Latest News
HMS has created a new professorial title, Professor of Clinical X (where X refers to the clinical department) and is now accepting materials for promotion consideration. HMS clinical faculty who have made contributions resulting in a national, and in many cases international, impact in and reputation for advancing the practice of medicine, for which clinical expertise, clinical excellence, and teaching excellence are expected to be integral, are eligible. For more information, visit the Office for Faculty Affairs website.
Upcoming HMS Promotion and CV sessions: virtual presentations calendar.
The newest web-based version of the Harvard Faculty of Medicine Handbook provides enhanced accessibility (including readability on mobile platforms) and easier navigation and referencing. To view the handbook, follow this link: http://facultyhandbook.hms.harvard.edu.
The newest version includes the following updates:
- Clarifying what counts as HMS teaching
- Clarifying career growth expectations for Longer Service promotions
- Requiring searches for new Professors, Part-Time
- Clarifying principles for secondary appointments and introducing a streamlined process for secondary appointments at the Assistant and Associate Professor ranks
- Incorporation of new content, including Professor Clinical X, processes for retiring faculty, and visiting scholar appointments
Promotion Guide
Frequently Asked Questions on Promotions
Q: How do I decide on my Area of Excellence?
A: Your Area of Excellence (AoE) will be determined in consultation with your department head or his/her designee. It should represent your major area of achievement and impact, including a consideration of the quantity as well as quality of your contributions. Most often, MDs are considered under Clinical Expertise and Innovation criteria and PhDs under Investigation criteria. Candidates for Teaching and Educational Leadership need to demonstrate scholarship in the field of education.
Here is the summary of HMS criteria for promotion under
- the Area of Excellence CLINICAL EXPERTISE AND INNOVATION
- the Area of Excellence INVESTIGATION
- the Area of Excellence TEACHING AND EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
- the Area of Excellence LONGER SERVICE
- the Area of Excellence Professor of Clinical X
For more information on HMS criteria for Areas of Excellence, follow this link: https://fa.hms.harvard.edu/promotion-profile-library.
Q: Can I select more than one Area of Excellence?
A: No. While HMS recognizes that faculty wear multiple professional hats and that the totality of their accomplishments should be factored into academic promotion decisions, faculty still need to have sufficient accomplishment in one AoE to move up the ladder.
For faculty who are significantly involved in—i.e., devoting substantial effort to another area of excellence—HMS recommends combining the AoE with the appropriate Significant Supporting Activity (SSA). The HMS expectation around the quality of a candidate’s accomplishment in their AoE, most notably scholarship, is unchanged regardless of whether they have 0, 1 or multiple SSAs, but the expectation around the quantity of accomplishment may be somewhat less for those who have at least one SSA, given that they spend a substantial fraction of their time on other activities. Consult with your department head on whether you qualify for one or more SSAs.
For more information on SSAs, follow this link: https://fa.hms.harvard.edu/promotion-profile-library.
Q: Do I need Significant Supporting Activities?
A: No. Not having an SSA is not considered a deficit.
Q: What if I don’t have many research investigations?
A: HMS broadly defines scholarship to include not only peer-reviewed publications but also educational materials, policy statements, assessment tools, and guidelines for patient care. Scholarship may be in print or alternative media. Consult with your department chair, the CFD, and HMS to understand what types of and how much scholarship you need given your promotion path.
Q: What if I am finding it challenging to accumulate enough teaching hours?
A: HMS broadly defines teaching and educational activities to include HMS courses, formal teaching of trainees, clinical and/or laboratory supervision and training, CME, local invited presentations, mentoring, and/or educational administration. The following link offers a list of offices that offer resources and opportunities to help meet this requirement: https://fa.hms.harvard.edu/teaching-resources. Reach out to your department chair and mentors for advice and suggestions.
Q: I’ve studied the HMS criteria for promotion and think I am ready to be promoted. What do I do?
A: Reach out to your mentors, division chief, and/or department chair to discuss your status and ask for their advice. You can also take advantage of an HMS Office for Faculty Affairs one-on-one consultation by completing this pre-meeting intake form.
Q: I am being considered for promotion to Full Professor and am having a hard time finding Full Professors internal to HMS who are not in my department or at MGH to add to the required HMS Reference List. How do I find appropriate evaluators?
