Off the Charts

In terms of sheer size, the Harvard Faculty of Medicine—scattered across the Quad and 17 affiliated institutions—can be hard to fathom. In 2009, the full-time faculty was almost three times larger than that of the next largest U.S. medical school faculty, that of Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. By 2010, the total number of members ranked from lecturer through professor had pushed past the 11,000 mark, to 11,215—surprising, perhaps, considering that, in 1980, the total was closer to 3,000.

The 30-year, 233 percent upswing is of special interest to the HMS Office for Faculty Affairs, which supports the academic advancement of faculty and manages the complex promotion process. According to Dean for Faculty Affairs Maureen Connelly, a major goal of the office is to introduce efficiencies necessitated by the large number of faculty considered for promotion every year.

“We are committed to balancing the requirement of a fair and rigorous process for reviewing faculty qualifications with the need to consider many more candidates than ever before, and to do this in a timely manner,” Connelly said. Efforts to streamline the promotion process, all of which are under way, involve rethinking the roles of promotion committees, decreasing the steps required to complete a promotion review, and adopting on-line technologies for managing documents and for communicating with candidates and their departments.

If the last academic year is any indication, junior faculty have reason for optimism. The year saw 64 men and women appointed to the rank of professor, surpassing the 2009 record of 59. Meanwhile, 134 were promoted to associate professorships, and 291 became assistant professors.

Women now make up 40 percent of the HMS faculty. In the last 10 years, as the faculty grew overall by roughly 50 percent, full-time professorships held by women increased 145 percent; with 130 out of 867 professorships, women now represent 14 percent of the senior faculty. Though underrepresented minority faculty account for just five percent of the total faculty, they are gaining ground. For example, eight percent of promotions to assistant professor in the last academic year were to faculty from underrepresented groups.

The total number of underrepresented minority faculty is greater at HMS than at any other U.S. medical school. “A faculty that reflects the broadest possible range of experiences and perspectives solidifies our standing as a world leader,” Connelly said, affirming a statement posted recently by Jeffrey Flier, dean of the Faculty of Medicine, on the importance of fostering a diverse faculty. “We are developing a search process that will identify the broadest possible pool of candidates for open faculty positions, to ensure that those who join our faculty are truly reflective of the diverse community of scholars,” she added.

The overall growth seen in the last few decades can be attributed to three main factors, Connelly said: the expansion of clinical services at HMS-affiliated institutions, success in competing for research grants and the extraordinary opportunities the School offers, which attract world leaders in biomedical science.

Students and trainees reap the benefit. “Our students can tap into the vast breadth and depth of all of our departments,” Connelly said. “The diversity of talent and background represented among the faculty ranks is tremendous and, from where I sit, without peer.”

• A total of 64 faculty members representing the HMS preclinical departments, the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and eight affiliates were promoted to professor, 14 of them joining the faculty from outside Harvard.
• Women constituted 28 percent (18 of 64) of promotions and appointments to professor and 43 percent of new senior recruitments (6 of 14).
• Six percent of all promotions were to underrepresented minority faculty.
• More than 300 HMS professors volunteered to serve on committees to consider candidates for promotion to professor.
• Some 120 senior faculty from institutions outside Harvard served on ad hoc professorial promotions and search committees.
• Another 70 senior faculty serve on the Promotions, Reappointments and Appointments committees and the Longer Service Subcommittee. In academic year 2010, these groups met 25 times to consider more than 400 candidates for appointment or promotion to assistant and associate professor.
• A record 58 cases were reviewed by the Longer Service Subcommittee, which considers promotions to assitant professor for candidates who have contributed to the educational mission of Harvard for at least 10 years.