Secondary appointments for a given rank may only be requested once the primary appointment for that rank has been formally approved. Primary and secondary appointments will no longer be evaluated simultaneously.
- Secondary appointment nominations do not require selecting an Area of Excellence or any Significant Supporting Activities. There is additionally no requirement for submitted selected scholarly works. Whereas the primary appointment review focuses on academic merit, the secondary appointment review will center on the contributions of the candidate to the secondary department, as well as the opportunities afforded by the secondary appointment that would otherwise be unavailable.
- When new secondary appointments are proposed—with no previous secondary appointment—departments should follow the procedures outlined in the Process Flowchart below.
Process:
Step 1: Secondary department assesses candidate’s qualifications for appointment
- The decision to pursue a secondary appointment should be a shared decision between a candidate’s primary appointing department and the proposed secondary department
- Secondary Department Head prepares a letter of nomination recommending the candidate for the secondary appointment and describing the candidate’s contributions to the teaching, research, and/or clinical programs that would warrant the secondary appointment
Step 2: Secondary department assesses candidate’s qualifications for appointment
- The secondary Department Head reviews the candidate’s qualifications with members of the (secondary) Departmental Executive Committee and, in the absence of an Executive Committee, senior faculty in the secondary department, or both. The faculty provide feedback to the Department Head on the proposed candidate and may recommend that the appointment move forward, that the Department Head obtain additional information, or that the department delay consideration pending achievement of other academic accomplishments by the candidate
- The (secondary) Departmental Executive Committee makes a formal recommendation in writing to the Dean regarding the candidate’s promotion. If there is any dissent or abstention, the letter to the Dean includes the reasons for either dissents or abstentions. If there is unanimity, signature of the chair of the Executive Committee on the Assistant and Associate Professor Secondary Appointment Cover Sheet will suffice
Step 3: Secondary department prepares dossier for submission to the OFA
Authorized departmental administrators from the secondary department should submit the following materials electronically via the designated HMS Dropbox folder that has been shared with them, and send a corresponding email to PnR@hms.harvard.edu:
- Assistant and Associate Professor Secondary Appointment Cover Sheet signed by the Secondary Department Head and the (secondary) Executive Committee Chair
- Medical Area Reporting System (MARS) Job Summary, which should be consistent with information on the Faculty of Medicine CV
- The secondary Department Head’s nominating letter, which documents the rationale for the secondary appointment, the distribution of effort, and includes co-signature from the Head of the primary department, indicating approval
- Candidate’s CV in the Faculty of Medicine format
- CV should list the start date for the candidate’s approved faculty appointment in the primary department
- All letters of evaluation solicited by the secondary Department Head. The minimum number of letters is two (2) for Assistant Professor secondary appointments and three (3) for Associate Professor secondary appointments
- Letters must be from faculty at the rank of Associate Professor or above
- Candidates should not contact evaluators or potential evaluators directly; inquiries from the evaluators should be directed to the secondary Department
Step 4: OFA conducts detailed review of dossier
- Upon receipt of the candidate dossier, OFA will request modifications or additions as needed from the department
- The OFA renders a decision regarding the proposed appointment
Step 5: Notification of approval
- The OFA informs the secondary Department Head of the outcome via email
- The secondary Department Head is responsible for notifying the candidate
Last updated June 2024