Medical School Faculty Appointments

Promotion and Tenure Standards

To be successful, the medical school must have a faculty that excels in research, education, and professional service. Full-time faculty members are evaluated for promotion, and in two of the four career tracks for tenure, by four sets of standards. These standards are designed to recognize and reward faculty performance and career development in the four areas of importance to the school: education, research, clinical and community service, and professional leadership. Emphasis is placed on the quality, while considering the quantity, of faculty scholarship, teaching, and professional accomplishment.

Faculty members are encouraged to seek the assistance of mentors and supervisors to develop and maintain an academic dossier that can guide their career development and assist in their evaluation for promotion. The dossier should document that a faculty member meets or exceeds the standards described for one of the four academic tracks. Individual faculty dossiers will vary in character but must demonstrate the achievement of excellence and scholarship appropriate for the faculty member’s career stage. Dossiers also should define a faculty member’s contributions to meeting institutional goals and objectives. Teaching should be the common denominator in all academic dossiers since the essence of a great medical school is the integration of teaching with the scholarship of discovery and with clinical service and professionalism.

The principal kinds of achievement the University seeks for faculty members on each academic track include those presented below. This list includes minimum expectations to be met before a faculty member is proposed for a promotion and/or tenure decision. They should serve as guidelines to evaluate individual accomplishments and credentials. Faculty members who are candidates for tenure or promotion to professor should review the expectations for these awards as presented in the section on Faculty Issues on the provost’s home page www.nwu.edu/provost.

INVESTIGATOR TRACK

Assistant Professor

For appointment or promotion to this rank, a candidate should
demonstrate preparation for and the capacity to perform original, independent scientific or medical research;
demonstrate scientific productivity through authorship of scholarly work in refereed journals as first author;
have received initial external peer-reviewed research funding (desirable but not mandatory); and
be committed to research training and professional education.

Associate Professor and/or Tenure

Appointment or promotion usually requires at least six years in the rank of assistant professor, unless exceptional achievement is shown. For appointment or promotion to this rank, a candidate should

demonstrate continued publication of innovative, original research in refereed journals as first or senior author;
be recognized by scientific peers for independent, original research that advances the faculty member’s field of study as evidenced by external funding of research grants and contracts;
demonstrate excellence in research training and professional education;
have contributed service to the school and/or University; and
have achieved substantial external professional recognition (external professional recognition is defined at the end of this section).

Professor

This rank is reserved for the most distinguished faculty investigators who usually will have at least five years in the rank of associate professor with a record of outstanding performance, candidates for appointment or promotion to this rank should

demonstrate continued publication of innovative, original research in refereed journals that has advanced the faculty member’s field of research;
have achieved national recognition by peers as a premier investigator with continued external funding for the research program;
have a record of continued research training and mentoring and professional education with a high level of documented effectiveness;
have provided scholarly leadership in research and education;
have contributed service to the school and/or University; and
have achieved the highest form of external professional recognition for scholarship.

INVESTIGATOR-CLINICIAN TRACK

Assistant Professor

For appointment or promotion to this rank, a candidate should

demonstrate competency in a clinical specialty and commitment to excellent patient care;
demonstrate commitment to original scientific or medical research;
demonstrate scholarly productivity through authorship of publications in refereed journals as a first author
have achieved initial external, peer-reviewed research funding (desirable but not mandatory); and
be committed to professional education and research training.

Associate Professor and/or Tenure

Appointment or promotion usually requires at least six years in the rank of assistant professor, unless exceptional achievement is shown. For appointment or promotion to this rank, a candidate should

have published continuously innovative, independent research in refereed journals as the first or senior author;
be recognized by scientific peers for scholarly work with external funding of research grants and contracts;
have developed appropriate clinical skills and participated in clinical programs associated with the school;
demonstrate continued excellence in medical education and research training;
have contributed service to the school and/or University; and
have garnered substantial external professional recognition.

Professor

This rank is reserved for those faculty members whose achievements in basic or clinical research and service have brought distinction to the school; these faculty members usually will have at least five years in the rank of associate professor. For appointment or promotion to this rank, a candidate should

have published continuously innovative, original studies in refereed journals that have advanced the faculty member’s field of research or clinical discipline;
be recognized by peers as a premier investigator with a continuing record of external research funding;
be recognized for competence in a clinical discipline and continued contribution to clinical programs associated with the school;
demonstrate continued excellence in professional education and research training/ mentoring;
have provided scholarly leadership and service to the school and/or University; and
have achieved the highest form of external professional recognition.

Clinician-Investigator Track

Assistant Professor

For appointment or promotion to this rank, a candidate should

demonstrate competency in a clinical specialty and commitment to excellent patient care and the development or use of innovative medical technology and systems of patient care;
be committed to participating in research activities;
demonstrate scholarly productivity through authoring publications in refereed journals and/or disseminating clinical knowledge and technology through various media and professional communications; and
be committed to professional and health education.

