CLIMBING THE ACADEMIC LADDER
Judith K. Ockene, PhD, MEd, MA
Barbara Helen Smith Chair in
Preventive and Behavioral Medicine
Associate Vice Provost for Gender and Equity
Professor of Medicine
Judith.Ockene@umassmed.edu
Presented at NPAM Early Career Council
March 23, 2011
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Climbing the Academic Ladder
WORKING HARD IS NOT ENOUGH:
THERE ARE OTHER ESSENTIALS FOR
ACADEMIC SUCCESS
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Climbing the Academic Ladder
ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS
• Know your institution, its promotion policies and
procedures
• Have a clear vision of your goals, strengths, passions
and values, to inform your activities and development
• Keep your teaching portfolio and CV up to date
• Enlist mentors
• Build effective academic networks
• Review annual goals with your chief/chair
• Recognize and use opportunities to advance
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Climbing the Academic Ladder
KNOW YOUR INSTITUTION AND ITS PROMOTION
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
• Every academic institution has an Academic
Personnel Policy: Locate yours and review it
• UMMS has its on the Office of Faculty Affairs website
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Climbing the Academic Ladder
KNOW YOUR INSTITUTION AND ITS PROMOTION
POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
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Climbing the Academic Ladder
HAVE A CLEAR VISION OF YOUR GOALS, STRENGTHS,
PASSIONS AND VALUES TO INFORM YOUR ACTIVITIES
AND DEVELOPMENT
• Your career is your responsibility!
• Advancement requires a purposeful process to make good decisions
• Where do you want to be in five years? Develop a personal plan
– Content based (e.g. program development, research team leader)
– Structure based (e.g. section chief, department chair, program director)
• Reflect and plan how to get there:
– Narrative Statement/critical self-reflection
– What skills will you need? How will you build them?
– What is your focus?
– What are your strengths? Passions? How can you use them?
• Review your goals and plan at least annually
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Climbing the Academic Ladder
PERSONAL CAREER STATEMENT
Taking into account my values, interest,
passions and strengths, my personal career
goal is to…….
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
____________________________________
________________
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Climbing the Academic Ladder
KEEP YOUR TEACHING PORTFOLIO
AND CV UP TO DATE
• Keep a teaching portfolio with evaluations
• Be aware of faculty development programs
• Follow institutional template for CV
• Develop a narrative statement for promotion
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Climbing the Academic Ladder
NARRATIVE STATEMENTS
•Purpose: Provide faculty the opportunity to place their work and
activities in the context of their overall goals as a faculty member at
UMMS
•Discusses and links teaching, research/creative accomplishments,
and service
•Identifies themes or passions that link your activities into a coherent
whole and help reviewers understand the decisions you made
Example: goal of establishing an independent research program;
goal of integrating teaching, research and clinical service
•Define your research agenda and what it contributes
•Explain how your scholarship informs your teaching if appropriate
•Statement of teaching philosophy
•Scholarship supporting teaching
•How you linked service to scholarly work /teaching (if appropriate)
•Comment on future directions for your career and plan
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Climbing the Academic Ladder
ENLIST MENTORS: MENTORS FOR
DIFFERENT ROLES
PEER
INTERNAL
EXTERNAL
ADVANCED
- LABMATE
- PEER IN OTHER
- PRIMARY ON-SITE
SPECIALTY
- CO-TEACHER
- NPAM MENTOR
- EXPERT
- SIGS
- CONNECTION
MADE IN
DISCUSSION
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MENTOR
RESEARCHER
EDUCATOR
CONSULTANT
Climbing the Academic Ladder
MENTORING OBJECTIVES
• Enhance professional growth
• Foster enthusiasm, excitement, and interest
• Assist with entry into academic community
• Help mentee focus and set direction
• Assist with career planning and goals
• Provide useful information and support
• Advocate when needed
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Climbing the Academic Ladder
BUILD EFFECTIVE ACADEMIC NETWORKS
• Identify faculty in your institution with similar
or complimentary interests
• Identify people in your professional society
with similar or complimentary interests
• Reflect on your goals and identify disciplines
that would be helpful to you
• Network
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Climbing the Academic Ladder
REVIEW ANNUAL GOALS WITH CHAIR/CHIEF
• Meet annually to discuss goals and plans
• Chair/Chief needs to agree with yearly
goals
• Include promotion as a goal
• Document goal
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Climbing the Academic Ladder
RECOGNIZE AND USE
OPPORTUNITIES TO ADVANCE
• Know when to say “no” or “yes” or “thank you, let
me think about that and I’ll get back to you….”
• Check it out with a mentor
• Use opportunities to gain visibility and credibility for
leadership
• Select service opportunities
• Allow some flexibility
• Have Fun and strive for balance
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Climbing the Academic Ladder
ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS
• Know your institution, its promotion policies and
procedures
• Have a clear vision of your goals, strengths, passions
and values, to inform your activities and development
• Keep your teaching portfolio and CV up to date
• Enlist mentors
• Build effective academic networks
• Review annual goals with your Chair/Chief
• Recognize and use opportunities to advance
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Climbing the Academic Ladder