Mentor

It is the responsibility of the Chair to foster the academic careers of faculty. A Chair should meet with his or her faculty on a regular basis (at least annually and more for junior faculty) to advise them. There is an FAQ for faculty to answer questions about the P&T process.

http://medicine.hsc.wvu.edu/faculty-staff/policies-forms-and-tools/

The Chair should also ensure that each faculty member has adequate resources to succeed in their missions. This requires reviewing the progress of the faculty member and discussing progress. When a faculty member is not progressing satisfactorily then the Chair should meet and advise with clear and specific suggestions for improvement. The Chair should also try to help the faculty member overcome obstacles and ensure that the faculty member's concerns are addressed. It is important that such meetings and conversations are clearly documented. If a personnel action is contemplated, then a written record will document the issues and the attempts to address them. Understand and utilizes applicable policies for non-continuation and dismissal of faculty members.

The Chair should ensure that graduate students working with Departmental faculty are being adequately mentored. He or she should meet on a regular basis with graduate students, review their progress at least annually and ensure that they are provided with resources to allow them to succeed. The Chair should be aware of and utilize the resources available in the Faculty Development Office to assist and promote these activities.

The Chair must assume the leadership of the Departmental promotions and tenure process. This annual P&T review is an excellent tool for reviewing the progress of a faculty member and should be used to advise faculty members who will be requesting promotion and for remediating deficits. The Chair should write P&T letter which clearly outlines the faculty member's accomplishments including significant contributions in service (including clinical service), education and research and cite specific examples as support.

For example, it is not enough to rate a faculty member as "excellent‟ in education. The letter should include a review of peer and student evaluations with numerical data as appropriate,comments and outcomes, if available. If there are deficiencies and the faculty member receives a poor review, then clear and specific comments should be made as suggestions for remediation. The chair should rate the progress of the faculty member toward the next promotion and offer specific suggestions about activities which will improve the chances for promotion. If a faculty member is NOT recommended for promotion and tenure, the rationale should be clearly explained.

The Chair should ensure that the departmental promotion and tenure committee consists of faculty members with the expertise and judgment adequate to provide fair and comprehensive evaluations. He or she should maintain the independence of this review and, in his letter, indicate his agreement with the committee's evaluation or provide a justification as to why his or her evaluation differs. There is an FAQ for P&T for chairs on the SoM website. http://medicine.hsc.wvu.edu/faculty-staff/policies-forms-and-tools/

The Chair should support faculty members with effort assigned to research. This may require linking the faculty member with a research mentor and ensuring that the faculty member is aware of and using institutional resources. When appropriate, the Chair might review grant applications and make appropriate suggestions or delegate this task to the appropriate Departmental member.

Chairs should use their connections in national organizations to recommend faculty members for membership in committees and for participation as invited speakers in national and international meetings. Chairs should encourage collaborative research efforts with other institutional programs such as the Research Centers of Excellence, the Clinical Trials Unit, Department of Clinical and Translational Research.

Chairs should ensure that interested residents and junior faculty have access to research projects and appropriate mentorship. Chairs should also recommend that junior faculty and residents participate in the Teaching Scholars program and other professional development programs within the Institution and in national organizations, as well as membership on editorial boards and study sections.

The Chair should serve as a professional and personal role model for students and residents. Whenever possible the Chair should work with students and residents, encourage dialogue on academic careers and offer to mentor and write letters of recommendation.