The GWU Medical Center
School of Medicine and Health Sciences
School of Public Health and Health Services

Guidelines for Appointment, Reappointment, Promotion, and Tenure

I.    Tenure and Non-Tenure Accruing Positions in the SMHS and SPHHS

Faculty in the schools are appointed in tenure-accruing and non-tenure-accruing positions. Tenure may be awarded at the ranks of associate professor and professor to regular, active-status faculty members appointed on the tenure track who have fulfilled the necessary requirements for promotion to associate professor and who have demonstrated long-term promise and potential for continued productivity in teaching, scholarship, and service and continued loyalty to the university.

There are four regular, active-status ranks: professor, associate professor, assistant professor, and instructor. Each regular, active-status rank may be tenure-accruing or non-tenure-accruing as specified in the original letter of appointment.

A.    Tenure-Accruing Appointments

1.    All appointments or reappointments to regular, active-status positions shall be for a specified term except for those that confer tenure. The total of such terms, including all full-time service at the rank of instructor or higher in this or other recognized institutions of higher learning, shall not exceed seven years. The following provisions apply: A faculty member with more than three years previous full-time service at  another institution may be appointed at any rank below that of professor without tenure for up to four years as a term or condition of the initial appointment, even though the total period of service in the academic profession is thereby extended beyond seven years.

2.    Leaves of absence to engage in authorized teaching or research activities at another institution shall be included in this seven year period.

3.    Leaves for study toward a degree, leaves for military or for personal reasons, and defense leave shall not be included in this period. A partial leave for family or medically-related purposes of sufficient duration may justify an appropriate partial extension of the probationary period. Requests are made through the department chair to the appropriate dean.

4.    A faculty member of the rank of assistant professor or higher who will not be granted tenure at the end of the final year of his or her maximum term of appointment shall be so notified in writing no later than June 30 preceding the year in which his or her appointment will expire in accordance with Article V, Section B (Faculty Code), thereof. However, if a decision on tenure has not become final by such June 30 deadline due to a failure to resolve an administrative nonconcurrence with a faculty recommendation, despite good faith efforts in accordance with Section B.4. of the Procedures for Implementation of this Code, the June 30 deadline may be extended for up to 60 days, provided the appropriate administrative officer has given written notice of such extension to the faculty member no later than the original June 30 deadline. A faculty member who does not receive notice of denial of tenure by the date required under the preceding two sentences shall not be granted tenure at the end of his or her pending term of appointment but instead shall be granted a one-year extension of such term. If not notified by June 30 of the final year of the non-extended term of appointment that tenure will not be granted, he or she will acquire tenure at the end of the extended term.

5.    Faculty appointed in a tenure-accruing status may transfer to a non-tenure-accruing status. The request to transfer must be made before the point of tenure review.  Requests for transfer must be made in writing and approved by the department chair and the appropriate dean. Faculty may not transfer from non-tenure-accruing status to tenure-accruing status without having participated in a national search. A faculty member who has been awarded tenure may transfer to non-tenure status at any time.

6.    Tenure is not awarded prior to the conclusion of the designated probationary period nor is promotion to associate professor awarded prior to the award of tenure except under very rare circumstances.

All appointments or reappointments to regular, active status, non-tenure-accruing positions shall be for a specified term agreed to by the faculty member and the school. The faculty member may be reappointed to the same or higher rank for as many terms as the needs of the school may require. Deans and chairs are encouraged to employ multi-year contracts for productive faculty in non-tenure-accruing positions.

A.    Instructors. Instructors may be appointed for an initial period of one year and may be reappointed for not more than three additional one-year periods. No reappointments shall extend any individual’s total period as an instructor beyond four years unless an extension of up to two years is recommended by the appropriate dean and conferred by special action of the Board of Trustees. Tenure shall not be conferred at this rank.

B.    Assistant Professors. Assistant professors may be appointed for not more than three years and may be reappointed without tenure for one or more additional periods. Tenure shall not be conferred at this rank.

