The decision regarding a faculty member’s readiness for promotion or appointment to a specific rank is ultimately determined by the Department Head. Faculty members are encouraged to discuss eligibility for promotion with appropriate mentors, Division Chiefs, their Department Head and other leaders who can advise regarding the candidate’s achievement of the milestones highlighted in these criteria. In the clinical departments and at HSDM, there is no required time a faculty member must remain at rank before a promotion can be proposed (with the exception of promotions by Longer Service criteria, which require at least ten years of service). Primary appointments and promotions in the Basic and Social Science Departments (HMS Quad) are governed by a tenure clock. Candidates for full-time and part-time ladder appointments are reviewed using the same criteria.
Areas of Excellence (AoEs) apply for appointments and promotions at the level of Full-time and Part-time Assistant Professor (excluding Longer Service), Associate Professor, Professor, and Professor in Residence. Please note that:
- Candidates nominated for promotion to Assistant Professor via Longer Service criteria will not select an AoE nor any Significant Supporting Activities (SSA)
- Candidates nominated for promotion to Professor of Clinical X will not select an AoE but may choose from among three SSAs (Administration and Institutional Service; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Education of Patients and Service to the Community)
- Instructors and Lecturers as well as candidates proposed for Professor of the Practice will not select an AoE nor any SSA
For candidates needing to select an AoE, the following factors should be weighed:
- the major area of achievement and impact, including a consideration of the quantity as well as quality of contribution
- the type and focus of the candidate’s scholarship, which is a requirement in all categories at all ranks
- the basis of the candidate’s reputation both within and outside of Harvard
- the recent activities to which the faculty member has devoted a substantial proportion of time and academic effort
- how the candidate views their career path
The determination of the AoE is ultimately made by the Department Head (or their designee) in consultation with the candidate.
A faculty member’s AoE and SSAs may be different at subsequent promotions if the faculty member’s activities and academic focus shift. The candidate will be expected to meet the usual standards for the new AoE.
Faculty with a primary ladder appointment in Basic and Social Science department (HMS Quad) will have Investigation as their AoE. Individuals with doctoral degrees in health professions other than physician-equivalents historically recognized by the Faculty of Medicine (e.g., MD, DMD, radiation physicists, clinical psychologists) must meet other faculty eligibility criteria and may ordinarily only be promoted via Investigation as their AoE.
AoE: Clinical Expertise and Innovation
This AoE is appropriate when a specific area of clinical expertise provides the unifying theme for the candidate’s academic activities and achievements. The individual is considered a leader in a clinical field and has a reputation as an innovator in approaches to diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of disease, applications of technology to clinical care, and/or in developing models of care delivery. The candidate must produce scholarship, which typically includes first and/or senior author original research investigations demonstrating the impact of clinical innovations. Reviews, chapters, clinical practice guidelines, and protocols for patient care can also support the evidence of clinical expertise; however, when these non-research contributions are the dominant drivers of impact and reputation, candidates should consider the Professor of Clinical X pathway instead. With higher ranks, there is an increased expectation for independence as a thought leader, the dissemination of clinical innovations beyond the local level, and recognition as a clinical expert beyond the local level.
See:
- Clinical Expertise and Innovation AoE by rank on the Promotion Profile Library webpage
AoE: Investigation
This AoE is appropriate for individuals who spend the majority of their time conducting research. Investigation is broadly defined to include basic, translational, and clinical research; epidemiology, outcomes, and health services research; computational and data science, biostatistics, bioinformatics, clinical informatics; research in social sciences, ethics, health policy and health economics; biomedical engineering, physics, and artificial intelligence, among others. Investigation also includes the development of innovative methods/technologies and/or novel applications of existing methods and technologies. This AoE may also be used to recognize the contributions of individuals with research training in diverse fields that bring a unique or critical expertise to the biomedical research team. It includes individuals participating in large collaborative and/or multicenter research projects, as well as those conducting research individually or in small groups. The candidate must produce scholarship, which typically includes first and/or senior author original research investigations. When the candidate has made significant, unique, and critical contributions within a study, middle or corresponding author publications may also supplement the body of scholarship. With higher ranks, there is an increased expectation for independence as a thought leader, highly impactful scholarship, and robust, sustained extramural funding as Principal Investigator.
See:
- Investigation AoE by rank on the Promotion Profile Library webpage
AoE: Teaching and Educational Leadership
This AoE is appropriate for candidates who spend a high proportion of their time on educational activities, view education as their primary academic focus, and produce scholarship that advances the science of education. The candidate is considered a leader as an educator and has a reputation as an innovator in approaches to teaching, assessment, and educational program development. The candidate must produce scholarship, which typically includes publication of first and/or senior author original research investigations evaluating the impact of educational innovations. Other peer reviewed publications, reviews and chapters on clinical or educational topics, curricular materials, and assessment tools can also support the evidence of expertise and impact as an educator; however, when these non-research contributions are the dominant drivers of impact and reputation, candidates should consider the Professor of Clinical X pathway instead. With higher ranks, there is an increased expectation for independence as a thought leader in education, the dissemination of teaching innovations beyond the local level, and recognition as an educational leader beyond the local level.
See:
- Teaching and Educational Leadership AoE by rank on the Promotion Profile Library webpage
Last updated June 2024