The Faculty Career Track is intended for faculty in clinical science departments of the Duke University School of Medicine, and in departments that use both clinical sciences, and basic sciences pathways, for faculty following a clinical sciences pathway.
Appointment Ranks
Medical Instructor
The rank of Medical Instructor is intended as an entry level appointment. The tenure clock is not active for faculty at this rank. This “pre-tenure clock” appointment provides the beginning faculty member time to establish the foundations of an academic career prior to advancing to the rank of Assistant Professor. Appointment at the rank of Medical Instructor is typically for a period of 1-2 years (maximum of 3 years), after which it is expected that the faculty member will transition to the rank of Assistant Professor as a Regular Rank faculty member, or for clinicians, to transition to the Non-Regular Rank faculty if the intent is to engage mainly in clinical practice.
Assistant Professor
The rank of Assistant Professor is intended as an entry level appointment. This appointment is “undifferentiated” regarding track assignment. During time at this rank, the faculty member has the opportunity to become established in scholarly endeavors. The date of hire at the rank of Assistant Professor marks the start of the tenure probationary period. Criteria for promotion from Medical Instructor to Assistant Professor and for initial appointment at the Assistant Professor level are developed at the Department level.
For faculty electing to follow the Faculty Career Track, timing of the promotion to the rank of Associate Professor is flexible.
Associate Professor
The rank of Associate Professor is earned by the faculty member who has demonstrated excellence as a clinician, educator, and / or investigator along with scholarship that advances the academic missions of the Health System, School of Medicine and / or their Department. This promotion recognizes contributions that add value to the institution and to healthcare. Faculty at the rank of Associate Professor may be eligible for longer term contracts per the discretion of their Department.
To be promoted to the rank of Associate Professor, the faculty member will have a strong institutional (or wider) reputation for excellence in their area of expertise. Faculty at this level should be able to demonstrate effective engagement with the School in several ways, including:
• Contribution to innovative Division level processes and programs.
• Mentoring of trainees and junior colleagues.
• Collaboration across medical disciplines or units.
• Leadership within a service line, local or regional organization, and / or committees, subcommittees, and / or task forces of the University and Health System (including all affiliated hospitals and the Durham Veteran’s Administration (VA) Medical Center).
Professor
The rank of Professor is reserved for individuals who are recognized both within and beyond the institution as outstanding clinicians, educators, and / or investigators with a scholarship portfolio that enables and advances the academic missions of their Department, the School of Medicine, and the Health System. This promotion recognizes contributions that add value to the institution and to healthcare. Faculty at the rank of Professor may be eligible for longer term contracts per the discretion of their Department.
To be promoted to the rank of Professor, the faculty member will have a strong regional or national
reputation for excellence in their area of expertise. Faculty at this level should be able to demonstrate
effective engagement with the School in several ways, including:
• Leadership and innovation through Department level programs that could serve as exemplars for other institutions to emulate.
• Mentoring of learners and colleagues.
• Collaboration across departments, disciplines and / or institutions.
• Executive level leadership within a service line, local or regional organization, and / or committee, or subcommittee, and / or task forces of the University and Health System (including all affiliated hospitals and the Durham Veteran’s Administration (VA) Medical Center).
For clinicians, the ability to attract clinical referrals from a wide region or, for primary care fields, acknowledgement of the faculty member as a recognized expert in the care of patients, populations or communities will be considered in the promotion decision as well as contributions to teaching, mentoring, and leadership / service.
B. Review of the APT Dossier
Each candidate that has been nominated for promotion will be reviewed by the DAPT Committee. If the nomination is approved, the faculty member will be notified by the department chair three months prior to a scheduled DAPT Committee meeting, and invited to submit the following documents:
a. Curriculum Vitae
link to CV for School of Medicine
https://medschool.duke.edu/sites/default/files/2022-07/Duke-SOM-CV-form…
Creating the CV in Scholars@Duke https://about.scholars.duke.edu/sites/default/files/Creating%20the%20SO…
b. Annotated Bibliography: a list of publications within the past seven years, selected from the curriculum vitae, that the candidate feels is most representative of his/her published work. The annotated listing of publications should consist of a full citation for each work (author, publication year, title of article, journal name, volume and pages); a brief, 3-4 sentence description of the major findings of each work and its significance. The list should be determined by the faculty member.
i. Professor, Career Track (10) within the past 7 years
ii. Associate Professor, Career Track (3) within the past 7 years
c. List of Reviewers: Submit the name, rank, address, email address and phone number of 10 external/internal reviewers who are expert in your field, and able to independently evaluate your work. They must be at the rank at or above your nomination, at an academic institution, and you cannot have had any direct collaboration with them in the last 7 years. They do not have to know you. The School of Medicine requires at least (6) reviewers to evaluate the candidate's scholarly contributions. Ten names are requested because some reviewers may not be available
Rank of Assistant Professor, 3 letters are required. Evaluators are required to be at or above the candidate’s proposed academic rank or show administrative leadership (i.e. Director, President). Can be a combination of external or internal.
Rank of Associate Professor: A minimum of 6 letters are required for Associate Professor, and Professor on Career Track. There is a required minimum of 3 external letters.
Rank of Professor: A minimum of 6 letters are required for Professor on Career Track. At least 3 must be external to Duke.
d. Intellectual Development Statement, and Teaching Summary https://sites.duke.edu/aptneurology/files/2022/04/Intellectual-Developm…
1. The submitted dossier will be reviewed by the DAPT Committee, and discussed at a formal full committee meeting. A vote will then be taken by secret ballot of committee members of rank equal to or higher than that sought by the candidate.
