Surgery

Guidelines for Departmental Statements Required by Section 7.12 of Regulations Concerning Faculty Tenure

August 2003: Revised and approved by the Department of Surgery Promotions and Tenure Committee

I. Mission Statement
The mission of the Medical School is to conduct high quality programs of research, education, and service through which the college contributes significantly to the provision of excellent health care for the people of Minnesota.

The mission of the Department of Surgery is teaching, research, and provision of excellent clinical service.  The primary academic mission is to teach medical students, residents and fellows, and advanced degree candidates with the focus of developing academic surgeons and advancing knowledge in the surgical disciplines through scientific and clinical research endeavors.

II. Criteria for Tenure
Section 7.12 of the Regulations Concerning Faculty Tenure states:  "General Criteria.  The basis for awarding indefinite tenure is the determination that the achievements of an individual have demonstrated the individual’s potential to continue to contribute significantly to the mission of the University and to its programs of teaching, research, and service over the course of the faculty member’s academic career.  The primary criteria for demonstrating this potential are effectiveness in teaching and professional distinction in research; outstanding discipline-related service contributions will also be taken into account where they are an integral part of the mission of the academic unit.  The relative importance of the criteria may vary in different academic units, but each of the criteria must be considered in every decision.

The individual’s participation in the governance of the institution and other services to the University and service of the academic unit may be taken into consideration, but are not in and of themselves basis for awarding tenure.

Indefinite tenure may be granted at any time when the candidate has satisfied the requirements.  A probationary appointment must be terminated when the appointee fails to satisfy the criteria in the last year of probationary service and may be terminated earlier if it appears that the appointee is not making satisfactory progress toward meeting the criteria within that period."

Standards for Tenure ­ Department of Surgery
The Department of Surgery accepts and subscribes to the statement on Criteria and Standards for Tenure of Faculty at the University of Minnesota Medical School, with the following standards specific to the department.

A. Teaching
Teaching activities may occur in a variety of educational settings and formats, including:  didactic presentations, lectures, seminars, conferences, tutorials, laboratories, advising of students, case discussions, grand rounds, hospital and clinic rounds, patient care, during surgical and other procedures, and continuing education.

The following are educational activities in which competence and accomplishments in teaching can be demonstrated:

1. Regularly commits effort in teaching of organized educational programs of the department such as lecture series, weekly conferences and seminars, and continuing medical education courses.
2. Active participation in the teaching and advising of medical students, residents, fellows, and postgraduate students.
3. Service and distinction as a faculty and/or graduate student advisor to post M.D. residents, fellows, graduate and/or postgraduate students.
4. Service as a faculty mentor to students in any of the above categories and junior faculty who engage in research activities in the department.

B. Research / Scholarship
Scholarly activities of a faculty member will be evaluated according to the following standards:

1. Scientific Publications
Scientific articles reporting quality biomedical research should be published in appropriate peer-reviewed journals related to the discipline(s) of medicine.

Peer-reviewed journals that are recognized as outstanding and appropriate to the discipline include, but are not necessarily limited to:

-  American Journal of Surgery
-  American Journal of Transplantation
-  Annals of Surgery
-  Annals of Thoracic Surgery
-  Archives of Surgery
-  Chest
-  Circulation
-  Clinical Transplantation
-  Diseases of the Colon and Rectum
-  Gastroenterology
-  Journal of the American College of Surgeons
-  Journal of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery
-  Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation
-  Journal of Pediatric Surgery
-  Journal of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons
-  Journal of Surgical Research
-  Shock
-  Surgery
-  Surgical Infections
-  Transplantation
-  Transplant International
-  World Journal of Surgery

2. External Research Funding
A candidate should be the recipient of a grant(s) or contract(s) by designation as principal

investigator, a major collaborator, or other similar title, from a national or regional granting agency which customarily utilizes scientific peer-review as the primary basis for awards.

Examples of granting agencies include, but are not necessarily limited to:

- National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, National Science Foundation, or similar federal granting agency
- American Heart Association (unit or affiliate)
- American Cancer Society (unit or affiliate)
- American Diabetes Association (unit or affiliate)
- Juvenile Diabetes Association (unit or affiliate)
- National Kidney Foundation (unit or affiliate)
- Bureau of Veterans Affairs

3. Publications in professional Monographs, Reviews and other Books
Publications through these modalities are part of the scholarly activities of a faculty member, but cannot be considered as the sole basis for tenure.

4. Service as an Editor or Member of the Editorial Board of a Reputable Journal or Monograph in a biomedical discipline
Examples of appropriate journals include, but are not necessarily limited to those listed under Scientific Publications (above).

5. Invited participation in discipline-related Symposia, Meetings, and Seminars
Faculty members should be invited by national and/or international scientific organizations to participate in symposia and meetings and should be invited to give seminars before peers in other institutions both nationally and/or internationally.  However, this cannot be used as the sole criterion for tenure.

