Child/Pediatric Postdoctoral

The Center for Children’s Healthy Lifestyles & Nutrition is delighted to offer 3 two-year postdoctoral fellowships for the 2023-2025 cycle broadly focused on pediatric healthy lifestyles. Applicants will be accepted from the fields of Nutrition, Exercise Physiology, Public Health, Psychology, Physiology or related fields to work with our multidisciplinary team. This position is fully research, with hours toward licensure only available after specific negotiation when relevant. All applicants must have completed all requirements for their doctoral degree prior to beginning the fellowship. The positions’ start date is expected to begin in the summer/fall of 2023 but is negotiable, and salary will follow current NIH guidance.

 

The CHLN has strengths is many areas, but is especially interested in applicants who would like to work in one or more of the following general areas:

1. Energy Balance : Dr. John Thyfault (basic metabolism), Dr. Robin Shook (human metabolism), Dr. Jordan Carlson (physical activity assessment), Dr. Lauren Ptomey (dietary assessment)
2. Psychosocial Factors and Health : Dr. Jordan Carlson (environment), Dr. Delwyn Catley (health behavior change), Dr. Ann Davis (behavioral clinical trials), Dr. Helena Laroche (social determinants of health)
3. Clinical Weight Management : Dr. Helena Laroche (community interventions), Dr. Brooke Sweeney (medical weight management), Dr. Meredith Dreyer Gillette and Dr. Lauren Ptomey (special populations), Dr. Sarah Hampl (primary care), Dr. Christie Befort (rural primary care)

 

Our faculty study many facets of children’s healthy lifestyles and nutrition and related topics, and span from public health to clinical intervention to basic science (see www.chlnkc.org for more information). Candidates will select a track and a senior faculty mentor and will have the support of a 4-member scholarship oversight committee to ensure productivity and training related to the candidate’s individualized career goals. We are specifically seeking candidates who plan to pursue NIH funding, likely by submitting an F or K application during their fellowship. The Center for Children’s Healthy Lifestyles & Nutrition is a joint partnership between the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) and Children’s Mercy Hospital (CMH). Postdoctoral fellows will have the support of the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs at KUMC (http://www.kumc.edu/academic-and-student-affairs/opags/postdoctoralaffairs/prospective-postdocs.html), as well as support from the NIH funded University of Kansas Clinical and Translational Science Institute (http://www.kufrontiers.org/), and from the postdoctoral training program at Children’s Mercy Hospital.

 

Doctorate

The Center for Children’s Healthy Lifestyles & Nutrition is a leader in the local, regional, national and international movement to prevent and treat childhood obesity and to foster healthy lifestyles in all children and families. Our primary goal is to contribute new knowledge regarding pediatric healthy lifestyles, ranging in scope from its biological origins to its societal impact. Current studies are exploring physiology, cognition, behavior, physical activity, and nutrition as they relate to many child health issues including obesity and diabetes, with a strong focus on energy metabolism disruption. We also contribute to the development and analysis of public policy, community engagement, and leadership regarding healthy lifestyles in children and families. We are committed to reaching all children, especially those in under-served, ethnic minority, low-income communities. As a centralized resource, the Center supports community members and academic and business leaders who are interested in reversing rates of childhood obesity and ensuring the healthy lifestyles and nutrition of all children. Kansas City’s Center for Children’s Healthy Lifestyles & Nutrition representsa committed collaboration between two neighboring institutions who serve children across the bi-state region of Missouri and Kansas. Supported by a state-of-the-art facility, team members at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, and other local institutions collaborate to solve health problems facing children and families in our region.