Table of Contents

II. Faculty Appointments

MEDICAL SCHOOL FACULTY PERSONNEL DEFINITIONS

There are three primary faculty tracks at the University of Michigan Medical School: Instructional Track, Primary Research Track and Clinical Track.

A. Instructional Track
1. Definition of the Instructional Track

The Medical School's Instructional Track is the regular faculty sequence, also called "tenure track". Faculty members on this track are expected to make scholarly contributions to the Medical School in the areas of research, teaching, service, and, if appropriate, clinical care. They are to have no significant employment outside of the University of Michigan. However, Medical School instructional faculty members who are assigned to the Ann Arbor Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center or to the Howard Hughes Medical Institute are included in the Instructional Track, even though their salary support does not come from the University of Michigan. Appointment to the Instructional Track does not preclude concurrent appointment in the Primary Research Track.

2. Ranks in the Instructional Track

There are three ranks in the Instructional Track: assistant professor, associate professor, and (full) professor. The president of the University makes all appointments.

Lecturer
Some faculty members are appointed as Lecturers before moving into the Instructional or Clinical track. Lecturers have shown special ability as teachers and hold a doctoral degree or its equivalent in professional and technical experience. An appointment as a lecturer does not start the tenure clock for a faculty member. If a person is appointed lecturer as the result of a normal, open, national search process that includes posting, advertising, and efforts to secure a diverse applicant pool, an Affirmative Action document is filed at the time of the initial appointment as lecturer. Otherwise, the lecturer must compete in a national search process in order to be recommended for appointment at a higher rank.

Appointments of lecturers are the prerogative of the department chairman or unit head, within constraints of University appointment procedures, and must be approved by the associate dean for faculty affairs. The Advisory Committee on Promotions, Appointments, and Tenure (ACAPT) does not review appointments of lecturers.

Assistant Professor
The title of assistant professor is given to persons of proven ability who have acceptable experience at the rank of lecturer at the University of Michigan or at a comparable institution or who have acceptable experience in professional work. Assistant professor is the rank appropriate to a person who has demonstrated creative competence in teaching and scholarly activity but has yet to achieve exceptional status as a teacher or national recognition as a scientist. Persons who have published scholarly work and who have had significant teaching responsibilities before their initial faculty appointment may begin their faculty careers at the rank of assistant professor. Others achieve this rank after serving as lecturers.

Appointments to assistant professor, a tenure-track position, require review by ACAPT and approval by the Executive Committee.

Associate Professor
Appointment to associate professor is given only to persons of established professional position and demonstrated scholarly or creative ability. Those promoted or appointed to this rank must have achieved widespread (preferably national) recognition for scholarly accomplishment; must have demonstrated excellence as teachers; must have contributed significantly in the area of service; and, when appropriate, must have exhibited outstanding clinical care. Persons with clinical responsibilities are usually expected to be board certified before they become associate professors. Unless otherwise specified, appointments with this title are with tenure; persons may be appointed as associate professors without tenure.

Appointments to associate professor require review by ACAPT; approval of the Executive Committee; endorsement by the Dean, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, the Provost, and the President; and approval by the Board of Regents.

Professor
Appointment to (full) professor, like appointment to associate professor, is given only to persons of established professional position and demonstrated scholarly or creative ability. The difference between the ranks of professor and associate professor is primarily one of achievement; promotion to full professor is not automatic. A person appointed to the rank of professor must have demonstrated continued creative research scholarship and excellence in teaching, service, and, where appropriate, clinical care, over a period of time and at a level of accomplishment that attracts national and international attention. Unless otherwise specified, appointments to professor are with tenure; persons may be appointed as full professors without tenure.

Appointments to (full) professor require review by ACAPT; approval of the Executive Committee; endorsement by the Dean, Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs, the Provost, and the President; and approval by the Board of Regents.

3. Criteria for Appointment and Promotion in the Instructional Track

Teaching, research, and service are the three areas examined in all appointment and promotion considerations. There are individuals of great value to our institution whose performance and contributions in one area are truly outstanding when compared with the norm of faculty performance in that area but whose performance in other areas does not exceed the minimum requirements. A recommendation for appointment, promotion, or the awarding of tenure to a nominee who has such an asymmetrical mix of qualifications must be clearly identified and appropriately justified by the department chair. In any case, the minimum requirements must be met.

