Office for Faculty Affairs

March 2011

Template for Department Head Letter Proposing Candidates for Promotion

Recommended length:

Professor: up to 6 pages

Associate professor: up to 4 pages

Assistant professor: up to 2 pages

(Date)

(Address)

Dear DeanFlier,

INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH

I write to propose the promotion of (name and degree of candidate), from (rank and Department of current appointment)to (rank and Department of proposed appointment), full-time/part-time, at Harvard Medical School. Dr. ’s area of excellence is (Investigation/Clinical Expertise and Innovation/Teaching andEducational Leadership). His/her significant supporting activity(ies) is/are (only if applicable).

DESCRIPTION OF THE CANDIDATE AND HIS/HER CONTRIBUTIONS

  • BACKGROUND AND TRAINING (brief; ~ oneparagraph)
  • REVIEW OF CURRENT ACTIVITIES

Overview of current activities including all activities outside Harvard and its affiliates, if applicable. If faculty member is active outside Harvard, please estimate hours devoted to these activities.

  • AREA OF EXCELLENCE – choose ONE from the following:

Investigation

Clinical Expertise and Innovation

Teaching and Educational Leadership

Using the rank-appropriate metrics outlined in the New Criteria handbook ( describe for the area of excellence:

  • the candidate’s contributions, achievement and impact
  • reputation
  • demonstration of scholarship
  • EVALUATION FOR TEACHING AND EDUCATION

All candidates will be evaluated for teaching and educational contributions to the Harvard community. Please describe these activities hereunless Teaching and Educational Leadership is the area of excellence, and is therefore addressed above.

  • SIGNIFICANT SUPPORTING ACTIVITIES

Include this section only if significant supporting activities (which are optional) have been formally designated as part of the candidate’s proposed promotion profile.

Report on activities to which the candidate has made substantial contributionsoutside thearea of excellence, choosing all that apply from these four categories:

Investigation

Clinical Expertise

Education of Patients and Service to the Community

Administration and Institutional Service

REVIEW OF SOLICITED LETTERS (in the case of candidates for appointment to the rank of professor, this section to be added after the letters of evaluations are solicited by the Dean’s office and shared with the Department Head).

Please provide a brief overview of the letters. Please comment on any concerns raised in the evaluation letters. Note any letters which were solicited but to which no response was received.

STATEMENT ON INTEGRITY (include these comments as either a component of this nominating letter or as a separate addendum to the nominating letter)

Dr. x is a faculty member in good standing with an appropriate hospital appointment and associated credentialing (for clinical faculty). To the best of my knowledge, other than as may be indicated in this letter, Dr. x has not been sanctioned or disciplined by a hospital, state licensing board, the NIH, the FDA, or any other legal, regulatory, or institutional authority. There are no current investigations or other concerns known to me that raise questions about his/her integrity, his/her competence, or the quality of his/her contributions as a faculty member of Harvard Medical School.

SUMMARY

Provide a concluding paragraph summarizing the proposal.

SIGNATURE OF THE NOMINATING DEPARTMENT HEAD

If the Department Head so chooses, the letter may be co-signed by the Institutional Department Head, Division Chief, or other appropriate senior member of the department.