BioMed Women Faculty Peer Mentoring
- Advancing from Associate to Full Professor - October 3, 2012
Career Advancement Tips

The overarching piece of advice from all discussion groups: Be strategic!

Teaching Scholar

  • Be strategic.
  • Start saying no so you can focus on what you need to do.
  • Seek out teaching opportunities, e.g. through residency programs, do "rounds", offer to teach in other departments where your background/skills may be of value.
  • Consider -- How do you make sure you have enough of a national presence?
  • Don't review a paper, think about the paper you can write.

Research Scholar

  • Ask someone if you can be on a committee -- volunteer.
  • Consult the departmental promotions committee (e.g. member or chair).
  • You need to network. Go about asking people who you know how you can advance.
  • Being strategic is the key -- people have to know you; be active; participate and follow through.
  • Say "yes" to the right things.
  • The key is knowing people outside of your space.
  • Too often women wait to be asked and to be involved. You need to put yourself out there. (ie., submit a proposal to a chair or to an international symposium. If you are invited to present, consider is this something I want to do? If it is...do it. Not everything you do will be in service of your promotion.)

(Research)

  • Publications and grants are most important.
  • Service and mentorship are next.
  • Research mentorship is not considered "service" currently; this may change.
  • If you are a senior author or a 2nd author position for a publication, list yourself as a senior author with an * on your dossier.

Clinician Educator

  • There may be a difference between how men and women pursue their career paths. Men generally go in a direct route. Women often take circuitous paths. They value the twists and turns.
  • Consider working part-time. It is a viable option which allows for flexibility. It can be done.
  • There are different approaches on how to move forward on one's career path.
  • Consider alternative ways to build a national reputation, i.e., getting on an editorial board of a journal.


Clinical Voluntary

  • Seek out teaching evaluations.
  • Think of everyone you have mentored, the grand rounds you've offered -- you need to demonstrate your time teaching.
  • Get outside of your department.
  • Volunteer for as many things as you can do, e.g. committees.
  • Most important...document everything! Keep a file expressly for documenting your work -- teaching, presentations, courses, etc. Put everything in the file after each activity to reflect your academic activities. Collect the information, organize the file later.



BioMed Women Faculty Peer Mentoring and Advancement Program - April 5, 2012
Career Advancement Tips

  • "Sisterhood" is powerful.
  • Take care of yourself.
  • Meticulously keep track of what you are doing.
  • Mentorship
    - think outside your department
    - re-connect with former colleagues
  • Be strategic - be mindful.
  • Create a helpful business card - list all titles not just academic - brag a little.
  • Keep a file folder just for your CV - when you don't have time to update, place
    papers, etc. in folder - when you do have the time to update, everything will
    be there.
  • Have a "CV expert" in your department review your CV.
  • Anything worth doing is worth publishing.
  • If you go to a meeting - make yourself known.
  • Write for 30 minutes a day.
  • Self confidence to say "NO" but not too much.
  • Set aside time and reserve energy for outside activities.
  • Arrange regular meetings with mentors.
  • Discuss specific goals with your mentor - What do you want to accomplish this year?
  • Market yourself and find someone to mentor you for promotion.
  • Review your calendar periodically - does it reflect your priorities?
  • It is important to "take up space".
  • Review others CVs or grants.
  • Self-promote.
  • Have a letter ready when asking someone to nominate you for an award.
  • Take advantage of professional development seminars (e.g. AAMC Early and Mid-Career Faculty Professional Development Seminars).
  • Look at the BioMed faculty web pages - and research pages. This is a great resource to see the attributes of others.
  • Encourage women faculty in each department to form informal support/mentoring networks and include women residents/trainees too.
  • Read "Composing a Life" by Mary Catherine Bateson.
  • Appreciate the positive.



Biomed Women Senior Faculty - March 9, 2011
Advancing from Associate to Full Professor Pointers

Teaching Scholar

  • Be your own best advocate.
  • Develop a national reputation - being on committees is one way to do this.
  • Seek out referees (who you might know) to write a letter of support on your behalf.
  • Keep up your academic portfolio, e.g. dossier.

Research Scholar

  • Develop an international reputation.
  • Make your division chief aware of your promotion goals.
  • Create an "impact factor" - e.g. the journals you are writing for; note your mentoring activities.
  • Review articles that are likely to be cited -- contact journal editors to volunteer -- don't wait for someone to tap you on the shoulder.
  • Take the initiative to ask research mentees to write an evaluation of you as their mentor (create a form for mentees to fill out).
  • List the number of junior faculty you have mentored (note co-investigators on a grant).

(Research)

  • Identify opportunities to take on leadership roles.
  • Identify ways to get on editorial boards/study sections - e.g. if you have done reviews for a journal, write to an associate editor of the publication. Let them know you would like to be on the editorial board.

Clinician Educator

  • Do a review before embarking on the process of pursuing promotion. What are the advantages? You will be asked to be on committees comprised of professors. You will be able to make a difference, to have influence and to speak up.
  • You need to put yourself forward. Don't wait to be asked. Also if a response is not what you had planned for, don't take it personally. Ask again.