A: Go to Harvard Catalyst Profiles, https://connects.catalyst.harvard.edu/profiles/search/, and search for HMS faculty by rank (e.g. full professor) by hospital. You can select “Institution,” “Department,” and/or “Faculty Type.”
Q: I have been hired from outside Harvard to join MGH. What is the process for obtaining HMS faculty status?
A: Consult this document- Steps to Obtain HMS Appointment for Outside Hire.
CV Guide
The MGH Center for Faculty Development (CFD) strongly recommends that faculty create an account on the HMS CV Generator platform. To do so faculty will need to use their HarvardKey to log into the system. Importing an existing CV is easy, especially for those faculty who have been using EasyCV.me. The CV needs to be in .docx format and follow the 2022 Faculty of Medicine pre-formatted template.
As of June 2024, new features include:
- Assistance in generating an NIH Biosketch
- “Promotion Checker” mode highlights missing required fields
- Enhanced integration with Harvard Catalyst allows faculty to annotate and classify publications within their Catalyst Profile
- More accurate uploading of existing Harvard Faculty of Medicine-formatted CVs
The purpose of the HMS CV is to thoroughly showcase your accomplishments in a clear format.
Key CV messages include:
- Capturing all your teaching—including future engagements—in the appropriate categories as well as addressing it in your narrative
- Documenting the reach of your reputation, through invited presentations (including future engagements); membership in professional societies and on committees; and editorial roles and grant review responsibilities
- Demonstrating your impact in your narrative
Key elements to keep in mind in the general formatting of your CV:
- Lists are always in chronological order
- Each activity or role is to be listed only once
- Include page numbers
- Use abbreviations for institutions recognized across HMS (MGH, BIDMC, BCH, etc.); however, avoid abbreviations known only to your subspecialty
Key elements to keep in mind in specific areas on your CV:
- Be specific as to hours spent in clinical and/or research supervisory and training responsibilities (i.e., X hours per week, not X sessions per week)
- Distinguish between “Formally Mentored Harvard Medical, Dental and Graduate Students” and “Other Mentored Trainees and Faculty” (i.e., residents, fellows, and anyone not at HMS) and describe the accomplishment(s) of each mentee as a direct result of your mentorship—if there are none, you cannot list them here
- In the sections covering formal teaching of peers and invited presentations:
- Select the appropriate statement on sponsorship
- Include talks scheduled for the future
- HMS Grand Rounds are Local Invited Presentations (not formal teaching of peers)
- Named lectures go under Invited presentations, bolded for emphasis
- For disruptions due to COVID-19, append the appropriate statement to presentations: “This presentation was scheduled, but then postponed until [year] because of a COVID-19 travel/meeting ban,” or “This presentation was scheduled, but then cancelled because of a Covid-19 travel/meeting ban.” There is no need to amend live presentations that convert to video format due to COVID-19
- Be specific as to time spent in Practice Activities (e.g., hours per week or days or month)
- For those whose Area of Excellence is Clinical Expertise and Innovation, the section Clinical Innovations is required
- Under Report of Scholarship, research investigations include presentation of new data or are meta-analyses and systematic reviews with statistical analysis. Put your name in bold print throughout the Report of Scholarship section
- List Abstracts only within last 3 years, unless an award was received for an abstract
CV Narrative
The narrative provides an opportunity to highlight your unique combination of accomplishments, including those that do not have another home in the CV (e.g., accomplishments in administrative leadership, mentoring work that does not lead to specific accomplishments, submitted manuscripts). Tell a cohesive story and give perspective on the importance and impact of your field-specific activities. See “Composing the HMS CV Narrative” webinar with more specific directions (click for presentation slides).
How do I proceed to get my HMS CV in shape?
- Prepare your CV as best you can using the tools on the CV Generator platform
- Request a consultation with Dr. Anne Levy, MGH CFD Senior Program Manager, to get advice on your specific questions and on the CV Narrative. Through the consult link, you can upload your CV (in Word, please) and any other relevant documents.
For further information on the CV, including the HMS CV template, the full CV instructions guide and an excellent Zoom presentation Crafting Your Faculty of Medicine CV, visit HMS Faculty of Medicine CV Guidelines website.
Contact Us
The Center for Faculty Development offers consultations and seminars to assist in the career development of faculty and trainees.