Associate Professor

Appointment or promotion usually requires at least six years in the rank of assistant professor, unless exceptional achievement is shown. For appointment or promotion to this rank, a candidate should

have continuously published research in refereed journals or written reviews, chapters, or educational textbooks;
have continuously disseminated clinical or education knowledge and technology through various media and professional communications;
demonstrate outstanding competence and/or innovation in a clinical discipline as evidenced by a regional or national reputation and/or a leadership role in regional or national clinical affairs;
have a record of continued excellence in professional education, preferably with evidence of an administrative and/or leadership role in undergraduate, graduate, or continuing medical education
have contributed service to the school and/or University; and
have garnered substantial external professional recognition.

Professor

This rank is reserved for those faculty members whose achievements as clinicians and educators have brought distinction to the school; these faculty members should have at least five years in the rank of associate professor. For appointment or promotion to this rank, a candidate should

demonstrate continued publication of important papers, reviews, chapters, or textbooks on research, clinical medicine, and/or education that have advanced the faculty member’s field of expertise;
be recognized as a premier practitioner and innovator or leader in clinical service as evidenced by a regional or national reputation;
demonstrate continued excellence in institutional professional education, with evidence of an administrative and/or leadership role in undergraduate, graduate, or continuing medical education, and a regional or national reputation in professional education and training;
have provided scholarly leadership and service to the school and/or University; and
have achieved the highest form of external professional recognition.

Clinician Track (Full-time Faculty)

Assistant Professor

For appointment or promotion to this rank, a candidate should

demonstrate competency in a clinical specialty with commitment to excellent patient care and clinical teaching in the academic medical center; and
be committed to scholarly productivity based on experiential clinical observation and/or work in education, with an initial record of publication in refereed journals or the dissemination of knowledge through various media and professional communication or demonstrated contributions to professional and health education.

Associate Professor

Appointment or promotion usually requires at least six years in the rank of assistant professor, unless exceptional achievement is shown. For appointment or promotion to this rank, a candidate should

have published clinical observations or educational work in referred journals or disseminated clinical observations, medical technology, innovations in practice, or educational programs through various media or professional programs;
have made major contributions to the school’s clinical programs, developed clinical skills or programs that are locally or regionally recognized, or assumed a leadership role in local or regional clinical affairs and professional organizations;
have continuously made institutional contributions in professional education;
have contributed service to the school and/or University; and
have garnered external professional recognition.

Professor

This rank is reserved for faculty members whose achievements as clinicians and/or educators have brought distinction to their practices, hospitals, and the medical school; these faculty members usually will have at least five years in the rank of associate professor. For appointment or promotion to this rank, a candidate should

have published clinical observations or educational work in referred journals or authored/edited books and professional reports (although not required, special consideration should be given if extramural funds are acquired to support clinical and/or educational activities);
be recognized as a premier practitioner with outstanding competence in clinical service and/or the development and implementation of programs that advance the local and/or regional standard of patient care, enjoying a national reputation in his/her clinical discipline;
have assumed a leadership role in local or regional clinical affairs and professional organizations;
have made outstanding institutional contributions to professional education, usually acknowledged through awards and leadership positions;
have contributed service to the school and/or University; and
have garnered substantial external professional recognition.

Clinician Track (Contributed Service Faculty)

Assistant Professor

For appointment or promotion to this rank, a candidate should

demonstrate competency in a clinical specialty with commitment to excellent patient care and clinical teaching in the academic medical center;
have provided service to the medical school and/or its teaching hospitals; and
demonstrate contributions to medical education.

Associate Professor

Appointment or promotion usually requires at least six years in the rank of assistant professor, unless exceptional achievement is shown. For appointment or promotion to this rank, a candidate should

have made major contributions to the school’s clinical programs and the development of clinical skills or programs that are locally or regionally recognized, or assumed a leadership role in local or regional clinical affairs and professional organizations;
have continuously made institutional contributions in professional education;
have contributed service to the school and/or University; and
have garnered external professional recognition.

Professor

This rank is reserved for faculty members whose achievements as clinicians and/or educators have brought distinction to their practice, hospital and the medical school; these faculty members usually will have at least five years in the rank of associate professor. For appointment or promotion to this rank, a candidate should

be recognized as a premier practitioner with outstanding competence in clinical service and/or the development and implementation of programs that advance the local and/or regional standard of patient care, enjoying a regional reputation in his/her clinical discipline;
have assumed a leadership role in local or regional clinical affairs and professional organizations;
have made outstanding institutional contributions to professional education, usually acknowledged through awards and leadership positions;
have contributed service to the school and/or University; and
have garnered substantial external professional recognition.

Note: Scholarship and publication are not essential criteria for the advancement of contributed service faculty members. When scholarly performance is demonstrated by these faculty members, it should be considered as additional but not required evidence of faculty achievement.

Definition of External Professional Recognition

External professional recognition should be progressively garnered from local, regional, national, and international sources as a faculty member’s career advances. The following items or those of a similar nature should be used to judge professional recognition:

Receipt of prizes and awards;
Elected membership in scientific or professional societies and organizations;
Invitation to serve as visiting or endowed professor;
Request to plan or lead symposia, conferences, or professional society programs;
Appointment to scientific or medical peer-review bodies;
Appointment to scientific, medical, or government advisory or regulatory bodies;
Appointment or election to governing councils or appointment as an officer of scientific, government, and professional societies and organizations; and
Appointment to editorial boards or editorships.