* Record of successful multi-disciplinary collaboration and mentorship of students and early-stage investigators.

* Excellent written and oral communication skills and the ability to translate research findings and concepts to both academic and non-academic audiences.

* Ability to successfully engage and communicate with study participants, community, and public policy leaders.

* Strong interest and enthusiasm in helping achieve successful implementation of the new Cohort and contributing to cutting-edge science.

Desirable Qualifications
Cultural and language competency and/or experience working with one or more of the underserved communities of NJ.

The Herbert and Jacqueline Krieger Klein Alzheimer's and Dementia Clinical Research and Treatment Center (the Center) will be entirely focused on finding treatments and interventions to prevent, delay and cure Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The Center's agenda stems from a fundamental research paradigm: investigators, students, and team members' strategic thinking and scientific frame of mind must have the patient as the ultimate goal, which differ from doing science for the sake of science. In contrast to current approaches, our strategy relates to the disease as multifaceted and complex, possibly requiring multi-targeted treatments.

The Center's approach will respond to this critical need through four strategic pathways:

1. Developing new diagnostic methods and tools: Using novel and highly sensitive biomarkers and technologies that can identify the earliest changes in cognition and behavior, before brain pathology is evident. Since the pathology of Alzheimer's begins 20-30 years before the onset of significant memory impairment, this approach would result in redefining the diagnosis to the earliest manifestations of AD. Such sensitive biomarkers and technologies will also help monitor disease progression and treatment efficacy.

2. Discovering the earliest biological alterations: Defining the earliest biological changes related to AD will unravel new treatment targets necessary for the prevention of the disease.

3. Developing new pre-symptomatic treatments: These will be clinical trials to test new pre-symptomatic intervention methods for high risk yet asymptomatic individuals, in order to halt the development of AD and related dementias.

4. Developing novel disease-modifying treatments: These will be clinical trials to test novel treatments to effectively slow down the course of AD progression or optimally, to cure it.

Central to this patient-focused, clinical treatment development strategy will be the creation of a new racial & ethnically diverse participant cohort, phenotyped for clinical and behavioral characteristics, cognition, and social determinants of health. The cohort development will be supported by specialized cores at the center using advanced neuroimaging, biomarkers/omics/genetics, neuropathology, data sciences/bioinformatics and digital health approaches that will further and more deeply phenotype the cohort participants.