Teaching
Essential qualifications for appointment or promotion are character and the ability to teach. Some of the elements to be evaluated are experience, knowledge of subject matter, skill in presentation, interest in students, ability to stimulate youthful minds, capacity for cooperation, and enthusiastic devotion to teaching. The full responsibility of the teacher as a guide and friend extends beyond the walls of the classroom into other phases of the life of the student as a member of the University community. It also involves the duty of initiating and improving educational methods both within and outside the faculty member's department.

Research
All Instructional Track faculty must be persons of scholarly ability and attainments. These are shown by the quality of their published and other creative work, the range and variety of their intellectual interests, their success in training graduate and professional students in scholarly methods, and their participation and leadership in professional associations and in editing of professional journals. Attainment may be in scientific investigation or in constructive contributions. There should be a prediction of continued excellence throughout the faculty member's professional career.

Service
Service may include participation in committee work and other administrative tasks, counseling, clinical duties, and special training programs. The University also expects many of its instructional faculty to render extramural services to schools, industry, governmental agencies, and the public at large. Although administrative service is of importance, it is given less weight in promotion and appointment decisions than are teaching, research, and clinical activities. Service is expected of all faculty members, and substantial service can be a factor in the assessment of individual achievement, but service is no substitute for outstanding performance in the areas of research and teaching.

Dual-Track Faculty and Joint Appointments
A faculty member may hold appointments in both the Instructional Track and the Primary Research Track if fully qualified for appointment in both. For dual-track or joint appointments in two different units, the distribution of responsibility and the part-time status in each unit must be specified and approved by the chairs, directors, and deans of the units involved and by the executive vice president for academic affairs and the vice president for research. Similar approval must be given for joint appointments to the Medical School and another school or college within the University.

The Medical School is reviewing all requests for dual-track and joint appointments with increased diligence to ensure that the effort assigned to each track and/or unit is appropriate to the mission of the department and the skills of the individual faculty member.

B. Primary Research Track
1. Definition of the Primary Research Track

The Medical School's Primary Research Track was created in 1973 to provide a differentiation between the instructional faculty and professional researchers. The Executive Faculty of the Medical School has adopted the following general criteria for the performance of Primary Research Track faculty:

Primary research staff must have achieved, or demonstrated the potential for, continued independence, autonomy, and excellence in the initiation, direction, and completion of research projects. Primary research staff either are clearly headed for or have already established themselves in independent aca-demic research careers.

Appointment to the Primary Research Track does not preclude concurrent appointment in the Instructional Track.

2. Ranks in the Primary Research Track

There are four ranks of primary researcher: research investigator, assistant research scientist, senior associate research scientist, and (full) senior research scientist. All appointments are made by the president of the University.

Research Investigator
The initial primary research rank recognizes persons who hold a doctoral degree or its equivalent in professional and technical experience and who have shown special ability as independent researchers at least to the level of postdoctoral work. Some record of publications is expected of persons appointed to this rank, along with evidence of potential for obtaining external funding. A person appointed as a research investigator should have a specific role in a project that could be developed under a specific mentor. Candidates for research investigator are not expected to have a record of instruction or service, although achievement in these areas is a welcome addition.

Research investigator positions are intended for persons for whom a full-time career in independent research is expected. They are the prerogative of the department chair or unit head, within the constraints of University appointment procedures, and must be approved by the associate dean for faculty affairs. The Advisory Committee on Primary Research Appointments, Promotions, and Titles (APRAPT) does not review appointments of research investigators.

Assistant Research Scientist
Candidates in this rank must have documented excellence and independence in research that supports predictions of continued growth. They should have a record of publications in peer-reviewed journals and should appear as first author on at least some of these. Regular participation at professional meetings is expected. Candidates for assistant research scientist should show evidence of ability to obtain external funding, typically in the form of initial competitive fellowships or grants, and evidence that they can conduct research outside a mentorship situation. Again, there are no specific requirements for instruction or service, although achievement in these nonresearch areas is welcome.

Appointments of assistant research scientists require review by APRAPT and approval by the Executive Committee of the Medical School.

