1. Academic Advancement in Family Medicine: Lessons Learned and Institutional Guidelines
Kurt B. Angstman, MS MD, Associate Professor
John M. Wilkinson, MD, Assistant Professor
Department of Family Medicine, Mayo Clinic Rochester, MN
STFM Annual Spring Conference
April 26, 2012

2. Conflict of Interest
We have no conflicts of interest to report

3. Introduction Background on institutional guidelines
Instructor/ Assistant Professor/ Associate Professor/ Professor
Examples of institutional differences
Clinical/ educational tracks Departmental Academic development/promotion
Development of your academic advancement
What
How

4. Academic Rank
Instructor – a promising beginning
Assistant Professor – educational achievements: publications and/or “educational efforts”
Associate Professor – national reputation, significant publications, effective teacher, institutional leader
Professor – continuity of outstanding achievement and focus

5. Instructor of Family Medicine
Academic promise in education, research, or practice
Collaborate and find mentors
Show interest and capability as a teacher (precepting, curriculum or course development)
Show interest and capability as a researcher (collaboration and publications)

6. Assistant Professor of Family Medicine
Significant “educational achievements” and competence in either (or both):
a) collaborative or independent publications
or...
b) sustained and significant educational efforts
Clearly documented
Lectures or curriculum design
Teaching
Posters or presentations (STFM, state chapter, etc.)

7. Associate Professor of Family Medicine
National reputation
acknowledgment as an authority by peers
Significant publications
principal author or major collaborator
Effective teacher
Attract and mentor students, residents, and fellows; curriculum design
Institutional leader
Sustained educational or administrative accomplishments

8. Professor of Family Medicine
Recognized authority of national or international stature
Continuity of work producing significant publications
Effective and sustained leader in education
Innovative and significant contributions to clinical practice
Distinguished institutional service and leadership

9. Scholarship Reconsidered, Scholarship Assessed:
Mayo Clinic core business (2011):
“Create, collect, and apply integrated knowledge to deliver the best health care, health guidance, and health information”
Scholarship of discovery: new knowledge (research)
Scholarship of integration: make connections within (and between) disciplines, interpret, new insight research
Scholarship of application: service-oriented – engagement, problem solving (more than “doing good” - requires rigor)
Scholarship of teaching: sharing of knowledge, new models of teaching

10. The Care and Feeding of Your CV:
Maintain in a standardized format
Keep CV up to date
Include everything

11. The All-Important Chair’s Letter:
Write your own
Make your mother blush (no time for modesty)

12. Road of Academic Advancement
Publications
Scholarly activity
Teaching
Reviewer/ Journal activity
Presentations
Posters
Oral presentations
Invited presentations

13. Road of Academic Advancement
Visiting Professorships
National and International reputation
“What” is it
How do you get “it”
Planning for your advancement
ARC of academic product
Study design
Publications
Presentations

14. Publications Initially, the number can be daunting
First paper can take months, if not over a year (or more)
How then are you able to get the volume??

15. Publications Write about “what you are doing…”
Look for projects based on what you know and are conversant in.
DON’T re-create the wheel
Every new project then requires new literature search and review
DON’T initially plan on large, randomized controlled studies.
Much simpler to start with chart reviews, database searches, pilot studies
DO develop a template

16. Publications Start small
Ask others who are doing projects, papers if you can help- be a co-author
Look for mentors
DON’T be too choosy with journals
Always peer-reviewed
Impact factor is important
But early in career- becoming experienced in the process is also important.
Many, many journals to select from; all looking for content

17. Publications Plan on “singles” rather than swinging for the fences.
One paper can change a career- but more likely you have smaller manuscripts that you keep building upon.
Helps drive future direction
“Science is not testing a hypothesis and getting a result- science is getting the result and saying “What now can I do with this information- what is the next study.”
Sam B. MD/Phd Student at Mayo

18. Publications All is well, but still how do you get the numbers…
Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate
Writing groups
5 people
Each with an area of expertise
Each one is first author on one paper per year
The rest then contribute sections
In 5 years, this is 25 papers for all
You are first author on the papers of your area of expertise

19. Manuscript timelines Study design Background and Protocol development
IRB approval
Data collection
Analysis
Draft development – tracking different drafts
Involving co-authors
Completing final draft
Submission process
Peer Review
Rewrites and Re-submission
Review Page proofs
Publication

20. Manuscript timelines From starting point to actual publication
Many times takes six to 12 months or LONGER
NEED to have a few manuscripts/research projects that are at different areas on the timeline.
For example- after a manuscript is completed and sent for review- this is a great time to start your next project.
You know what the results are and this can help move to the next project.
If you are not doing the actual data collection- also here is reasonable to start another.

21. Scholarly Activity Teaching Journal Reviewer Book/Chapter author
Usually the easiest to do
Make sure to document your roles!!
Journal Reviewer
Journal are always looking for new reviewers
If you submit to a journal- you are then in their potential reviewer pool
Experience as a reviewer helps you as an author
Book/Chapter author

22. Presentations
Again- start small, start local; gradually increasing size and impact of conferences
At national forums
Many times initially will be poster presentations
Usually there are templates to help design the poster
Conceptually, try to “tell your story” in the equivalent of power point slides
Will be easier to develop presentations in the future- if you have a consistent track record of presenting and doing well in previous years
Abstracts of papers can allow for presentation of ideas, critical discussion, meeting collaborators and improving your reputation through relationships

23. Presentation Skills Workshops helpful Practice/ Practice/ Practice
Stage fright- consider beta blocker
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Nothing worse than a presentation that is “canned”
Always adapt the presentation to the conference needs
Please be respectful of time limits

24. Visiting Professorships
Sometimes this is a challenge
Connections help- STFM/AAFP/ Department Chair
Connections at meetings
Don’t be shy- ASK

25. National and International Reputation
Hard to define… but know it when you see it.
Components include:
Number of publications
Variety of journals published in
IMPACT factor
How often your work is cited and where it is cited
Presentations
Although presentations don’t count as much as publications for advancement- the variety of conferences and locations does serve as a proxy for your reputation

26. National and International Reputation
Presentations
Introduce yourself with your areas of interest and expertise
fmdrl.org- downloads show interest in work
Visiting Professorships
Focus of your work
Much harder to develop a reputation if you have 2-3 manuscripts on 10 topics; you would be much better to have 10 manuscripts on a single area
Define your area of interest and expertise
Also--This can change over time!

27. VERY IMPORTANT
YOU are not an expert in XYZ waiting to advance in academic rank
YOU BECOME an expert over time by publications, presentations and reputation
Many younger colleagues are stymied as they don’t see themselves as the expert– and they aren’t… yet

28. “ARC” of academic achievement
As you are planning your career-
Study design should consider:
Background data
Possible review manuscript, AAFP, STFM presentation
Pilot study
Initial project- to work the kinks out
Many times information (OR process) is new and unique enough for publication
Presentations locally and nationally
Posters
Main study
Original manuscript and presentations
Many times can have “side” articles of interest- but divergent enough to warrant a separate manuscript

29. “ARC” of academic achievement
A research proposal should consider future work as you are designing it
One project could have 3-4 manuscripts and 4-6 presentations from it
That is how to develop focused academic study to warrant a national reputation

30. Questions?? THANK YOU! Dr. John Wilkinson Dr. Kurt Angstman
Dr. Kurt Angstman
Department of Family Medicine
Mayo Clinic Rochester MN