C.    Associate Professors. Associate professors may be appointed with tenure, or for a period of not more than four years without tenure, and may be reappointed, with or without tenure, for one or more additional periods.

D.    Professors. Professors may be appointed with tenure, or for a period of not more than three years without tenure.

A. General
 
The schools have established criteria on which appointment and promotion shall be based. The schools have established that each department chair, at the time of the annual report, will inform faculty members whether they are making satisfactory progress toward promotion and tenure when applicable. Longevity in rank per se is neither necessary nor sufficient grounds for promotion. For each successive faculty rank greater efforts and contributions to the schools and university are expected.

1.    In tenure-accruing positions. Appointment or promotion in tenure-accruing   positions shall be dependent upon professional achievement in teaching,  scholarship, and service (e.g., clinical, professional, public). The candidate must be assessed as very good to excellent in each of the three areas. In addition, all candidates are expected to contribute some level of meaningful service to the institution.

2.    In non-tenure-accruing positions. Appointment or promotion in non-tenure- accruing positions shall be dependent upon professional achievement in teaching, scholarship and service (professional or clinical). For appointment or promotion, the candidate must be assessed as very good to excellent in teaching and scholarship or in teaching and service (clinical or professional), although some evidence of activity is expected in the remaining area, either service or scholarship, respectively.

3.    What are teaching, scholarship, and service?
 

Teaching. Teaching is an essential responsibility for all faculty. It includes formal lectures, small-group education, and/or one-on-one teaching. Teaching includes teaching in the classroom, virtual classroom, hospital, clinic, laboratory, physician’s office, public health practice settings (e.g., the G.W. Biostatistics Center), continuing education and other settings, and may include training of staff other than students. The effective teacher leads students to think purposely and critically, broadens the interest of students, seeks out innovative techniques and transmits knowledge effectively. The following are evidence of teaching achievements:

-    Course, clerkship director
-    Housestaff or graduate program director
-    Program coordinator for medical, public health, and/or health science students
-    Major responsibility in a course
-    Preparation and presentation of material in a well-organized, effective manner
-    Display of leadership
-    Development/institution of innovative teaching techniques
-    Mentoring and training students (undergraduate, graduate, medical) residents, fellows, junior faculty and other trainees
-    Participation in curriculum planning (professional, graduate) or evaluation
-    Participation on Ph.D. doctoral committees (dissertation reader, oral examiner)
-    Participation in the design, organization, implementation of a course, teaching program
-    Student/housestaff teaching awards
-    Director of continuing education course development
-    Continuing education speaking engagements
-    Invited participation in educational programs
-    Invited participation in local/state professional organization educational programs
-    Member of a board (e.g., USMLE) exam question writing team
-    Member of a specialty board qualifying exam question writing team

Scholarship. Scholarship includes peer-reviewed basic and clinical research and educational scholarly activity. Scholarship is assessed by several measures, including, but not limited to, the number of publications in peer-reviewed quality journals; reviews, books, book chapters and monographs; the number of invited seminars and lectures; and the number of editorial boards and grant review panels served on. The overall quality of publications takes precedence over their quantity. The impact of publications on the profession as determined by letters of evaluation and number of citations  is important.  The number of grants may provide peer-reviewed evidence of the candidate’s work and creativity. The quality and quantity of scholarly activity expected increase with increasing academic rank. The following are evidence of achievements in scholarly activity:

-    Senior author sustained publications and manuscripts in press in peer-reviewed journals

