Description

Apply for this position via the USC Careers website.

The USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and the USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service is seeking a dedicated and innovative Research Assistant Professor of Health Policy & Management who will enhance our scholarly mission and advance health care policy.  The candidate will have the opportunity to work within a dynamic team at the USC Schaeffer Center, leveraging resources to increase research capacity in studying health care policy through both new and existing research efforts.

The position is primarily funded through contracts and grants, with partial research support provided by core funds from the Schaeffer Institute. The successful candidate will hold an appointment as a Research Assistant Professor within the Department of Health Policy & Management at the Price School.  They will have an additional appointment as a Scholar in the USC Schaeffer Institute, working alongside faculty and staff there.  

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct collaborative, leading-edge research in health policy and economics
• Publish findings in peer-reviewed journals and present at conferences
• Communicate research findings to policy and academic audiences
• Secure grants and funding for research projects
• Mentor students and junior researchers and contribute to the academic community

About the Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics
Since its establishment in 2009, the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics has served as an intellectual hub for health policy and health economics research at USC. The Schaeffer Center’s mission is to measurably improve value in health through evidence-based policy solutions, research excellence, and private and public sector engagement. The Center ranks 4th in the world in health economics, and is a trusted resource for Congress, federal agencies (including CMS, FDA, CBO, and NIH), and organizations such as the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine.

The Schaeffer Center is a collaboration between the USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and the USC Price School of Public Policy, and it is a flagship program of the Leonard D. Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service.

About the USC Schaeffer Institute
The USC Schaeffer Institute develops evidence-based solutions to address the nation’s most pressing policy issues. It serves as a policy laboratory to develop and test ideas generated by the USC academic community, fosters civic engagement, and provides a forum to reach federal policymakers. 

Established by an historic gift from Leonard D. Schaeffer in 2024, it houses three flagship programs: the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, the Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellows in Government Service, and the Center for Civic Society.

Schaeffer experts have testified before numerous Congressional committees and are regularly sought out by media outlets—including the New York Times, NPR, Stat, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post—to provide insight on policy issues.

The Schaeffer Institute is home to more than 150 scholars and staff, including three Nobel Laureates and seven members of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. It has offices at USC in Los Angeles and at the USC Capital Campus in Washington, DC.

About the Sol Price School of Public Policy
Ranked among the foremost schools of public policy in the nation, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy generates uncommon knowledge for the common good. The school is composed of overlapping disciplines that generate innovative approaches to critical issues ranging from health-care policy to homelessness, and sustainability to congestion – to name a few. A wide-ranging curriculum, including extensive experiential learning, prepares our graduates to navigate problems that demand multi-layered solutions driven by critical, informed thinking.

The Price School, founded in 1929, is anchored by four departments: Public Policy and Management, Health Policy and Management, Wilbur H. Smith III Department of Real Estate Development, and Urban Planning and Spatial Analysis. The School’s rigorous academic programs provide students with the knowledge and distinctive opportunities to make meaningful contributions to their professions. Integrating classroom instruction with real-world experience and led by some of the world’s most renowned faculty in their fields, our students establish a clear pathway to successful careers.

Our academic programs are augmented by numerous research centers, institutes and initiatives that provide additional research expertise and experiences, notable among them are: The Judith and John Bedrosian Center on Governance and the Public; The Center for Philanthropy and Public Policy; The USC Lusk Center for Real Estate; The METRANS Transportation Consortium; The Leonard D. Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics; and The Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy. Together, they account for over $100 million in externally funded research grants and contracts.

Together, these departments and research enterprises provide unmatched breadth and depth to tackle an enormous range of challenges facing our country and the world. Price graduates hold leadership positions across diverse sectors – public, private, and nonprofit – championing the advancement of the common good. They come from around the world and from a variety of cultures and socio-economic backgrounds to create a rich intellectual environment that celebrates, supports and benefits from a variety of backgrounds and opinions.

About the Department of Health Policy and Management
USC Price School’s Department of Health Policy and Management is dedicated to improving lives and reducing health disparities through education, research, and leadership development. With a strong commitment to preparing the next generation of health care leaders, the department aims to reduce health disparities and enhance the quality, accessibility, and affordability of care. The department offers faculty with deep expertise in population health, health care access, quality, and spending, health services delivery, hospital administration, insurance design, and medical and pharmaceutical innovation. 

The faculty are prolific in peer-reviewed publication and large-scale grant acquisition, and are also highly influential in shaping national policy debates and advising public-sector decision-makers. Collectively, this creates a vibrant, inter disciplinary environment where scholars collaborate across economics, public policy, medicine, and business to translate rigorous research into real-world impact.

Compensation and Benefits
The University of Southern California offers a competitive salary within an academic environment based on the candidate’s experience and accomplishments. The university also offers excellent benefits to employees, which include: health, dental and life insurance; tuition assistance; disability and retirement plans; credit union membership; and participation in cultural and social events, as well as access to athletic and recreational facilities.

When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.

Note: The base salary for this position will be determined by rank and commensurate with experience, skills, education, and training.

To Apply for This Position
To be considered for this position, all applicants should submit a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and list of three references via the USC Careers website. Consideration of applications will continue until the position is filled.

Requirements

Qualifications

• PhD in a relevant field such as health policy, economics, or public policy
• At least three years of experience in conducting research in health policy and economics (may include research experience gained as a doctoral student)
• Proven track record of successful grant funding and publication in leading journals
• Demonstrated leadership capabilities in research project management and grant solicitation
• Ability to communicate research findings effectively to both policy and research audiences