2. The DAPT Committee will then forward the complete dossier, along with a written evaluation of the candidate's fitness for promotion/tenure to the department chair for his/her consideration. That written evaluation should include a formal assessment of the candidate's clinical and teaching abilities, where applicable.
3. The departmental will forward the complete dossier along with the department chair’s recommendation, to the School of Medicine for review, and approval.
Additional information can be found at the following sites:
Duke Provost Office Faculty Handbook (Handbook)
Duke School of Medicine Clinical Sciences APT for Faculty (Resources for Dossier)
Faculty Resources
ADVANCE-UP
The ADVANCE-UP (Academic DeVelopment, Advocacy, Networking, Coaching and Education for Underrepresented Populations) program aims to provide unique enrichment activities designed to focus on experiences underrepresented racial and ethnic faculty (UREF) encounter in academic medical centers. ADVANCE-UP ultimately seeks to create a network of scholars that will enhance the sense of community among underrepresented faculty, foster timely promotion, and increase representation in leadership positions.
https://medschool.duke.edu/about-us/faculty-resources/faculty-developme…
ALICE (Academic Leadership, Innovation, & Collaborative Engagement)
The Office for Faculty is pleased to offer the ALICE program, a leadership development opportunity for mid-career women faculty in the School of Medicine. ALICE – Academic Leadership, Innovation, and Collaborative Engagement – provides in-depth opportunities for leadership skill development, personal reflection and goal setting, peer-mentoring, and structured 360 feedback.
https://medschool.duke.edu/about-us/faculty-resources/faculty-developme…
Bridge Funding Program
Support for faculty with lapse in grant support; $842K awarded to 10 faculty (2021-2022)
The following outlines a bridge funding plan to help investigators in the SoM who have had a lapse in R0l-or P0l-level support. U-level awards and R21s will not be considered at this time. Up to $100,000 per lapsed R0l grant or up to $200,000 per lapsed P0l grant will be provided by the Dean's Office and the Chair’s Office (combined total) following application by the affected individual's chair, anonymous review of merit by two appropriate Duke referees, and a positive recommendation by the Bridge Funding Committee. Following a positive recommendation by the Bridge Funding Committee, the dollar amount awarded by the Dean will take into consideration discretionary balances at the unit/department level as well as at the individual level. Individuals with significant discretionary balances will not be considered for bridge funds; units/departments with large discretionary balances will be required to match funds provided by the SoM.
https://medschool.duke.edu/research/research-support/funding-opportunit…
Duke Clinical Leadership Program
The Duke Clinical Leadership Program (DCLP) was founded by the Chancellor for Health Affairs in 2010 to help expand leadership capacity within DukeHealth. The program provides faculty with an opportunity to deepen their awareness of healthcare operations and to develop relevant leadership skills. The program is run by the School of Medicine Office for Faculty with the enthusiastic support of Chancellor Eugene Washington. Program fellows are introduced to leaders from the Health System, School of Medicine, School of Nursing and Fuqua School of Business.
The 2022 Duke Clinical Leadership Program is ongoing. Applications for the 2023 program will open late fall.
https://medschool.duke.edu/about-us/faculty-resources/faculty-developme…
LEADER
Leadership/team building; how to develop/manage research programs
If you are a faculty member starting out in your research career, you are in charge of leading a team that will drive one of the most critically important professional enterprises of your life. Leading this group successfully will depend not only on the outstanding scientific skills you have honed, but it will also require a host of other skills. You will need to effectively manage a talented group of people, pilot successful collaborations within and outside of your group, deftly navigate the complexities of the institution, adeptly manage the inevitable conflicts that arise in a high stakes environment, tackle the challenges of running a small business, and inspire others to do their best so that your scientific vision is realized.
If you want to learn to meet these challenges with more confidence, consider applying for the Duke LEADER program.
This interactive 5-month series is designed for junior faculty who are leading a research group. It will provide insight into leadership and team building as well as direction on how to develop and manage a scientific laboratory or research program, how to improve productivity, and how to harness creativity and innovation. It will provide tools to use in navigating conflict with confidence. This program provides a unique opportunity to work with a diverse and multidisciplinary group of faculty and to network with other researchers from across the university.
https://medschool.duke.edu/about-us/faculty-resources/faculty-developme…
Office for Research Mentoring
Promotes faculty success & well-being by offering tools to navigate career
The Office for Research Mentoring aims to support the strong mentoring community within the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing. Our team works to promote faculty success and well-being by offering tools needed to successfully navigate a career at Duke. The enclosed programming is designed to help junior faculty members write successful grant applications for an ever competitive funding environment.
https://medschool.duke.edu/about-us/faculty-resources/office-research-m…
Funding to Retain Clinical Scientists
The Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists aims to help sustain research productivity of physician scientists when faced with periods of family caregiving responsibilities and to raise awareness about the importance of added research assistance for caregivers as a retention mechanism.
The COVID-19 Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists is a one-time, collaborative funding opportunity that builds on the promising outcomes of the original Fund to Retain Clinical Scientists program to accelerate transformative action toward sustainable institutional solutions.
Provides funding to support productivity of eligible biomedical research faculty
Funded by Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and American Heart Association
https://www.ddcf.org/funding-areas/medical-research/fund-to-retain-clin…
Professional Development Seminars
The Professional Development Seminar Series (PDSS) is an ongoing series of lectures on topics such as difficult conversations, professional “survival” skills, and cultural/organizational dynamics at Duke. Faculty are notified of events via e-mail.
Faculty will receive updates about new events via e-mail. Current availabilities are posted on the upcoming events page. Staff, students, and trainees interested in attending our events are encouraged to check the upcoming events page