CONTEXT

In 2014, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute launched a review process for Category 1 Instructors (clinical faculty) who remain Instructors more than five years. The policy reads, "As other categories' time limits provide a natural opportunity for a review process, and instructors being promoted to assistant professor are reviewed by an external committee, we wanted to assure that Category 1 instructors be offered the same opportunity for external review and evaluation."

 

In order to ensure that SO Category 1 Instructors receive support and preparation in advance of their DFCI 5-year reviews, the SO OPD has developed a process of annual Career Development Meetings (CDM’s) for junior faculty in years 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

 

*For junior faculty who spend 25% or less of their time in SO, check with your Division Chief about whether the CDM is appropriate for you.

 

PURPOSE AND STRUCTURE

CDM’s create a forum for junior faculty to receive guidance on academic endeavors (clinical innovation, research, education), including from faculty outside the usual mentorship team. The purpose is to provide an opportunity for reflection, group brainstorming, and articulation of goals. Ideally, the junior faculty member will leave the CDM with advice, introductions to people outside their own network, and suggestions for next steps.

 

Participants in the CDM should include the junior faculty member’s primary mentor and 3-4 other faculty. The junior faculty member’s Division Chief or Department Chair should NOT participate, but the SO Associate Chair for Professional Development may attend in addition to the other participants. One faculty member should be designated as the CDM Leader and be responsible for guiding the meeting and writing up a summary.

 

INSTRUCTIONS FOR JUNIOR FACULTY

1. Send your primary mentor this document. Then, working with your primary mentor and Division Chief, identify 3-4 faculty in addition to your mentor to participate in the CDM. Your Chief/Chair should not participate unless they are your primary mentor. You are responsible for inviting the other faculty participants, who can be from within SO/DFCI or outside. The composition of the CDM may remain the same over the five years or it may evolve as your career development needs evolve.

2. You will also ask one participant (not your mentor) to serve as CDM Leader. Send them this document, highlighting the paragraph below that describes their role.

3. Once the participants are identified and invited, you will give your admin a list of names no later than October 1st so they can schedule a one-hour virtual CDM sometime between the beginning of January and the end of March. Please cc Maura Mooney, Ryan Yochim, Wendy Florentino, and Jane deLima Thomas.

4. A few weeks before the CDM, you will send an updated CV to all participants. You will also and a CDM report form to the CDM Leader. 

5. With the help of your mentor, you will prepare a brief PowerPoint presentation (15-20 minutes) with the following structure: 

   1. 1-3 slides about your path to DFCI, including background experiences that inform your current work

   2. 3-5 slides about your current non-clinical work, including committee participation, written scholarship, leadership roles, activity in national organizations, etc.

   3. 1-2 slides about your professional near- and long-term goals. 

   4. A description of any obstacles you’ve encountered 

   5. Questions for the group

6. The CDM Leader will fill out the CDM Report and send it to you, your Division Chief, Department Chair, and the Associate Chair for Professional Development.

7. During your Annual Review, which takes place between April and June, you will be able to use the ideas generated at the CDM to identify goals for the coming academic year.

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PRIMARY MENTORS

Your mentee will ask you for suggestions of 3-4 faculty in addition to you who can serve as participants for their Career development Meeting, including identifying a CDM Leader (you should not serve as CDM Leader for your own mentee’s CDM.) When considering faculty for your mentee to invite, think broadly about people whose areas of interest and influence overlap with your mentee’s. Participants don’t need to be members of SO or even DFCI, although 1 or 2 of them should be. Also know that the Associate Chair for Professional Development might attend the CDM if schedules permit. In addition, you will be asked to review the mentee’s 15-20-minute PowerPoint presentation before the CDM.

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ADMINS

1. You will receive a list of desired attendees for the faculty member’s CDM from your manager and/or from the faculty member no later than October 1st.

2. You will schedule a virtual meeting for everyone on the list to meet between the beginning of January and the end of March. When sending the Zoom invitation, invite the Associate Chair for Professional Development (Jane deLima Thomas), too.

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CDM LEADERS

You have received an invitation from a SO junior faculty member to participate in their annual Career Development Meeting (CDM) and to act as CDM Leader. Your responsibilities are twofold: 

1. Guide the meeting

   1. Lead a round of introductions

   2. Invite the junior faculty member to start their PowerPoint presentation and invite other participants to ask questions during the presentation

   3. Guide debriefing and discussion

      1. Identify strengths as well as opportunities for growth based on the junior faculty member’s work to date. Consider the HMS criteria for promotion in the junior faculty member’s most likely area of concentration, understanding it may not be fully identified yet

      2. Ask CDM participants to brainstorm ideas to boost the faculty member’s career: suggestions for courses/meetings to attend, people to meet, projects to consider, etc. CDM participants should be drawing from their own professional connections to consider opportunities for the junior faculty member. 

      3. Identify three concrete suggestions for the junior faculty member to bring away from the meeting

2. Write up a summary of the meeting using the brief form provided and send it to the junior faculty member, their Division Chief, their Department Chair (James Tulsky), and the SO Associate Chair for Faculty Development (Jane deLima Thomas).

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Dropbox link to learn more about the SO CDM process: 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/3i7zuoltzwgutp0tpm034/POPC-CDM-session.mp4?rlkey=w2olu39yccn0crdkkv37qou0z&st=tk45b4av&dl=0