This Harvard Medicine News feature provides HMS faculty with an opportunity to ask the deans from the Office of Academic and Clinical Affairs questions about a variety of topics, including academic promotions, faculty development and diversity initiatives, as well as conflict of interest policies, among others.
April Question and Answer:
Q. I am a clinical fellow at one of the Harvard affiliate hospitals and have recently accepted a faculty position for next academic year. As I transition into this new role, how can I become more familiar with HMS faculty resources and policies?
A. Congratulations regarding your new position! Since 2010, the Office for Faculty Affairs has been offering an orientation program for newly-appointed junior faculty from HMS and HSDM. The goals of the orientation are to create a welcoming transition for new faculty, to connect them to available resources and to introduce them to established faculty and staff. As a new faculty member, you will receive an invitation to participate in an upcoming orientation event next academic year. Please visit our website to learn more about this program. The website also features information on many faculty policies and resources.
Carol Bates, Assistant Dean for Faculty Affairs
March Question and Answer:
Q. I am an associate professor of medicine and hope to be promoted to professor in the future. My chairman recently mentioned to me that several changes are underway in the senior promotions process at HMS. What are the major elements of these changes and why were they initiated?
A. Streamlining of the senior faculty promotions process was one of the major priorities outlined in the recommendations of the HMS Task Force on Faculty Development and Diversity. The new, expedited promotions process consolidates steps formerly taking place separately at HMS and the clinical affiliates into a single, transparent and more efficient model. As a result of the successful restructuring of the senior promotions process, a record number of HMS faculty members were promoted to professor last year, and the average time of the senior promotions process was reduced from 16 months to 9 months.
Additionally, promotion committees now use a paperless system, and faculty members can monitor the progress of their evaluation on a secure website. Encouraged to think beyond traditional definitions as to what constitutes top scholarship, faculty whose area of excellence is teaching and educational leadership or clinical expertise and innovation may submit, in addition to peer-reviewed publications, materials such as course syllabi, nationally adopted guidelines for patient care, and novel methods or technologies that have had major, demonstrable impact.
Collectively, these initiatives have created a more efficient, robust, and transparent promotions process, while maintaining its requisite academic rigor. Visit the Office for Faculty Affairs website to learn more about HMS promotions policies.
Maureen Connelly, Dean for Faculty Affairs
