Medical School Faculty System

The Medical School Faculty System, revised during the 1998-99 academic year, is defined in this document. The objectives of the system are to provide

1. an appropriate set of career pathways for faculty development and
2. clear and specific criteria for promotion and tenure on each career pathway that accurately reflect the standards applied to promotion and tenure by the school and University.

Four career tracks are offered for full-time faculty members: investigator, investigator-clinician, clinician-investigator, and clinician. The emphasis ranges from nearly pure research to nearly pure clinical service with all faculty members expected to teach. The tracks are described in the Appendix.

Scientists without clinical responsibilities will be appointed to the investigator track. Individuals with clinical or other service responsibilities can be appointed to any of the four tracks. Contributed service faculty will be appointed to the clinician track. The "clinical" modifier will continue to be used in the rank title of part-time and contributed service faculty members.

The investigator and investigator-clinician pathways are tenure tracks; the other two pathways are nontenure tracks.

The tenure probationary period for all junior faculty appointments on the tenure tracks will be nine years. Tenure reviews can occur at any time during the nine years.

The rank of associate professor will be required for tenure, and failure to achieve tenure will result in a terminal year of appointment.

Junior faculty appointees can remain "undifferentiated" (not on a track) for up to five years but for no more than two years at the rank of instructor. Undifferentiated time as an assistant professor will count against the tenure clock for individuals subsequently appointed to one of the tenure tracks. A single career track switch will be allowed only during the first five years of appointment, including "undifferentiated" time.

A new faculty category without ranks, clinical associate, is offered for practicing physicians fully salaried by one of the school’s affiliated hospitals or practice plans but not having academic duties and responsibilities.

All faculty members, basic science and clinical, will be salaried on a 12-month basis.