-    Generation of  reports and/or policy analyses for government and private agencies
-    Co-authored publications where a significant contribution has been made to the work
-    Abstracts accepted and presented at peer-reviewed scientific meetings (international, national, regional);
-    Independence from postgraduate or fellowship mentor
-    RO1 funding;
-    Other similar federal funding (e.g., NIH, HRSA, EPA, USDA, FDA, NSF) as a PI or co-PI
-    Program project/Specialized Center of Research (SCOR) project director
-    Peer association or private foundation funding as a PI
-    Pharmaceutical, health foundation or other similar contract funding
-    Invited memberships/fellowships in peer scientific societies
-    Letters of recommendation from impartial, senior, nationally/internationally recognized faculty/referees in the candidate’s field of expertise
-    National/international scientific awards
-    * Appointment to study sections (e.g., NIH, HRSA, EPA, USDA, FDA, NSF) and/or research committees
-    * Appointment to similar national peer organization research committees
-    * Editor, associate editor, or editorial board member of peer journal
-    * Regular ad hoc reviewer for peer journals
-    * Chair/member of national peer association scientific program committee
-    * Session chair of national peer association scientific sessions
-    * Abstract reviewer of national peer association scientific sessions
-    * Executive/board member or committee chair/member of national peer association
-    Invited published reviews, book chapters, monographs
-    Invited seminars and lectures
-    Demonstration of a degree of cooperativeness, as evidenced by, for example, by the initiation of formal collaborative research ventures with colleagues or by provision of service to research programs
-    Awarded patents
-    Textbook contributor, editor, author; published teaching materials (print, video, CD ROMS, other)
-    Publication of educational research/scholarship
-    Published patient education materials
-    Development of “in-house” educational materials

Service. Service is a part of academic life and some level of meaningful participation is expected of all faculty at all levels. While excellence in service alone is not sufficient for promotion to any level in the tenure track, excellence in professional or clinical service may be a major criterion for promotion in the non-tenure track. The quality and quantity of service expected increase with increasing academic rank. The following are evidence of achievements in service:

a.    Professional Service
 

-    Consultantships to governments, health policy groups, health advocacy groups, national/international public health organizations, health services research and policy organizations
-    Identification and coordination of responses to health needs in the surrounding communities, the District, and the nation, including increasing public awareness of disease prevention and health maintenance, organizing the provision of continuing education to practicing health care professionals, and devising strategies to provide health care to underserved and underfinanced populations
-    Initiation of or participation in health care delivery and/or research that is oriented to rural  populations, minority or geriatric populations, or any other targeted population with documented health care needs
-    Leadership in national/international groups dealing with health care policy, health care planning, health care reform, and health care legislation
-    Evidence of a positive impact on communities and populations
-    Leadership and active participation in continuing education to health professionals at the local, regional, or national level
-    Items marked with an asterisk (*) under evidence of achievements in scholarly activity may also provide evidence of service achievements
 
b.   Clinical Service
 
Recognition by peers and patients
 
-    Patient referrals from other physicians and patients
-    Clinical consultation by peers and professional colleagues, including documented acknowledgment by peers as a premier consultant and requested consultant involvement in complex clinical problems
-    Evidence of a positive clinical impact on the division, the department, the medical school, or the hospital

Professional contributions to patient care

-    Introduction of new skills or techniques, including clinical laboratory based technology, that are unique locally or regionally

-    Special competencies that improve or extend clinical or training programs
-    Introduction, development, and maintenance of new clinical programs

Professional contributions to enhancing the profession

-    Leadership and active participation in continuing medical education at the local, regional, or national level

-    Appointed or elected leadership or membership on regional or national societies or specialty governing boards
-    Leadership in clinical care (e.g., membership on major clinical committees at the local, regional, or national levels)
-    Appointed or elected leadership or membership on divisional, departmental, hospital, and/or school service-related governing boards
-    Participation in research involving patients, including patients’ questions relating basic biomedical science to patient care, clinical trials, outcomes in investigations, and cooperative groups
 
c.    Public Service
 
-    Community-based service, including guest lectures and/or preparation  of materials for paraprofessionals and/or other health professions
-    Consultation, education, and public speaking outside the university that brings credit to the university
 
d.    Institutional Service (division, department, schools, university)
 
-    Participation or leadership in divisional, departmental, hospital, school, and/or university committees
-    Contributions to the academic management of the division, department, school, and/or medical center, including recommending or developing, for example, policy that relates to faculty affairs, student affairs, academic records, and academic fiscal activities
-    Direction of a section, service, or laboratory considered to benefit the division, department, hospital, school, medical center and/or university
B.    Specific
 
