1. Demystifying the Promotion Process: Promotion to Professor
Maureen T. Connelly, MD, MPH
Acting Dean for Faculty Affairs

2. Faculty Ranks at HMS Instructor: “Promise”
Assistant Professor: “Demonstrated Promise”
Reputation may be “within the walls” of HMS and the local community only
Associate Professor: “Promise Realized”
Broader reputation outside the local area (usually national)
Significant accomplishments since promotion to assistant professor
Professor: “Extraordinary Accomplishment”
True distinction as a scientist, teacher and/or clinician
National, and often international, reputation
Promotion to Professor
McLean

3. Number of Faculty at HMS
In 2008:
10,885
8,075
In 1980:
2,810
46% increase in full time faculty since 2000
Promotion to Professor
McLean

4. Fulltime Professors at HMS
Promotion to Professor
McLean

5. Current HMS Process Affiliated Institution HMS
Dept. head proposes candidate
HMS identifies ad hoc committee with input from Academic Dean
HMS invites ad hoc committee
Dept. Executive Committee sign off
Hospital Committee (e.g., PCSA, COSA)
Committee chair oriented
Chair mails materials to committee
CAD
Chair hosts conference call
Committee finalizes evaluator list
Chair solicits evaluations
Chair tracks responses
OFA tracks responses as needed
OFA schedules final meeting
Promotion to Professor
McLean
SOP

6. What arrives at HMS...
Letter from the Department Head describing the candidate and his/her contributions
Approval from the Executive Committee of the Department
Approval from the institutional committee (Committee on Senior Appointments - COSA)
Internal (2) and external (2) letters of reference obtained as part of the institutional process
Candidate’s CV
Promotion to Professor
McLean

7. First steps at HMS Review by the Council of Academic Deans (CAD)
Candidate is contacted by HMS to ask for copies of the “top 10” and an updated CV
“Top 10” may be original articles, reviews/chapters, educational material, CDs, etc.
Should be ones on which you have made a major contribution (for articles most often first or last author)
Choose those with the greatest impact on the field
An ad hoc committee of professors is appointed by the Dean to evaluate the candidate
Promotion to Professor
McLean

8. Ad hoc Evaluation Committee
Committee of 6 professors appointed by the Dean
4 professors from within HMS (usually one from candidate’s department)
2 professors from outside HMS
Evidence used in the evaluation
Material from the initial institutional evaluation (Department head letter, letters of reference)
Curriculum vitae
“Top 10” articles
Request additional letters of reference
4-6 internal letters evaluating local as well as broader contributions
5-7 external letters evaluating candidate’s work compared with peers
Promotion to Professor
McLean

9. Final meeting of the ad hoc Committee
Meeting attended by:
6 committee members (external by conference call)
Representative of the Dean’s Office
Reviewer from the Subcommittee of Professors
In depth review and discussion of candidate’s:
Research contributions including a detailed review of the “top 10”
National and international reputation
Role in teaching and training
Role in the department/institution
Committee produces a report with its findings
Promotion to Professor
McLean

10. Meeting of the Subcommittee of Professors
Report of the reviewer who attended the final meeting of the ad hoc evaluation committee
Report of a secondary reviewer
Comments from the chair of the ad hoc Evaluation Committee
SOP considers and makes a recommendation to the Dean
Promotion to Professor
McLean

11. Final Steps….
The Dean forwards his recommendation for approval to the Provost and President
When approval is received from the University, the Department chair is notified by the Dean’s office
Letter is sent by the Dean to the new Professor
Letter of Confirmation (“I beg to inform you”) is sent to the Professor by the Secretary to the University
CONGRATUALTIONS!
Promotion to Professor
McLean

12. Members: Streamlining Promotions Task Force
Barbara McNeil
Head of the Department of Health Care Policy, HMS
Orah Platt
Academic Dean, CHB
Scott Rauch
Head of the Department of Psychiatry, McLean Hospital
Barrett Rollins
Academic Dean, DFCI
Isaac Schiff
Head of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, MGH
Vikas Sukhatme
Academic Dean, BIDMC
Joseph Volpe
Chair, Senior Appointments Committee, CHB
Jeanine Wiener-Kronish
Head of the Department of Anaesthesia and Critical Care, MGH
Nancy Tarbell
Dean for Academic and Clinical Affairs, HMS
Maureen Connelly
Acting Dean for Faculty Affairs, HMS
Joel Goldstein
Partner, Wellesley Partners
Michael Gimbrone
Head of the Department of Pathology, BWH
Michael Greenberg
Head of the Department of Neurobiology, HMS
Douglas Hanto
Acting Head of the Department of Surgery, BIDMC
T. Howard Howell
Dean for Dental Education, HSDM
Joseph Loscalzo
Head of the Department of Medicine, BWH
Promotion to Professor
McLean

13. Key Questions Can any of the existing steps be modified or eliminated?
Can more of the administrative process be managed locally? By HMS? A combination of the two?
Are all current review committees necessary?
Is the evaluation committee structure optimal?
How can incentive to accelerate the process be balanced by the need for objectivity?
What metrics could be used to confirm fairness across departments? Adequate rigor? Evidence of improvement in the process?
Promotion to Professor
McLean

14. Promotion to Professor
McLean

15. Promotion to Professor
McLean

16. Promotion to Professor
McLean

17. Promotion to Professor
McLean

18. Creating a Promotion Profile

19. One man’s story….. John Enders (1897-1985)
Joined the HMS faculty in 1930 as an instructor
In 1954, he won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery that polio virus could be grown in a variety of tissues, laying the groundwork for development of the polio vaccine
In 1956, he was promoted to Professor at Harvard Medical School
Dr. Enders was a virologist won the nobel prize in 1954 jointly with Drs. Frederick Robbins and Thomas Weller for discovering that poliomyelitis virus could be grown in culture in a variety of tissues. Dr. Enders work formed the basis for the development of the polio vaccine. This allowed production of the virus on a larger scale needed for study. Did not develop polio vaccines but did develop other vaccines
Dr. John Enders joined the HMS faculty in 1930 as an instructor, was promoted to assistant professor in 1935 and to associate professor in 1942.
Promotion to Professor
McLean

20. Contact Us Website: www.hms.harvard.edu/fa/promotion.htm
Create “customized” criteria for their rank and activities
Dedicated and phone line for questions
Phone:
Promotion to Professor
McLean