Senior Associate Research Scientist
Appointment to this rank requires evidence of continuing excellence in performance and a continued record of independent, distinguished, and productive research. There should be clear evidence of independent external funding past the level of initial research grants and fellowships, in the form of, for example, grants, subprojects, program projects, and center programs. There should be a solid record of publications in peer-reviewed journals and signs that this research record will continue. Many researchers appointed or promoted to senior associate research scientist have a substantial record of textbook co-authorships, book chapters, and abstracts; however, these publications count less heavily in evaluation than and cannot substitute for articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Like an associate professor who holds the corresponding rank in the Instructional Track, a senior associate research scientist should have a research record that would gain tenure in that track and should have a national reputation. A candidate for this rank should have received nationwide invitations for lectures, seminars, study sections, and ad hoc reviews. Some administrative or teaching contribution (such as committee service) is normally expected of a researcher at this rank. However, distinguished research performance is the essential requirement, for which nonresearch contributions cannot substitute. A person appointed as senior associate research scientist, like an associate professor, must be desirable as a permanent colleague and member of the staff.

Appointments of senior associate research scientists require review by APRAPT, approval by the Executive Committee of the Medical School, and endorsement by the provost.

Senior Research Scientist
Appointment to this highest rank in the Primary Research Track requires an internationally recognized record of continued excellence and independent accomplishments in research. Publications in peer-reviewed journals must continue and must show signs of further growth. A senior research scientist should appear as principal investigator on center grants or major grants. A candidate for this rank is expected to serve as a mentor for younger faculty members and as a supervisor for graduate students. There should be invitations for lectures, seminars, study sections, ad hoc reviews, and so forth from outside the United States.

Appointments of (full) senior research scientists require review by APRAPT, approval by the Executive Committee of the Medical School, and endorsement by the provost.

3. Criteria for Appointment and Promotion in the Primary Research Track

Excellence and independence in research are supremely important for advancement in the Primary Research Track; that is, achievements in such nonresearch areas as teaching, patient care, administration, and service are not absolutely required of primary researchers and cannot substitute for deficits in research performance. However, Primary Research Track faculty are encouraged to work in these areas, for the sake of their own development as scientists and to enrich and invigorate the intellectual climate and reputation of the University. To the degree that these activities help the University in this way, they are credited to the candidate's record.

Although Medical School Primary Research Track faculty are not eligible for tenure, the University and the Medical School envision a close correspondence between the primary research ranks and the instructional ranks, both in qualifications expected and in the mechanics of appointment and promotion. Dual-Track Faculty and Joint Appointments A faculty member may hold appointments in both the Instructional Track and the Primary Research Track if fully qualified for appointment in both. For dual-track or joint appointments in two different units, the distribution of responsibility and the part-time status in each unit must be specified and approved by the chairs, directors, and deans of the units involved and by the provost and the vice president for research. Similar approval must be given for joint appointments to the Medical School and another school or college within the University. The Medical School is reviewing all requests for dual-track and joint appointments with increased diligence to ensure that the effort assigned to each track and/or unit is appropriate to the mission of the department and the skills of the individual faculty member.

C. Clinical Tracks
1. Definition of the Clinical Tracks

To supplement the teaching and clinical activities of the instructional faculty, the Medical School has two Clinical Tracks.

Clinical Track

• Appointments are at 50% or greater effort.
• Appointments are for up to seven years and are renewable.
• Appointments are without tenure.
• The University is the sole employer of Clinical Track faculty.
  Affirmative Action guidelines apply to Clinical Track faculty.
• Faculty in Clinical Track are included as voting members of the Executive Faculty of the Medical School and may vote for the Executive Committee of the Medical School. They are not members of the University Senate and do not participate in the election of representatives to the University Senate Assembly.

Adjunct Clinical Track

• Appointments are at 0% to 49% effort.
• Appointments are for no longer than one year and are renewable.
• Appointments are without tenure.
• Adjunct Clinical Track faculty are usually in the private practice of medicine outside the University of Michigan; in other words, the University is usually not the only employer.
• Even though appointments in this sequence are not monitored by the Affirmative Action procedures of the University, it is the policy of the Medical School to seek as diverse a group of people as possible as teachers and role models for students.
• Faculty in the Adjunct Clinical Track are not included as voting members of the Executive Faculty of the Medical School, may not serve on the Executive Committee of the Medical School, are not members of the University Senate, and do not participate in the election of representatives to the University Senate Assembly.