1.    Appointment/promotion to the rank of assistant professor
 
For appointment/promotion to the rank of assistant professor, the candidate must have attained the highest appropriate degree in the specific discipline or field.* The candidate must have demonstrated professional competence in a specific discipline or field, and must have demonstrated potential for teaching, scholarship, and service for appointment/promotion to this rank in the tenure track, and demonstrated potential for teaching and scholarship or service (professional or clinical) for appointment/promotion to this rank in the non-tenure track. Review by the school APT committee is not required. The chair must submit the candidate’s dossier to the appropriate dean for action.

* additional board certification requirements exist for appointment/promotion to this rank in the clinical departments in the SMHS. Information may be found in the Office of Faculty Affairs.
 

2.    Appointment/promotion to the rank of associate professor
 
For appointment/promotion to the rank of associate professor in the tenure track, the candidate must have a sustained record of professional achievements in teaching, scholarship, and service (e.g., clinical, professional, public). In addition, all candidates are expected to contribute some level of meaningful service to the institution.

For appointment/promotion to the rank of associate professor in the non-tenure track, the candidate must have a sustained record of professional achievements in teaching and scholarship or teaching and service (professional or clinical), although some evidence of activity is expected in the remaining area, either service or scholarship, respectively.

In teaching, the successful candidate need not have expertise in all areas of teaching activities (refer to evidence of teaching achievements under V.A.3) that, when present, will be evaluated. However, the candidate’s efforts should reflect achievements in his/her assigned roles/functions. In all cases, the student (undergraduate, graduate, medical) and other evaluations (peer, housestaff) should document a pattern of growth leading to or demonstrating excellence in performance in the classroom, clinic, wards, laboratories, or other teaching settings.

In scholarship, the successful candidate need not have fulfilled all the areas of scholarship activities (refer to evidence of scholarship under V.A.3) that, when present, will be evaluated. Of these areas, none should replace, nor are intended to replace, the importance of a sustained record of publication in premier peer-reviewed journals. Nonetheless, the candidate’s sum of scholarly activities should reflect achievements that document a pattern of growth leading to or demonstrating excellence in performance.

In service, the successful candidate is expected to be involved in a level of meaningful service (refer to evidence of service under V.A.3.). The candidate’s service to the department, school, university, local community (in ways related to the candidate’s academic position), profession, professional organizations, and academic and scientific communities, both regionally and nationally, will be evaluated. For candidates in which clinical service is a major criterion for promotion, the candidate’s efforts should reflect achievements in his/her assigned roles/functions. In all cases, faculty with patient care responsibilities shall be evaluated for quality, quantity, and timeliness of patient care, including diagnosis, and/or therapeutic expertise.  Documentation from professional colleagues inside and outside the institution, students and housestaff will be sought. Attitude toward patients will be evaluated by inquiries of clinical peers as well as patient satisfaction questionnaires, if available.  For candidates in which professional service is a major criteria for promotion, the candidate’s efforts should reflect achievements in his/her assigned roles/functions. Documentation from professional colleagues inside and outside the institution will be sought. Awards from community groups, public health organizations, and/or governments will be evaluated as evidence leading to or demonstrating excellence in performance.
 

3.    Appointment/promotion to the rank of professor
 
For appointment/promotion to the rank of professor in the tenure-track, the candidate must have a sustained record of professional achievements in teaching, scholarship, and service at an increasingly higher level. To demonstrate excellence, the candidate should be recognized nationally and/or internationally, as appropriate to the discipline. For appointment/promotion to the rank of professor in the non-tenure track, the candidate must have a sustained record of professional achievements in teaching and scholarship or teaching and service (professional or clinical) at an increasingly higher level, although some evidence of activity is expected in the remaining area, either service or scholarship, respectively.

Approved by the Medical Center Faculty Senate
February 6, 2002