C. Applied Medical Science / Service

1. Applied Medical Science
Applied medical science, while not a primary criterion for promotion, will be taken into consideration in making decisions on promotion.  Tenure-track/tenured faculty whose responsibilities including clinical patient care are expected to spend significant time in applied medical science.   Participation and competence can be demonstrated by, but not necessarily limited to:

a. Recognition by peers and students as a health care professional committed to quality patient care or related patient service
b. Excellent reputation as an authority in a clinical specialty at the local, regional, and/or national level
c. Regular effort devoted to clinical care activities
d. Distinction in clinical sciences manifested by election to and holding office in distinguished societies, recognition locally, nationally, or internationally as an expert
e. Participation in projects to monitor clinical outcomes
f. Participation in quality improvement program development

2. Service
Service, although not a primary criterion for promotion, will be taken into consideration in making decisions on promotion.  Recognition that leadership roles may signify excellence in reputation in teaching, research and scholarship, and applied medical science will be considered.  Performance or service, however exemplary, may not substitute for the primary criteria of teaching, scholarship, and applied medical science.  Service is demonstrated by:

a. Active participation and/or leadership on committees at the departmental, hospital, medical school, AHC, or University level
b. Active participation and/or leadership in local, regional, national, and international professional organizations
c. Participation and administrative leadership in division and sections, including programmatic management
d. Outreach programs such as local and rural community service related to teaching and applied medical science as appropriate

III. Promotion
The Department of Surgery accepts and subscribes to the statement on Criteria and Standards for Promotion of Faculty at the University of Minnesota Medical School, with the following standards specific to the department.

A. To Assistant Professor
The criteria and standards for appointment or promotion to the rank of Assistant Professor in the tenure-track are those defined by the University of Minnesota Medical School.  This rank requires board eligibility, certification, or equivalent in the appropriate specialty and evidence of scholarship, teaching, and applied medical science/service as demonstrated by the above-listed standards.

B. To Associate Professor
The criteria and standards for promotion to the rank of Associate Professor with tenure are those stated for consideration of tenure appointment as described by the University of Minnesota Medical School.

A recommendation for promotion to Associate Professor is made when an eligible faculty member has fulfilled the general criteria applicable to tenure, as stated in Section 7.11, and the specific criteria and standards for promotion to Associate Professor (same as for tenure) as stated by the Medical School and Department for the applicable academic track. Faculty are expected to support and foster all aspects of the academic mission of the Department of Surgery including teaching, research and scholarship, applied medical science (as applicable), and service.  Specific criteria for consideration at the Associate Professor rank may include, but are not limited to:

1. Evidence of important scholarly contributions as demonstrated by peer-reviewed publications in high quality professional journals (see II. B 1)
2. Evidence of presentations at regional and national conferences
3. Evidence of ability to secure research funding as principal investigator or as major  collaborator on multi-investigator projects
4. Evidence of excellent in teaching, as demonstrated by participation and commitment to departmental teaching conferences, student and peer evaluations, and innovation in course development/design
5. Continuing substantial contributions in patient care, if applicable, and service activities including national reputation and recognition
6. Letters from nationally recognized individuals evaluating contributions to the field

C. To Professor
The standards and criteria for appointment or promotion to the rank of Professor with tenure are those stated by the University of Minnesota Medical School and University of Minnesota tenure code.  Faculty are expected to support and foster all aspects of the academic mission of the Department of Surgery including teaching, research and scholarship, applied medical science (when applicable), and service.  Specific criteria for consideration for the Professor rank may include, but are not necessarily limited to:

1. Continued, sustained scholarly contributions as demonstrated by first or senior authored publications in high quality professional peer-reviewed publications.  Individuals at this level are expected to have a substantial quantity of publications, with the expectation that there will be a larger contribution as senior author since appointment or promotion to the rank of Associate Professor
2. Evidence of continued excellence in teaching as evidenced by participation and commitment to departmental teaching conferences, student and peer evaluations, and innovation in course development/design for medical student, resident, or fellowship programs
3. Evidence of national and international reputation including active participation and leadership roles in national and/or international professional societies
4. Continuing substantial contributions in patient care, if applicable, and service activities including national reputation and recognition
5. Letters from nationally and internationally recognized individuals evaluating contributions to the field.

IV. Procedures
In considering proposals for tenure and/or promotion in rank, the Medical School and its departments comply with the procedures described in the document "Procedures for Reviewing Performance of Probationary Faculty," distributed annually by the Vice President for Academic Affairs.  These procedures are provided for by Sections 16.3, 7.4 and 7.61 of the Regulations Concerning Faculty Tenure.

The Medical School issues annually to each department, for distribution and information to faculty members, a set of instructions, memoranda, and other documents, giving detailed information on the procedures to be followed in the preparation and consideration of each proposal for tenure and/or promotion in rank.  The pertinent documents are identified as exhibits enclosed with a cover memorandum from the Dean.

Designated non-tenured faculty members holding appropriate appointment and rank at affiliated hospitals are eligible to vote on proposals for promotion in rank of candidates, in accordance with approval for this procedure granted by the University Tenure Committee and the Vice President for Academic Affairs