1. Faculty Appointments & Promotions: An Insider’s Guide
Brian V. Reamy, M.D.
Col (ret), USAF, MC
Associate Dean for Faculty & Professor of Family Medicine
Uniformed Services University

2. Community of Faculty USU’s strength is based on its faculty
Transition after this slide

3. Community of Faculty Who are they?
- Approximately 350 billeted and 3,700 non-billeted
- Spread across the entire MHS and civilian institutions
- Physicians, nurses, scientists, administrators, NCOs
- Tied together by appointment to the faculty
- Provide thousands of hours of volunteer clinical teaching

4. Non-Billeted Faculty
We could not survive without these key members of our learning organization
Visits to MHS teaching hospitals raised concerns:
How do we support our non-billeted faculty?
Why do they provide volunteer teaching?
What are the barriers to getting faculty appointments?

5. More Concerns Growing pressures on faculty time
Increased demands to provide clinical instruction in the time-pressured outpatient environment
Extraordinary deployment
tempo creating increased
teaching demands on faculty

6. Concerns led to Action
Dr. Rice, (USU President), charged a Task Force in 2009 to review the existing appointment and promotion policies for USU clinical faculty
Determine if changes were needed to incentivize and recognize the volunteer clinical faculty

7. Premise
Volunteer faculty teach because they get personal satisfaction, professional growth and recognition
How does USU optimize
this satisfaction, growth
and recognition?
How does USU recognize clinical teaching as a core attribute of its faculty?

8. Recognize with Faculty Appointments….. Why are they important?
A significant Professional Credential
Career enhancing
Increases career and employment opportunities AND Salary
Your academic rank = $$$
Increases patient confidence
Facilitates research grant monetary awards

9. Ernest L. Boyer: Scholarship Reconsidered - 1990
Scholarship and Faculty achievement are more than research and publication alone
4 domains:
Scholarships of:
DISCOVERY
INTEGRATION
APPLICATION
TEACHING

10. 4 Domains – each have value
Discovery: original research
Integration: what do the findings from original research mean?
Application: applying new knowledge to practice to lead to new understanding and new knowledge
Teaching: stimulating active learning in students; starting the dialogue at the heart of a learning organization

11. “Publish or Perish”

12. National Trends
Nationally, more than 3/4 of U.S. medical schools have developed separate and distinct faculty tracks for full-time clinical faculty whose 1° responsibilities are in clinical care
The majority of schools that
have this type of track modify
the professorial title with a “Clinical” prefix such as Clinical Professor of Medicine.

13. Message received! – Action Plan
Add flexibility to our faculty appointment system by restoring Clinical prefixed appointments at USU
Validates the importance of clinical teaching and the Scholarships of application, teaching and integration
Clarify and decrease variability in the use of “Adjunct” faculty titles
Continue to encourage faculty choosing a research-intensive track, practicing the scholarship of discovery

14. Sounds simple…why can it be so hard?
TRADITIONS…
Military service helps comprehension…

15. Universities as Durable Organizations
The three mosques of Sankoré, Djinguereber Mosque and Sidi Yahya compose the famous University of Timbuktu. Madrasah means school/university in Arabic and also in other languages associated with Muslim people.

16. 1537
Martin Luther Nails His Thesis to the Door of the Cathedral at Wittenberg

17. If we take that as a starting point…..
66 institutions existed then that are still around in largely identifiable forms
Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, Parliament of Iceland, Parliament of Isle of Man

18. And 62 universities

19. So What Does This Tell Us?
Society Values Universities and Universities Guard their Traditions to Guarantee their Survival

20. Key Tradition: Academic Appointment & Promotion
Military Appt. & Promotion
Academic Appt. & Promotion
Distinct ranks: 0-1 to 0-10
Must have commission & degree for appointment
Set times between ranks
Up or out: must make rank for retirement eligibility
Pay correlates w/ rank
Merit & Time-in-grade determine promotion
Distinct ranks (4): Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Prof, Professor
Must have terminal degree & serve USU in some way
4 to 8 years between ranks
“Up or Out”: must make Assoc Prof by 6 yrs or gone; tenure
Pay correlates w/ rank
Merit & Time-in-grade determine promotion

21. Current System: pre-July 2010
Can be confusing – like military promotions would be to someone unfamiliar with our system
Regulation = UI 1100>>>
Tenure not allowed for military faculty by law
ASK QUESTIONS!
Your specialty Dept. Chair at USU or

22. Qualifications for Faculty Membership
Scholarly Achievement
Scholarship of discovery and integration
Scholarship of teaching and application
Peer Review of Scholarly Activity
Teaching
Professional Service
Institutional Citizenship
USUHS Document 1100

23. Requirements for Appointments
MD, DO or PhD degree
Current medical license (if clinician)
Currently instructing USUHS students or uniformed residents /fellows at one of the military teaching centers
Approval of your Command

24. Academic Ranks
**The higher the academic rank the more rigorous & selective the vetting process.**
Clinician-Educator pathway – 4 ranks
Instructor
Assistant Professor
Associate Professor
Professor

