Community Chair, Health Justice Partnerships

Dalhousie University

The Dalhousie Health Justice Institute with the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, invites applications from qualified candidates for the newly created Community Chair, Health Justice Partnerships. This is a full-time 14-month limited-term appointment at the rank of Instructor, to commence May 1, 2026, with the possibility of renewal, subject to funding.

Working in close collaboration with the leadership of the Health Justice Institute (HJI), the Community Chair, Health Justice Partnerships will play a leading role in a variety of education, research, and capacity-building activities that aim to support, develop, and expand partnerships with community-based organizations in the service of health justice.

The key responsibilities of the Community Chair position include:

• Teaching a new, year-long practicum course on community health justice advocacy, requiring mentoring and supervision of JD students and students from other professional programs at Dalhousie (e.g., social work), starting in September 2026.
• Developing relationships, in collaboration with HJI and other law faculty, with community-based organizations for the purposes of setting up experiential learning opportunities for students enrolled in the practicum course as well as building partnerships between those organizations and HJI.
• Co-leading the development of grant applications and other fundraising proposals with members of the HJI to support partnerships with community-based organizations, including various advocacy strategies that advance health and disability justice related needs and goals of those organizations.
• Advancing, in collaboration with HJI and other law faculty, pedagogical approaches to support JD student engagement and work as future legal practitioners with marginalized people and communities.
• Additional teaching in the health justice curriculum beyond the practicum course, as necessary to fill teaching needs in the JD program, as well as service on faculty and/or university level committees.

The successful candidate will possess a strong academic record, demonstrated experience as a legal practitioner working in or with community-based organizations in disability justice and/or mental health related areas of the law, and evidence of post-secondary teaching excellence. At the time of appointment, the successful candidate will hold an LL.B. or J.D. degree (or equivalent). Professional experience in fundraising, including grant applications, and/or in a leadership role with non-government organizations, and/or in designing or leading test case litigation and other means of advancing health justice through law and policy reform would be considered a strong asset. Applicants with a minimum of two years teaching experience at a Canadian law school are preferred.

About the Schulich School of Law and Dalhousie University

The Schulich School of Law plays an extraordinary role in the fabric of Canadian legal education. We are a national law school, with our students coming from and returning to every region. We are a vibrant, collegial, and close-knit community of faculty and students from around the world. We live the Weldon Tradition of unselfish public service – of giving back and making the world a better place. Our alumni hold every form of government office, teach in Canadian law schools, innovate in the provision of private and public sector legal services and in business, advance policy in the executive branch of government, render decisions of courts across the country, and offer service to non-governmental bodies and non-profit and community organizations.

We embrace the interdisciplinary opportunity of working in a university, we value the creation and dissemination of new knowledge, and we are firmly committed to students and to teaching and learning excellence. We are conscious of the difference we make to law reform, adjudication, legal service, and community engagement at home and around the world. We value the contributions of the founding communities in this province, the Mi’kmaq Nation, Acadians, African Nova Scotians, and British, and we open our doors to the world.

Application Instructions

A complete application includes a cover letter, a curriculum vitae, a vision statement for the role (of no more than three pages), and the names of three referees, at least one of whom should, if possible, be an academic referee.

Applications will be accepted until March 15, 2026. All applications must be submitted via PeopleAdmin: https://dal.peopleadmin.ca/postings/20192.

For further information about this position, or to request accommodation at any stage of the hiring process, please contact lawdean@dal.ca.

This position is a part of the Dalhousie Faculty Association (DFA) Bargaining Unit.

All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Dalhousie University commits to achieving inclusive excellence through continually championing equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. The university encourages applications from Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island (especially Mi’kmaq), persons of Black/African descent (especially African Nova Scotians), and members of other racialized groups, persons with disabilities, women, persons identifying as members of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and all candidates who would contribute to the diversity of our community. In accordance with our Employment Equity Policy, preference will be given in hiring processes to candidates who self-identify as members of one or more of the equity-deserving groups listed above. For more information, including details related to our Employment Equity Policy and Plan and definitions of equity-deserving groups please visit www.dal.ca/hiringfordiversity.

If you require any support for the purpose of accommodation, such as technical aids or alternative arrangements, please let us know of these needs and how we can be of assistance. Dalhousie University is committed to ensuring all candidates have full, fair, and equitable participation in the hiring process. Our complete Accommodation Policy can be viewed here.