A PROMOTION LADDER FOR TEACHERS AT HARVARD MEDICAL-SCHOOL - EXPERIENCE AND CHALLENGES

The authors describe the development, implementation, and institutiona lization at Harvard Medical School of a promotion ladder that recogniz es the teaching and scholarly contributions of full time clinical facu lty. They also discuss the challenges that arose during this process, for - example, how to make the new track creditable and attractive to both the appointed faculty and the faculty at large. The criteria deve loped fur promotion focus on a candidate's skills and accomplishments in reaching, scholarship, clinical work, and departmental service. The authors present the elements of these criteria for the three professi onal levels of the ladder and outline the appointment process, includi ng the steps for consideration of a given promotion. The development o f this teacher-clinician ladder has had a positive influence on facult y who are committed to teaching by allowing recognition of their contr ibutions in a track held to be the equal of the other full time tracks in a medical faculty traditionally committed to research and patient care. Data are given for the 70 faculty who were promoted Over the fiv e years from 1989 to 1994. The true success of this promotion ladder w ill be measured only over time through its impact on the educational e nterprise within the medical school and its hospitals, and its capacit y to both successfully advance the careers of qualified medical educat ors and further the development of the field of medical education.