25. Assistant Professor – 6 things Clinician-Educator Pathway
1. Teaching USUHS students or uniformed residents / fellows at one of the military teaching centers
2. Medical License & Board Certified
3. CV (USU or academic format)
4. Form 107 – by you or USU Dept.
5. Local Department Recommendation
6. Command Approval/Endorsment

26. USUHS CV Format

27. Academic Format
American Association Medical Colleges (AAMC) CV builder
Add Military history (assignments, duties)

28. USUHS Form 107 (Revised) http://www.usuhs.mil/chr/USUHS_Forms.htm

29. Academic Appointment Process II Clinician-Educator Pathway
Send CV, Letter of rec/endorsement to USU Department
Form 107
USU Dept. Chair Letter of Endorsement
Then it is sent to Dean’s Office
USUHS Document 1100

30. Academic Appointment Process III Clinician-Educator Pathway
Academic package submission from Dean to Human Resources>>BOR
Candidate will be notified of appointment by letter from USUHS
Appointments for 3 years – same site
Periodic update of Personnel Locator
USUHS Document 1100

31. Ranks > Assistant Professor
Much more rigorous & time demanding
After USU Dept Review, it is forwarded to University Committee on Promotion & Tenure
This Committee makes recommendation to the Dean three times per year.
Dean forwards to Board of Regents & President for appointment

32. Faculty Appointments of Associate Professor
In all Universities, Associate Professor means you have made the cut to stay at the institution as permanent faculty.
Philosophically it is the difference between participating in scholarly activities and having demonstrated the ability to independently lead them.

33. Promotion to Associate Professor
University promotions are driven by accreditation requirements that mandate “democratic reviewing committees of senior faculty” who comprise the CAPT = committee on Appointments, Promotions & Tenure
All appts. require concurrence of the Dean and Board of regents but, academic faculty control the process.

34. Promotion to Associate Professor
Although USUHS is designed to be more friendly to active-duty faculty, (and is to a large extent), civilian academic standards prevail to meet accreditation.
Military accomplishment/rank are NOT automatically synonymous with academic rank: O-6 ≠ Professor
Time demands of military careers can make academic promotion very challenging.

35. Associate Professor Clinician-Educator Pathway
Assistant Professor rank for at least 4-6 yrs
National Recognition – what is this?
Education Leader in teaching USU students ,residents, fellows at one of the military teaching centers
Board Certified
CV (USU format) & Abbreviated CV for Board of Regents
Approximately 6 – 15 peer-reviewed publications
External Letters of Evaluation- at least 3 letters
Personal Statement – 2 pages
Submit 4 samples of academic publications
Complete Educator’s Portfolio encouraged

36. Associate Professor
Criteria are not applied in a formulaic way – there is much room for judgment.
Letters of external review are critical: must have at least 3 external senior faculty say you would make it in their opinion & institution.

37. Professor Clinician-Educator Pathway
Associate Professor rank for > 6 yrs
International Recognition
Educational leadership at a military teaching center
Board Certified
CV (USU format) & Abbreviated CV for BOR
> 15 publications….more if multiple authors….
External Letters of Evaluation- at least 5 letters
Personal Statement – 2 pages
Submit 4 samples of academic publications
Complete educator’s portfolio encouraged

38. “Adjunct” Appointments
Designed for faculty who episodically and not routinely teach USU students and residents. Occasional contributors to the USU mission. Senior professors of other institutions who help with the USU mission. (Adjunct Assistant Professors, Adjunct Associate Professors, Adjunct Professors)

39. New initiatives - 7/1/2010:
Adding option of Clinical “prefixed” appointments while maintaining the current system “as-is”
Clinical prefix = “Clinical Associate Professor of ….” or “Clinical Professor of ...” A mechanism to recognize seniority, clinical experience, and teaching contributions to USUHS when a primary focus on clinical work has not led to significant numbers of publications.

40. Clinical Prefixed Appointments - Criteria
Clinical Associate Professor
Excellence in teaching & clinical care
Administrative accomplishments when that is substantive part of faculty member’s role
Minimum of 6 years as Assistant professor
Institutional recognition as clinician & teacher

41. Clinical Prefixed Appointments - Criteria
Clinical Professor
Same as for Clinical Associate
AND
Service-wide or National recognition as clinician and teacher
Minimum time in rank as an assistant and/or associate professor of 10 years

42. Clinical Prefixed Appointments Requirements
Form 107
Faculty member’s CV
Letter of support from a faculty member of senior academic rank in the applicant’s specialty
Letter of support from USU Dept. Chair
Review by SOM Committee (CAPT) before forwarding to Dean & President

43. Action Plan – ongoing new initiatives
Develop an electronic portfolio application to ease & unify faculty appointment and promotion
Procurement underway (Serensoft®)
Increase communication between USU and its non-billeted faculty
New position of the Associate Dean for Faculty
Serve as the primary conduit and advocate for billeted and non-billeted faculty throughout the MHS
Site visits to each of the primary 26 teaching sites in MHS

44. Conclusion: Don’t Get Frustrated! Ask Questions & Get Help
Local Senior faculty
Your Specialty Dept. Chair at USU
Associate Dean for Faculty & Admin Assistant
Brian V. Reamy, MD
Lisa McTigue