2. Ranks in the Clinical Tracks

There are four ranks in each of the Clinical Tracks: clinical instructor, clinical assistant professor, clinical associate professor, and clinical (full) professor.

Clinical Instructor
A clinical instructor is fully trained to deliver clinical care and is qualified to participate in educational programs at the University of Michigan Medical School. Appointment to this rank requires evidence that the individual has received an appropriate medical and graduate medical education, is at least eligible for board certification, and offers documentation, through letters, attesting to full clinical competency. Though there may be little or no past activity in the area of teaching, indications of interest and of potential in this area are important in evaluating the candidate. Letters from individuals with firsthand knowledge of the candidate are helpful in documenting the candidate's clinical competency, suitability for an academic medical environment, potential as a future teacher and clinical role model, and potential for growth in clinical and intellectual areas. Though encouraged, publications are not required.

Clinical instructor appointments are approved by the associate dean for faculty affairs. The Advisory Committee on Clinical Track Appointments and Promotions (CLINACAP) does not review appointments of clinical instructors.

Clinical Assistant Professor
A clinical assistant professor is a faculty member who has demonstrated ability in teaching as well as in clinical care. His or her record must show evidence of accomplishment in and commitment to medical education and the potential for future scholarly achievement. Appointment or promotion to this rank requires evidence of clinical competency beyond that of an instructor, plus board certification, board eligibility, or the equivalent. Letters, which are likely to be from local sources, should attest to the quality of clinical care. The candidate's teaching and service to his or her department (here or at another institution) in areas related to clinical care and education should be documented. Beginning at this level, the principle of peer review and recognition are considered in evaluating suitability for appointment or promotion. Peer review and recognition can occur through authorship of videotapes, textbook chapters, reviews, and other educational materials, as well as through the publication of articles in peer-reviewed journals. Publications in peer-reviewed journals, while encouraged, are not required for appointment or promotion to this rank.

Clinical assistant professor appointments are reviewed by CLINACAP and approved by the Medical School Executive Committee.

Clinical Associate Professor
A clinical associate professor has excelled in teaching and clinical care, and has achieved recognition in these areas. Appointment or promotion to this rank requires board certification or the equivalent and evidence that development as a clinician has progressed to the point of establishing a broad interdepartmental and regional (in some instances, even national) recognition by professional colleagues. Typically, a reputation of this sort is documented by letters from internal and ex-ternal sources; administration or leadership in local, regional, or national organizations; presentations on clinical topics at local, regional, or national meetings; and preparation of reviews on clinical subjects for local, regional, or national publications.

A person promoted to this level should be exerting an ongoing influence on the quality of medical care. Examples include leadership or reorganization of clinical services; improvements in quality of care, outcomes measurement, or patient satisfaction; and involvement in utilization management activities. Contributions in these areas should be documented by relevant peers.

In teaching, one typically would expect to see evidence of continued contribution to medical education, either through customary teaching situations (lectures and one-on-one instruction) or through the preparation of educational materials, including educational brochures and learning aids, videotapes, textbook chapters, and reviews. Administration and organization of teaching pro-grams are also valued activities, and creativity in their execution can be documented by appropriate knowledgeable faculty, students and peers.

Evidence of excellence in either clinical care or teaching can include departmental evaluation, formal awards for performance, and honors, such as invitations to speak in significant roles at meetings or at institutions of distinction. Evidence of scholarship should be judged by the principle of peer evaluation and recognition, whether the products of the scholarly activity are papers, books or chapters, invited lectures, or some other mode of communicating results and ideas.

Appointments to clinical associate professor are reviewed by CLINACAP, approved by the Medical School Executive Committee, and require endorsement from the dean, executive vice-president for medical affairs and the provost.

