Senior Academic Promotions

Senior Promotions Guidelines: Associate and Full Professor 

Academic promotion at the University of Toronto is based on accomplishment in scholarship (research and/or creative professional activity), teaching and service to the University. We urge you to carefully consider completion of each of these dossiers, where applicable, but ALL candidates must submit a Teaching Dossier.

  • Research (Scholarship, as demonstrated by a Curriculum Vitae and supporting documents)
  • Creative Professional Activity (as demonstrated by a CPA Dossier and supporting appendices)
  • Teaching – a teaching dossier is mandatory for all applicants. One must be an effective teacher to achieve promotion (demonstrated by a Teaching Dossier, teaching evaluations, unsolicited teaching-related testimonials, etc.)
  • Administration / Service (if applicable, and as demonstrated through the Administrative Dossier and supporting documents)

Activities in the Scholarship category are given the greatest weight during the evaluations process, followed by the candidate's teaching ability and involvement in education, and, lastly, by their administrative contributions and leadership. Activities which fall under the Research category include, but are not limited to presence of funding, publications, patents, presentations at local, national, or international meetings, as well as participation, leadership, and mentorship in the research community. Creative Professional Activity (CPA) can fall under one or more of the following subheadings: professional innovation and creative excellence, development of professional practices, and exemplary professional practice. Teaching and education includes undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate medical education, continuing education, faculty development, public education, etc. Lastly, Adminstration/service can take the form of outstanding leadership and administration contributions, such as involvement in leading change in program operations,or involvement in government / non-government organizations which impact your specialty, your site, the department and others. 

For promotion to Full Professor on the basis of Scholarship, the successful candidate will be expected to have established a wide reputation in his or her field of interest. The criteria are the same for promotion to Associate Professor, but with a lesser level of accomplishment.

Note that the greatest weight will be given to excellence in scholarly achievement (research and/or CPA), and to excellence in teaching:

The successful candidate for promotion will be expected to have established a wide reputation in his or her field of interest, to be deeply engaged in scholarly work, and to show him/her-self to be an effective teacher. These are the main criteria. However, either excellent teaching alone or excellent scholarship alone, sustained over many years, could also in itself justify eventual promotion to the rank of Professor. Administrative or other service to the University and related activities will be taken into account in assessing candidates for promotion, but given less weight than the main criteria: promotion will not be based primarily on such service.” Policy and Procedures Governing Promotions, 1980, paragraph 7).

The term “wide reputation” is interpreted as meaning national recognition for promotion to the rank of Associate Professor, and international recognition for promotion to the rank of full Professor (FoM Manual for Academic Promotions, July 2018). Breadth of reputation is most clearly demonstrated through invited lectures, invitations to sit on journal editorial committees, and the strength, caliber and range of external refereesNote that promotion on a single criterion can be achieved in the Faculty of Medicine, however, this generally requires 'sustained excellence' in that aspect. “Sustained” as defined by the University, translates to at least 10 years (FoM Manual for Academic Promotions July 2018, Academic Promotions Manual 2018). 

A summary and timeline of the Sr. Promotions process will be emailed department-wide early in the new year to help prepare you for each step. The guide outlines the responsibilities and deadlines for candidates requesting promotion to Associate Professor or Full Professor. Please note that these deadlines are firm.

    Contact Us

    For information regarding the senior promotions process, please contact us at (416) 978-4306 or promotions.anesthesia@utoronto.ca.

    Thinking about applying for Sr. Promotion in May 2022?

    The Senior Promotions Committee will be hosting two talks aimed at assisting faculty on their journey toward promotion. Please hold the following dates on your calendar:

    Wednesday, October 6, 2021 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

    "How to Achieve Promotion on Creative Professional Activity - Quality Improvement and Patient Safety May be One Way?"

    Dr. Lisa Allen - Mount Sinai Hospital - Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology - Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto

    Objectives:

    1. To review CPA as an area of excellence in achieving senior promotion
    2. To discuss how departments can recognize quality improvement and patient safety as a pathway to senior promotion
    3. To understand how to structure a CPA dossier leading to successful promotion on excellence in QuIPS

     

    Thursday, October 28, 2021 – 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

    “How to be Promoted via Educational Track!”

