The Department of Medicine’s most precious resource is its personnel, and the future vitality of the Department depends on the successful development of faculty with particular emphasis on junior faculty. Therefore, the purpose of the Department of Medicine (DOM) Junior Faculty Mentoring Program is to provide junior faculty with the opportunity to learn and receive guidance from senior faculty and seasoned researchers in the areas of grantsmanship, funding opportunities and career development issues. The mentoring program is structured to address the primary concerns of junior faculty such as determining professional expectations, setting benchmarks to gauge progress towards meeting expectations, developing a career plan, and assuring that the career plan is consonant with expectations.
KEY COMPONENTS OF THE MENTORING PROGRAM
- Career Objectives – Each tenure-track faculty, with Division Director, will develop and annually update a clear set of short term (12 month) and longer term (5 year) career objectives.
- Scholarship Advisory Committees - The purpose of the Scholarship Advisory Committee (SAC) will be to work with the faculty member in meeting short term (12 month) and longer term goals. A SAC will be established for each tenure-track Assistant Professor. The junior faculty member will be responsible for organizing 2-3 meetings per year with the SAC. This process will require the initiative of the faculty member, consultation with and approval of Division Director, and final approval of Mentoring Program Executive Committee.
- Biennual Review – Initiation of DOM-level interim review of junior faculty every two years. This will provide written constructive assessments to the relevant faculty member, the Division Director, and the SAC.
HOW TO JOIN THE PROGRAM
Eligibility
Assistant Professors in the Department of Medicine who are on the tenure-track are expected to participate in the Junior Faculty Mentoring Program. It is anticipated that the program will ultimately involve all Assistant Professors of Medicine, ie., both tenure and non-tenure earning tracks. For questions regarding this program and faculty eligibility, faculty should contact members of the Steering Committee.
Scholarship Advisory Committee
The Scholarship Advisory Committee will consist of three faculty advisors – a content expert; a process expert, a “big-picture” expert with at least one of the committee members coming from outside the relevant division. At the close of each academic year, the SAC will provide formal feedback to the Division Director, Department Chair and the faculty member.
Junior Faculty Responsibilities
Junior faculty participants must identify potential SAC members, review choices/rationale with Division Director and Mentoring Program Steering Committee, organize two or three 1-hour meetings with SAC per year, provide topic-specific agenda and pertinent materials at least one week beforehand, provide brief overview at outset of meeting and moderate topic-specific discussion.
Junior Faculty Mentoring Committee
Chair: Edward W. Hook III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases
Ali Ahmed, Gerontology
Daniel Balkovetz, Nephrology
Francisco Robert, Hematology
Isabel Scarinci, Preventive Medicine
Roslyn Mannon, Nephrology
Lou Bridges, Jr, Rheumatology
Suzanne Oparil, Cardiovascular Disease
Thomas Huddle, Internal Medicine
Anath Shalev, Endocrinology
Kirk Avent, Infectious Diseases
Allen Cooper, Pulmonary