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Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Faculty Affairs Office

Health System Clinician Gateway to Promotion

Career advancement for faculty appointed on the Health System Clinician career track occurs through demonstrating achievement and earning recognition for clinical impact and one of a possible four areas of concentration:

  • Education
  • Research
  • Health services management
  • Community engagement
     

Planning Your Journey

Click on your current academic rank to learn how to prepare for your next promotion.
  

Below are resources to help current Clinical Assistant Professors navigate their career and plan for promotion to Clinical Associate Professor. At Feinberg, we expect that faculty hold the rank of Clinical Assistant Professor for a minimum of 6 years before promotion to Clinical Associate Professor, but there is no deadline by which you must be promoted. The guidance below establishes milestones for those who aspire to obtain promotion by the 6-year mark, but is just as useful for those whose journey is a different length. 

Key Focus: Demonstrate clinical impact and academic achievement in your area of concentration that result in regional recognition.
  

 I'm building towards promotion...
Years 1-4 (or later) as Clinical Assistant Professor

 I'm ready to apply for promotion!
Middle of Year 4 (or later) as Clinical Assistant Professor

Promotions always take effect on September 1 of a given year, and Feinberg has a structured annual review cycle that, in combination with your department's internal review process, may kick off as early as 20 months before the effective date of an approved promotion. In other words, plan to start the formal application process about 1.5 years before you are promoted.

Key Considerations for Promotion to Clinical Associate Professor

  1. Will you have held the rank of Clinical Assistant Professor for at least 6 years on the date your promotion becomes effective? (E.g., if applying for promotion effective 9/1/2025, you should hold the rank of Clinical Assistant Professor for at least 6 years by that date)
  2. Have you developed scholarly work products consistent with your area of concentration?
  3. Do you have evidence of a regional reputation? View the external professional recognition page for guidance.
  4. Can you list 3-6 external referees at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor (who are not close collaborators and who do not have a training connection to you) who could write letters of reference in support of your promotion? See the Referee List page for guidance.

Initiate the Application Process

If you answered yes to all of the questions above, then you may be ready to apply for promotion! Here are the next steps:

  1. Contact your department leadership to make them aware you wish to be considered for promotion.
    • It is a good idea to have a draft of your Feinberg CV and your referee list prepared at this stage for review by department leadership, who can advise you on readiness for promotion and let you know about your department's internal process for nominating promotion candidates.
    • Make sure you and your leadership are in agreement as to your area of concentration for your application. Your leadership will prepare nomination documents that also reference your clinical contributions and recognition at the regional level as well as this recognition for your area of concentration, so you want to make sure documents from all sources are in alignment.
  2. View the Annual Promotion Cycle page to understand the timeline, prepare your packet, and access resources for the current promotion cycle. 

Below are resources to help current Clinical Associate Professors navigate their career and plan for promotion to Clinical Professor. At Feinberg, we expect that faculty hold the rank of Clinical Associate Professor for a minimum of 5 years before promotion to Clinical Professor, but there is no deadline by which you must be promoted. The guidance below establishes milestones for those who aspire to obtain promotion by the 5-year mark, but is just as useful for those whose journey is a different length.

Key Focus: Obtain national recognition as a clinician and for your scholarly work products within your chosen area of concentration. 
   

 I'm building towards promotion...
Years 1-3 (or later) as Clinical Associate Professor

 I'm ready to apply for promotion!
Middle of Year 3 (or later) as Clinical Associate Professor

Promotions always take effect on September 1 of a given year, and Feinberg has a structured annual review cycle that, in combination with your department's internal review process, may kick off as early as 20 months before the effective date of an approved promotion. In other words, plan to start the formal application process about 1.5 years before you are promoted.

Key Considerations for Promotion to Clinical Professor

  1. Will you have held the rank of Clinical Associate Professor for at least 5 years on the date your promotion becomes effective? (E.g., if applying for promotion effective 9/1/2025, you should hold the rank of Clinical Associate Professor for at least 5 years by that date)
  2. Have you developed scholarly work products consistent with your area of concentration?
  3. Do you have evidence of a national reputation? View the external professional recognition page for guidance.
  4. Can you list 3-6 external referees at the rank of Professor (who are not close collaborators and who do not have a training connection to you) who could write letters of reference in support of your promotion? See the Referee List page for guidance.

Initiate the Application Process

If you answered yes to all of the questions above, then you may be ready to apply for promotion! Here are the next steps:

  1. Contact your department leadership to make them aware you wish to be considered for promotion.
    • It is a good idea to have a draft of your Feinberg CV and your referee list prepared at this stage for review by department leadership, who can advise you on readiness for promotion and let you know about your department's internal process for nominating promotion candidates.
    • Make sure you and your leadership are in agreement as to your area of concentration for your application. Your leadership will prepare nomination documents that also reference the area of concentration, so you want to make sure documents from all sources are in alignment.
  2. View the Annual Promotion Cycle page to understand the timeline, prepare your packet, and access resources for the current promotion cycle.