The Lecturer title is reserved for individuals whose primary faculty role is to contribute to the teaching mission of the Faculty of Medicine. Teaching is defined broadly to include educational leadership activities and the teaching of the following Harvard learners: medical, dental and graduate students; residents, fellows and postdoctoral trainees; and peers. For this section, the term Lecturer will be used to represent Lecturers and Senior Lecturers unless otherwise specified that procedures vary between the two. Senior Lecturers are individuals whose academic contributions and reputation are consistent with the general criteria for a full Professor appointment, typically denoted has having previously held an appointment as Professor either at HMS or an unmodified professorial rank at an outside institution.
Eligibility:
As a rule, faculty who hold the Lecturer title will not be pursuing promotion along the academic ladder, although transition to the ladder (Instructor, Assistant, Associate or Professor) will be dependent on nomination from a Department Head, meeting the academic criteria for a ladder appointment and meeting the requirements for a search.
Faculty whose role in the Faculty of Medicine is limited to less than one (1) day per week, who hold voting appointments at other academic institutions, or who spend the majority of their time at other academic institutions could be candidates for annual Lecturer, Part-time appointments.
Criteria for Appointment:
All candidates for appointment as Lecturer will:
- Ordinarily meet all faculty eligibility requirements
- Rare exceptions for individuals holding other professional degrees, or without terminal degrees and postdoctoral training should be justified by language in the nominating letter
Term:
The types of Lecturer Appointments are:
- Lecturer, Part-time (Annual, non-voting)
- Lecturer, Part-time (3-year appointment, non-voting)
- Lecturer (Full-time, annual, non-voting)
- Lecturer (Full-time, 3-year appointment, voting)
- Senior Lecturer, Part-time (3-year appointment, non-voting)
- Senior Lecturer (Full-time, annual, non-voting)
- Senior Lecturer (Full-time, 3-year appointment, voting)
Initial appointment for a Lecturer, Part-time or Lecturer (Full-time) or Senior Lecturer, Part-time or Senior Lecturer (Full-time) is for one (1) year. After three (3) consecutive 1-year terms, a Lecturer (or Senior Lecturer) may be proposed for a 3-year term by the Department Head. The nomination should be founded on teaching excellence and significant, sustained contribution to the teaching mission of HMS/HSDM learners at academic medicine centers. Evidence of teaching excellence can arise from summaries of teaching evaluations, performance reviews, peer feedback (including 360-style surveys), and other mechanisms. Evidence of significant, sustained teaching contributions may be demonstrated by an extended history of Harvard teaching activities well beyond the teaching requirement of 50 hours.
Expectations of Lecturers:
As with all faculty appointments, Lecturers will participate in the teaching mission of the Faculty of Medicine. The minimum expectation is 50 hours of teaching of HMS learners. Plans for teaching activities must be included in the initial nomination for appointment and annual documentation of teaching activities must be included in the request for reappointment. Faculty holding the Lecturer title must follow all policies of the Faculty of Medicine.
Last updated June 2023