    Dr. Ameen Patel, William Walsh Chair in Medical Education - Endowed Research Chair - Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Medicine - McMaster University

    Objectives:

    1. Review of metrics for promotion to associate professor and professor (for clinical faculty educators) in the FHS at McMaster University
    2. Review of hurdles for successful promotion
    3. My success journey to Education Chair and Professor at Faculty of Medicine, McMaster University

    Mark the dates on your calendar - Zoom details will follow in the coming weeks.

    Enjoy your summer!

    Sincerely,

    Dr. Frances Chung, Chair, Sr. Promotions Committee (on behalf of the Sr. Promotions Committee)

    Promotion Timeline 2021 - 2022

     

    2021

     
    JANUARY - APRIL

    Potential promotions candidates meet with their site chiefs to discuss their intention to apply for promotion

    Potential promotions candidates arrange to meet with Promotions Committee Chair, Frances Chung

    APRILCandidates declare their intent to apply by submitting CV / Cover Letter to promotions.anesthesia@utoronto.ca
    MAYUpon invitation from Promotion Committee Chair, candidates submit their promotion dossier
    JUNE

    Department Promotions Committee reviews preliminary promotion dossiers

    Candidates are notified of committee decision (to move forward or to defer)

    For those moving forward, a mentor will be assigned to assist in the augmentation of the candidate's portfolio

    For those being deferred, feedback will be provided 

    AUGUSTFinal revisions of dossiers to be submitted
    SEPTEMBER - NOVEMBERDepartment solicits external referee letters / student testimonials 
    DECEMBERPromotions Committee conducts a final review of promotions dossiers

    2022

     
    FEBRUARY

    End of February – Department submits confidential promotion dossiers and accompanying documentation to the Temerty Faculty of Medicine Decanal Promotion Committee

    APRILTemerty Faculty of Medicine Decanal Promotion Committee review
    MAY - JUNE

    Candidates notified of final recommendation 

    Promotions announced

    JULYEffective date of promotions

     

    Documentation Checklist & Instructions

    Promotion Dossier Requirements (Associate and Full Professor Rank)

    Deadline for 2022 - May 16, 2022 (to be confirmed)

    Documents should be submitted electronically to promotions.anesthesia@utoronto.ca.

    1. Senior Academic Promotion: Promotion Candidate Information Form

    2. Cover Letter & Curriculum Vitae

    Note: These two documents are the minimum required to be considered for promotion at the initial Departmental Promotions Committee (DPC) meeting.

    Cover Letter

    Cover letters should be addressed to the Deptartment Chair, Dr. Beverley Orser.

    Address the following points in your letter:

    • the rank you are applying for
    • indicate your current academic job description and state the percentage time for clinical, research, teaching, and service activities
    • reason for seeking promotion (e.g.,excellence in research and competence in teaching)
    • brief summary of your major contributions under each of the following categories:
      • scholarship / research, if applicable
      • creative professional activity, if applicable
      • teaching
      • administration, if applicable

    Curriculum Vitae

    Must be in Unversity of Toronto format in accordance with University Policy (Manual of Staff Policies Academic Librarian, Number 3.01.05, paragraph 16) found here

    A template can be downloaded here

    3. Research Documentation, if applicable

    Research Statement

    4. Most Significant Publications

    • List the FIVE most significant publications since last promotion and include a short paragraph for each describing the significance and your contribution.
    • Copies of each publication, in .pdf format, sent as separate documents.

    5. Teaching Dossier and Evidence of Teaching Effectiveness

    Note: Every applicant needs to provide a Teaching Dossier and teaching evaluations regardless of the primary focus of your promotions dossier.

    • Teaching and Education Report
    • Data Summary Sheets – Teaching 
    • Add in separate Appendices:
      • Student evaluations of teaching
      • Unsolicited testimonial letters (Please do not request reference letters.)
      • Peer evaluations (Please do not request reference letters.)
      • Formal assessments, both internal and external (e.g., any departmental, divisional, or clinical assessments or evaluations.) 

    6. Creative Professional Activity Documentation

    7. Administrative Dossier, if applicable

    • Write a brief outline of your service activities.
    • Include a statement of the nature and impact of your service achievements on the department, the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, the University, your discipline, the professional community, or other targeted communities.
    • Attach supporting documentation that demonstrates the nature and impact of your service achievements. 

