Senior Lecturer of Medicine, Health, and Society - ...

Description The Department of Medicine, Health, and Society (MHS) at Vanderbilt University invites applications for the position of Senior Lecturer to develop and teach critical undergraduate and graduate courses focused on Health and Social Media, Healthism, and/or the effects of Health Influencers. This is a full-time position, not on the tenure track, for a three-year appointment beginning Fall 2026 with the possibility for renewal contingent upon performance review and curricular need. The position carries a 3-3 annual teaching load. MHS is an interdisciplinary department that draws from the social sciences, humanities, and health sciences to explore the structural, cultural, political, and ethical dimensions of health and illness. With the proliferation of health technologies, digital wellness economies, and AI-driven diagnostics and care platforms, this position fills a vital curricular and intellectual need. It aligns closely with the department's commitment to addressing timely public concerns and preparing students for leadership in medicine, public health, data ethics, and health tech. To that end, we seek an innovative and engaged educator whose work centers on one or more of the following interrelated domains: Health and Social Media: Including digital health narratives, health information, virtual wellness communities, platform politics, and algorithmic influence on health decisions and behaviors Healthism and Wellness Culture: Including health influencers, critiques of the moralization of health, neoliberal wellness discourses, and the commodification of self-care Health and Artificial Intelligence (AI): Including algorithmic bias in healthcare delivery, predictive analytics, surveillance medicine, data ethics, and the sociopolitical consequences of machine learning in clinical and everyday settings We especially welcome candidates who approach these issues through frameworks such as critical public health, media studies, tech, law, medical humanities, medical sociology, health economics, and/or bioethics. Teaching Responsibilities The successful candidate will teach a 3:3 course load and contribute to: Core undergraduate courses such as Health and Society, Health and Social Justice, or Medicine, Technology, and Society New electives including but not limited to: Health and Social Media The Politics of Wellness AI and the Future of Care Digital Bodies and Data Surveillance, Medicine, and Power Undergraduate thesis and capstone advising Instruction in the A&S College Core curriculum We value innovative teaching approaches that include project-based learning, digital pedagogy, and engagement with community-based or public-facing initiatives. This position also directly supports the department's goal of preparing students to engage critically and ethically with the technologies shaping the future of health. More information about MHS can be found via our website,and about the MA programs atQualifications PhD, in hand by August 1, 2026, in a relevant discipline (e.g., sociology, anthropology, public health, media studies, STS, medical humanities, data ethics, economics) Demonstrated excellence in interdisciplinary teaching at the undergraduate level Application Instructions Applicants should electronically submit via Interfolio the following]: A letter of interest addressed to Jonathan Metzl, Chair of MHS A curriculum vitae Evidence of teaching effectiveness, including all course evaluations, if available The names of three references Applications will be reviewed starting November 24, 2025 and continue until the position is filled.

Created: 2026-03-04