Overview: The goal of the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative (BHHI) is to provide accurate, timely policy-oriented research to inform appropriate programmatic and policy responses to prevent and end homelessness. Funded by a generous gift from Marc and Lynne Benioff, the BHHI, based at the UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations, seeks to become a trusted source for evidence-based practice and policy, turning evidence into action to prevent and end homelessness.

The BHHI will use strategic science to derive evidence-based practices and policies to prevent and end homelessness. Strategic science is a way to conduct research that creates a reciprocal relationship between the researchers and those who act upon it—policymakers, practitioners, and those living with homelessness. Those who act upon research (“end users”) play a major role in developing the research agenda. In strategic science, researchers work together with these end users to identify high priority questions and identify which of these require new research. We will work closely with end users to develop policy recommendations, seeking opportunities to provide non-partisan, expert opinion to influence policymaking at the local, state and federal levels. We seek opportunities to communicate our findings broadly, including the peer-reviewed scientific literature as well as non-peer-reviewed sources.

In this larger effort to prevent and end homelessness, the BHHI has developed a post-doctoral training program to train the next generation of strategic scientists who are empowered to address upstream causes of homelessness. Our projects will rely on diverse research methodologies including quantitative methods, qualitative methods, or mixed methods and utilize a diverse set of research designs including longitudinal, cross-sectional, quasi-experimental, natural experiments, implementation and translational science, and policy evaluation.

Post-Doctoral Program Description: The UCSF BHHI is seeking highly motivated scholars to join a multidisciplinary team for a 2-year post-doctoral program. This is a full time position based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Scholars will work closely with established BHHI faculty to conduct research on projects related to homelessness, and to translate these findings into evidence-based programs and policy solutions. One of the goals of the post-doctoral scholars program is to help scholars develop a research program that could lead to grant applications to establish research independence. Scholars will have the opportunity to obtain additional research training in Implementation Sciences through the UCSF Training in Clinical Research Program. Scholars will be based at the UCSF Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital campus and will have access to resources across the UCSF campuses. Scholars will spend the first three months of the post-doctoral program exploring projects and mentorship within the BHHI. By the end of the third month of the program, post-doctoral scholars will be required to find a primary research mentor and project and a secondary research mentor. Post-doctoral scholars will also have the opportunity to work with other faculty across UCSF. They will be a part of a group of 3 to 4 postdoctoral scholars from different disciplines engaged in a structured training program that includes works-in-progress and other career development activities, including writing and publishing manuscripts and grant writing.

The UCSF Center for Vulnerable Populations at San Francisco General Hospital carries out innovative research to prevent and treat chronic disease in populations for whom social conditions often conspire to both promote various chronic diseases and make their management more challenging. Founded in 2006, the CVP is located on the campus of San Francisco General Hospital. Beyond the local communities it serves, CVP is nationally and internationally known for its research in health communication and health policy to reduce health disparities, with special expertise in the social determinants of health, including literacy, homelessness, food policy, poverty, and minority status, with a focus on the clinical conditions of pre-diabetes, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

Pride Values: UCSF is a diverse community made of people with many skills and talents. We seek candidates whose work experience or community service has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to professionalism, respect, integrity, diversity and excellence – also known as our PRIDE values. In addition to our PRIDE values, UCSF is committed to equity – both in how we deliver care as well as our workforce. We are committed to building a broadly diverse community, nurturing a culture that is welcoming and supportive, and engaging diverse ideas for the provision of culturally competent education, discovery, and patient care. Additional information about UCSF is available at diversity.ucsf.edu.

The University of California San Francisco is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.