Clinical Professor
A clinical professor performs outstanding and regular teaching and clinical service as outlined above, usually over an additional period of five to ten years and has attained regional or national recognition of his or her teaching and clinical expertise. Typically, the same qualitative criteria used for clinical associate professor apply (see above) with expected quantitative differences in the number and value of achievements. Service on regional or national specialty societies or boards can be expected. Faculty at this level often have many products of their scholarly activity that have been subjected to peer review and that have resulted in broad peer recognition in the area of clinical medicine or medical education. Evidence of scholarship should be judged by the principle of peer evaluation and recognition, whether the products of the scholarly activity are papers, books or chapters, invited lectures, or some other mode of communicating results and ideas.

Appointments to clinical professor are reviewed CLINACAP, approved by the Medical School Executive Committee, and require endorsement from the dean, executive vice-president for medical affairs and the provost.

3. Criteria for Appointment and Promotion in the Clinical Tracks

The criteria for appointment and promotion in the Clinical Track will be applied with an emphasis on the impact that the nominee has had on his or her environment. This impact may be in the teaching arena, in service (with a clinical, administrative, or community health venue), or in research. Supporting letters must specifically address how the nominee made an impact, with a detailed description of what he or she did and how this work had an effect. Longevity in a role is not sufficient evidence of superior skill or accomplishment.

Teaching
Essential qualifications for appointment or promotion in the Clinical Tracks are character and the ability to teach. Educational excellence may be demonstrated in a variety of settings. Some Clinical Track faculty will have assigned responsibility for teaching medical students and house officers or for organizing and leading clinical educational programs. The educational roles of others will involve a broad range of educational activities targeted at diverse audiences such as organizing or participating as faculty in local or regional CME activities or developing patient education, health profession education, or public health education programs.

In the Adjunct Clinical Track, sufficient involvement in the educational program of the department is defined as a minimum of 50 hours of direct participation in clinical education per year or an equivalent contribution to the academic mission of the Medical School, as documented by the Academic Activity Form (see below). In the Clinical Track, the required teaching can be that which is provided in a one-on-one manner in the course of delivering clinical care or as otherwise defined by the chair of the department.

In addition to the usual peer sources, letters from former trainees or from colleagues may document educational influence.

Service
The service portion of a clinical faculty member's work is usually dominated by clinical responsibilities, and a high level of clinical competency is expected at all ranks. Clinical excellence may be documented by letters from UM faculty, current or former colleagues, or former trainees. Letters which attest that the nominee is considered by the medical community as a clinical resource, is sought out for care, and has a wide referral base are helpful. By their nature these letters will often come from sources who have personal knowledge of the individual's clinical skills.

In exceptional circumstances, in which a physician has had a profound effect on his or her environment in the role of clinician or educator, this alone may qualify the candidate for appointment or promotion, with extraordinary service being considered the equivalent of scholarly activity as it is usually defined. In this case, perhaps the most difficult to present to the Medical School, letters of support must explain the individual's impact with great detail and specificity.

Many other service activities are also appropriate to faculty in the Clinical Tracks, such as participation in committee work and other administrative tasks, counseling, and special training programs. Medical staff activities (such as leadership of or service on a quality assurance, risk management, or utilization review committee) also fall under this rubric. In addition, the University expects many of its staff to render extramural services to schools, industry, governmental agencies, and the public at large. Examples include

• Memberships and offices held in professional societies.
• Continuing participation and leadership roles in medical service organizations (e.g., American Cancer Society, Planned Parenthood, American Red Cross).
• Public service activities that relate to the health of the general public.

Research
Research achievements, though not required of clinical faculty members, are a welcome addition to their records. Excellence in research is shown by the quality of faculty members' published and other creative work, the range and variety of their intellectual interests, their success in training graduate and professional students in scholarly methods, and their participation and leadership in professional associations and in editing of professional journals. Attainment may be in scientific investigation or in constructive contributions. In short, for the clinical faculty sequences the Medical School does not expect accomplishment in investigator-initiated, laboratory-based biomedical research, but, if present, this should be documented for re-view and promotion purposes.

D. Supplemental Track

In addition to the above-mentioned tracks, there is also a Supplemental Track.

These appointments are used in conjunction with Instructional or Research Track titles (i.e. Visiting Research Scientist or Visiting Associate Professor). Visiting faculty are generally full-time employees of another institution of higher education and are usually on leave from that institution. Adjunct appointments are used to supplement teaching or facilitate research collaboration.

For a listing of the Medical School staff group definitions, see Appendix E.