Celebrations and Support of UH Faculty Career Advancement

UH Research & Education Update | Qtr 2023

By Marjorie Greenfield, MD

As Career Development and Advancement Officer for University Hospitals, I am thankful to work with leaders who are committed to recognizing and celebrating faculty achievements. Our office has been working on five initiatives this year to support and promote faculty: new faculty orientation, “senior” titles, NEOMED master’s degree opportunities, annual reviews, and academic promotion. I want to update you on the progress of these initiatives.

Marjorie Greenfield, MD

Orientation and Onboarding

We now provide an informational session for new UH faculty to address the relationship with Case Western Reserve University and standards for academic promotion. This year 38 new faculty members attended the two zoom meetings, which were recorded and accessed by many others. In addition, a committee identified new best practices in onboarding new faculty based on our 2021 survey. New practices defined included new faculty meet with their Division Chief, Section Head or Chair during orientation and are assigned a colleague “buddy” to help them learn the ropes. We also found out that faculty members who met with the office nurse or office manager during orientation were more likely to have, within their first month, all the equipment they needed to see patients. The massive onboarding checklist, available to department administrators on Sharepoint, has been has helped confirm all onboarding tasks are complete. The Onboarding Governance Committee continues to refine the list and work with the departments to ensure its utilization. We are interested in feedback about the onboarding/orientation process, so feel free to email Dr. Greenfield with feedback.

“Senior” Physicians, Surgeons, and Staff Scientists

 The Senior Faculty Recognition Project also known as the Signature Project, started in 2022. Faculty members who are more than ten years out from training and in good professional standing were identified by their department chairs and given the title “Senior Attending Physician,” “Senior Attending Surgeon,” or “Senior Staff Scientist.”  These titles can be used in email signatures, presentations and posters, CVs, business cards, etc., to recognize clinical/scientific maturity in a faculty’s role. Nine hundred thirty-seven University Hospitals’ faculty members from UHMG and UHMP achieved this milestone in 2022. Each year’s new cohort will be smaller, consisting of those who moved from nine to ten years out and new “senior” hires.

NEOMED Faculty Development Perks

University Hospitals has established an important affiliation with NEOMED, the public medical school in Rootstown, Ohio. As part of that affiliation, our employees will have opportunities to take graduate courses through NEOMED. The two most relevant programs for University Hospitals’ faculty are the Masters in Public Health and the Masters in Healthcare Leadership. Additional faculty support will be made available through several annual full scholarships, free of cost for these two masters degrees! Please talk to your department chair if you are interested.

Annual Reviews by Department Chairs and Chiefs

In the original 2018 faculty development survey, not all faculty members received an annual review of their career progress. However, of the ones who did meet with their Chair or Chief annually, 74% found it helpful for career development. So, in 2019, University Hospital leadership started auditing the completion of at least one annual review meeting for each faculty member in every department. That first year, 76% received an annual review. This year we were up to 95%! Our next step is to encourage department leaders to share best practices between divisions and departments so that even more faculty will find the meetings valuable. With our current procedures, we have seen improvements in the number of faculty successfully promoted and the number of survey respondents who report at least one senior or peer mentor (from 57% in 2018 to 75% in 2021). Any suggestions to improve annual reviews, contact Marjorie Greenfield or your Department Chair.

CWRU Academic Promotions

From 2018-2021, 30 to 38 faculty were successfully promoted to Associate or Professor annually. In 2022 that number jumped to 46. If we include faculty members who were initially given the rank of Clinical Assistant Professor and successfully moved to Associate Professor, the total number this year is 52. Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) considers those to be appointed on a new track, not promotions, so they weren’t included in the original data reporting in the past. Kudos to Dr. Marlene Miller, Chair of Pediatrics (11), and Dr. Nicole Maronian, Chair of Otolaryngology (9), for their outstanding number of promotions this year!

The deadlines for submissions to CWRU has changed to allow official promotion either July 1 or January 1 each year. Deadlines vary by expected promotion date and by whether the applicant is a tenure or non-tenure track. These helpful links provide the most up to date information about promotion processes and deadlines.

University Hospitals recognized its 2022 promoted faculty last October with a celebration at Ford Auditorium in the Allen Library, attended by Dr. Megerian, Dr. Simon, and Dean Gerson. The Promoted Faculty Celebration will be held annually.

Career Development and Advancement Offerings

Dr. Greenfield is happy to meet with individuals at any point in their academic career to talk about positioning him/herself for promotion. Having served on the CWRU School of Medicine Promotions Committee for four years, including a year as co-chair, Dr. Greenfield understands what is valued in the promotion process. In addition, presentations on promotions, negotiating, productive annual review, and mentorship are available for divisions or departments. To learn more, contact Dr. Marjorie Greenfield.