VIII. Procedures for Term Appointments (Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Lecturer [3-Years])
C. Procedures for Promotion to Assistant or Associate Professor by Clinician Teacher Criteria
The criteria defined for this track are not in themselves sufficient to guarantee excellence. It is the responsibility of the academic departments and the departmental executive committees to recommend for appointment on this ladder those clinicians and teachers who are, or have the potential to be, among the very best practitioners, who bring a scholarly approach to the practice of medicine, and who are dedicated to the transmission of their clinical knowledge, attitudes, and skills to others.
1. Candidate must complete her/his curriculum vitae and bibliography using the format described in section XV.
Note: In keeping with Harvard Medical School guidelines, which recommend a maximum number of publications or scholarly communications on which appointments should be judged, the department head, in consultation with the appointee, should circle on a candidate's bibliography two to five items for assistant professor and five to seven for associate professor. The candidate's C.V. should be seen as a dossier of the individual's activity; the items highlighted should be those considered as having a significant impact on the candidate's field.
2. Department head prepares a letter of recommendation that includes the following items:
a. Description of the position that the individual occupies and its relationship to the rest of the department, particularly in clinical and teaching programs. This description should allow subsequent readers of the recommendation to understand the principal clinical and teaching activities of the department or division and the role of the candidate in this group.
b. Description of the candidatešs experience and accomplishments in the following areas. Attributes of an associate professor, as distinct from an assistant professor, are noted in italics in brackets [ ].
1) Organization and delivery of clinical care.
Comment on the candidate's clinical skills and responsibilities in your department. Does the candidate introduce [develop] innovative methods for clinical diagnosis, prevention, treatment, health care delivery? Cite any evidence for the recognition of clinical competence inside [and outside] the Boston medical community (e.g., invitations to participate in clinical activities at other medical schools and health care institutions, membership in professional organizations emphasizing excellence in clinical specialties).2) Teaching.
Comment on the teaching responsibilities of the candidate (e.g., for medical students, residents, fellows, continuing education, or other health professionals). Report on any evaluations available from students, residents, peers, and on the influence of the candidate on her/his learners. Comment on the content and the quality of teaching materials developed by the candidate. Do they make a significant addition to the field? Do they summarize the state of the art? Do they analyze existing data to provide new insights? Do they describe current knowledge to make it available to a wider audience? Does the candidate attempt to explain/explicate modalities of diagnosis/treatment in her/his clinical practice? Note if the candidate has won any teaching awards. Also comment on regional or national teaching.3) Administration and leadership.
Describe the roles and activities in the department, health care institution, or medical school programs and committees. Does the candidate participate in [and provide leadership to] local or national organizations or professional societies, particularly those involved in the delivery of clinical care, study sections/or policy making advisory groups?4) Research activities (as appropriate).
Does the candidate participate in [provide leadership in] clinical trials or any other kind of clinical investigation?
3. Letter from the executive committee of the department is prepared if there are any dissents or abstentions. This letter includes the reasons for either dissents or abstentions. If there are none, signature of the chairperson or the secretary of the executive committee on the Form for Initiation of First Term Appointments and Promotions will be sufficient.
4. Documentation is provided of the initial search and affirmative action in cases of promotion to assistant professor from a first HMS or HSDM appointment as instructor in order to assure that the intent of searches for all first appointments is met. This request applies only to instances where the first appointment was at the instructor level. It does not apply to persons initially appointed as a resident, clinical fellow, or research fellow (postdoctoral fellow). (Click HERE for sample letter.)
5. Letters of evaluation are requested by the department head, not by the candidate. The department head should comment on any significant issues raised in the letters of evaluation.
a. Assistant professor. Four to six letters of evaluation are required, two to four letters from senior clinicians in the candidate's clinical areas and/or in adjacent fields (including referring physicians if appropriate) and two to four letters from persons who can address teaching skills (co-teacher, course director, chief resident, etc). At least one of the letters should be from outside HMS, if possible from someone who is not a former colleague, mentor, collaborator, or co-author of the candidate.
b. Associate professor. Six to eight letters of evaluation are required, two to four letters from senior clinicians in the candidate's clinical areas and/or in adjacent fields (including referring physicians if appropriate), two to four letters from persons who can address her/his teaching skills (co-teacher, course director, chief resident, etc), and two letters from national figures in her/his clinical area. At least one outside letter should come from someone who is not a former colleague, mentor, collaborator, or co-author of the candidate.
6. Copies of publications/scholarly communications/teaching materials on which the proposed appointment should be judged are provided.
a. Two copies each of two items for appointment to assistant professorb. Two copies each of five items for appointment to associate professor
Attribution of credit on multiauthored papers: In those cases where the candidate has selected (as one of the two best papers to be reviewed for assistant professor or one of the five best papers to be reviewed for associate professor) a paper in which s/he is a middle author, the candidate must describe to the department head her/his contribution in the following terms cited in the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals":
- conception, or design, or analysis and interpretation of data
- drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content
- final approval of the version to be published
The candidate's description may be included in the letter of the department head or attached as a separate submission.
If possible, the candidate should also annotate all the selected papers to indicate why the work is important and what impact it has had on the field.
7. Letter from the department head, addressed to the Dean, and accompanying documentation should be sent to: Office for Faculty Services, Gordon Hall, Room 010, Harvard Medical School.
8. Documents are checked in the Dean's Office and distributed to members of the Promotions, Reappointments, and Appointments Committee. Two members of this committee review the documentation for appointment to assistant/associate professor. A departmental representative is present to respond. The committee deliberates and renders a recommendation to the Dean.
9. Dean makes a final recommendation and transmits it to the President and Provost of Harvard University in a summary letter appended to the documentation of the appointment process.
10. Recommendation is considered by the President and Provost on behalf of the Governing Boards of Harvard University. Final approval is rendered by the President and Provost.