Keck NTT Appointments and Promotions:

I.Clinical Group Appointments and Promotions

A.Clinical Scholar

The designation of Clinical Scholar is a high honor, requiring a review process as rigorous as, and following the same steps as, that used for tenure decisions and promotions. It is a title only bestowed by the President of the University. This designation is appropriate for some of the top physician-scientists at the Keck School—particularly those who have performed work of considerable impact in clinical and translational research.

  • The Clinical Scholar title is only applied at the ranks of Associate Professor or Professor.
  • Candidates must demonstrate:
  • excellencein research/Scholarship, excellencein either teaching or service, and strength in remaining category
  • minimum of 30-40% time devoted to clinical/translational research
  • Attract extramural research funding
  • Recognition at national or international level for having significant impact in clinically important research
  • Research has a “theme of expertise”

B.Clinical Series

Faculty members on the clinical series are expected to have a mixed activity profile that includes a varied amount of research time, clinical practice, teaching/mentoring/educational activity, and university service.

  • Candidates must demonstrate:
  • excellence in either research/Scholarship or teaching, and strength in remaining categories (all areas must show evidence of at least strength)
  • evaluation depends on stated area of strength. A more rigorous evaluation of scholarship is required if scholarship is the area of excellence, and teaching’education if that is the area of strength.

C.Educational Scholar

The Keck School of Medicine recognizes the importance of faculty who are appointed in the Clinical series who have demonstrated exceptional and sustained commitment to education by appointing and promoting them as Educational Scholar. Candidates for the Educational Scholar designation must fulfill all criteria for appointment or promotion on the Clinical Series. In addition, the following criteria will be evaluated:

  • This designation is only awarded at the Associate Professor and Professor ranks. .
  • Candidates must demonstrate:
  • evidence of excellence in scholarship in education, including production of original or innovative teaching materials, publications on educational methods or content.
  • Other educational attributes also considered (e.g., leadership in education, development of academic or educational programs, materials, or teaching modules, educational grants, didactic and clinical teaching evaluations, awards,etc.)

D.Clinician Educator Series

The Keck School of Medicine recognizes the importance of the contribution of many faculty whose primary efforts have been in education of medical students, graduate students, and residents, as well as in clinical care of patients. The Clinician Educator series was created for faculty who spend 85% or more of their time performing educational activities and clinical practice.

  • Candidates must demonstrate:
  • excellence in both teaching/educational activities/mentoring AND clinical care.
  • It is not expected that these individuals have significant service outside their own specialized area, although they may have service within their area.
  • It is not expected that these candidates demonstrate significant activity in scholarship/research, as would be demonstrated by published papers, funding for research, etc.,

E.Practitioner Series

The Keck School of Medicine recognizes the importance of the contribution of faculty whose primary efforts have been clinical care of patients.

  • Candidates must demonstrate:
  • excellence in clinical care.
  • Educational activities will constitute no more than 10-15% of the time for these faculty, but because this is an educational institution, it is expected that there be some minimal evidence of teaching or mentoring of trainees, other faculty members, staff, or community members.
  • It is not expected that these candidates demonstrate significant activity in scholarship/research (no more than 5-10%), such as demonstrated by published papers, funding for research, etc., with the following exception.
  • Some service is expected for those at senior ranks.

II.Research Series

Keck School of Medicine faculty members with a research designation have a diverse range of approaches in how they fulfill their research roles: some research faculty members manage independent laboratories and have external funding to support their research effort, while others serve as integral contributors to research teams, basically part of “team science,” or play a key role in supporting the activities of multiple investigators of a shared resource facility.

  • Usually candidates devote more than 80% of their time to research
  • Candidates who are Independent researchers: are expected to have independently funded research and to publish routinely as first or senior author responsible for the research project.
  • Candidates who are a critical member of a research team: must play an indispensable role in obtaining extramural funding for multiple projects and/or groups, and must have demonstrated creative scholarship through peer-reviewed publications to which they made specialized contributions (not required to have independent extramural funding as a principal investigator)
  • Should not teach more than 1 4-unit class per year:
  • Provide education/mentoring to students as trainees in research that is directly related to their scientific field.
  • Service primarily limited to service to the field (grant and manuscript review, editorship on journals).