If the faculty track at HMS and HSDM is a journey, the HMS Office of Faculty Affairs has heightened its role as travel consultant, providing extra direction and resources to faculty members who are just starting out. The new Junior Faculty Orientation program was first offered by Faculty Affairs on Oct. 18 in Gordon Hall and was repeated on Nov. 18. The first session was so popular that the second was booked up weeks ahead of schedule.

The School’s first Junior Faculty Orientation program gave new instructors and assistant professors the opportunity to network, hear from veteran faculty about their experiences and meet key members of the HMS leadership team, such as Nancy Oriol, HMS dean for students (bottom). Photos by Jaime Lyons.

Faculty Affairs tentatively plans to hold the orientation twice per year, with each program accommodating about 60 attendees. Prior to the events, an e-mail invitation goes out to all new faculty at the level of instructor and assistant professor. “Overall, the feedback was very positive,” said Gail Williams, director of administration for Faculty Affairs. “Everyone who responded would recommend this event to others. Virtually all said it met their expectations ‘completely.’

“What most people valued was the chance to network—to meet and talk with people. They also really liked having the opportunity to hear from senior faculty members.”

At the program, remarks were given by members of the HMS senior leadership team, including Jeffrey S. Flier, dean of the Faculty of Medicine; Nancy Tarbell, dean for academic and clinical affairs; Maureen Connelly, dean for faculty affairs; and heads of key administrative offices and a panel of distinguished senior faculty members.

Among the presentations was the “If I Had Only Known Then” faculty panel, which, according to Williams, received very high ratings.

One participant, who was recently promoted to instructor, commented, “I was overwhelmed by how helpful the Junior Faculty Orientation was. … Learning who to speak to if I need to ask questions, knowing who exactly these people are, and realizing that they are truly accessible and even eager to talk with us was terrific

“Having someone describe the whole appointment process was especially valuable,” the instructor said, adding, the fact “that the dean of HMS was there was really impressive.”

In the future, a faculty orientation video will be available on the Faculty Affairs website.