The Professor of the Practice title is used to appoint a small number of senior individuals recruited to the Professorial ranks from health-related fields outside of academia, e.g. from government, industry or the non-profit sector. Such appointments recognize highly accomplished individuals who typically have an established reputation, both nationally and internationally, as a thought leader in their field. The intended use of this title is to appoint senior leaders who fulfill the following requirements:
- Have significant expertise that aligns with the research, clinical and/or educational missions of the Faculty of Medicine;
- Maintain a skill set and perspective honed through professional experience and continued connection to their field as “practitioners”;
- Have the capacity to make significant contributions to the Faculty of Medicine throughout the term of their appointment
Ordinarily, Professors of the Practice will have doctoral degrees with at least 10 years of post-training experience and will compose no more than 5% of the faculty within a department. This faculty title usually takes the form of “Professor of the Practice in the Department of X.” Appointments have five-year terms and may be full-time or part-time, subject to the same criteria used to determine full- and part-time eligibility for other faculty appointments. They can be renewed, contingent upon a successful reappointment review. Professors of the Practice (Full-time or Part-time) have voting rights in the Faculty of Medicine and as senior faculty within their departments, except on decisions relating to professorial promotions or initial appointments. Appointees are expected to meet the minimum teaching requirement of 50 hours/year. As with other senior term appointments, they are of unspecified duration.
For HMS faculty and HSDM faculty with a primary appointment at an HMS affiliate, the individual’s HMS appointment requires and is coterminous with an active appointment at an HMS affiliate. As such, if either the institution’s affiliation with HMS or the individual’s appointment at the HMS affiliated institution is terminated, the Professor of the Practice appointment will also terminate.
Last updated June 2024