    8. Referee / Student Testimonial Information

    • Names, Rank, and CURRENT Emails of 5 External Referees *see Things to Consider When Selecting Referees
    • Names and Current Emails of 5 - 10 Student Referees *see Things to Consider when Selecting Referees

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Notes: 

    • Please send your completed documents to promotions.anesthesia@utoronto.ca. We regret that hard copies or faxes cannot be accepted.     
    • Do not combine the documents noted above into one file. Separate PDF files for each category, clearly labeled, must be provided. 

                  Required file naming:
                            Lastname_Firstname_DocumentName(Type)_Month Year.pdf 
                            Smith_John_CV_June2020.pdf
                            Smith_John_CVSummaryTable_Publications_June2020.pdf
                            Smith_John_Teaching Dossier_June2020.pdf

    Files are reviewed in an electronic format. Please be certain that all pages in a document are in the same orientation. Documents are to be submitted electronically, preferably in PDF format to promotions.anesthesia by the mid-May deadline. The Department will upload the required documentation to the LaserFiche file management system on your behalf.

    Things to Consider When Selecting Referees

    Choosing referees is perhaps one of the most critical aspects (and least controllable) of the promotions process. 

    Please keep in mind, the University of Toronto's conflict of interest protocols are very strict and adhered to rigidly, therefore referees cannot be former students, trainees and / or supervisors. You cannot have collaborated with the potential referee over the past 5 years. You must not have a personal relationship with a referee. Ideally, the names of your referees will not appear in your curriculum vitae.  

    Those applying to the rank of Associate Professor must provide names of individuals who are already at the rank of Associate Professor or higher who are able to comment upon whether the candidate has demonstrated impact on a national level. Referees should be from institutions outside of the University of Toronto.

    Those applying for the rank of Full Professor must provide names of individuals external to the University of Toronto, from both inside and outside of North America who are Full Professors, and who can confirm the international impact of the candidate's work.

    Applicants are asked to provide the Department with the names of 5 external referees along with their current email address, the institution with which they are associated (including country) and their professorial rank. Failure to provide this information can significantly hinder one’s promotion application.

    Applicants are also asked to provide the names and current email address of at least 5-10 trainees who can be contacted for testimonial letters. Only names of students since an applicant’s last promotion can be contacted for a reference (eg. if a candidate was promoted July 1, 2017, only trainees from July 1st 2017 onwards can supply a letter of support).

    The Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine is responsible for soliciting all letters of reference from external referees, trainees/students, cross-appointed chairs etc. Please make no effort to contact your chosen referees. Any letters that are solicited by the candidate can be added to the candidate’s file but WILL NOT count towards the required letters of reference that need to be obtained.

    Note: The Deptartment Chair and the Promotions Committee will also be compiling names of potential referees for each candidate.

    Tips for Compiling Your Dossier

    • Keep all of your teaching evaluations to demonstrate effectiveness/ competence in teaching
    • If you develop a website, monitor number of links to your site to demonstrate impact.
    • Keep an accolades file (e.g.  letters, testimonials, invitations to lecture) to demonstrate recognition for work done. Letters of thanks from patients should not be included.
    • Routinely assess which activities will strengthen your promotion dossier.
    • Avoid clustering when considering potential referees and provide names of individuals from different institutions / countries.
    • Tell your story – remember that individuals assessing your application may not be experts in your field. Emphasize why your contributions are significant.
    • Before submitting your reference names to the Department, do a quick “search and find” in your CV to ensure that the individual’s name does not show up anywhere in the previous 5 years of your work or publications. If it does, it will automatically be negated as a potential referee by the Decanal Committee. This could hold up your promotion.
    • Don’t assume that you know what someone’s Professorial Rank is – a referee name at an inappropriate rank cannot be used towards the reference letters that need to be submitted.
    • If there are gaps in your history, address them. (For example, reduced publications / funding because of parental leave taken).
    • Be specific about what your specific contributions are in collaborative efforts.  It is not enough to say you led an investigation; stipulate how you led the investigation and why you were an instrumental part of the group. Indicate the signifcance of your work on patient care, safety, quality improvement etc.
    • When considering your significant publications, consider where your name is – are you Senior Responsible Author? First Author? Somewhere in the middle?
    • Not all publications have high impact factors. Some journals pertain to a small group of readers but may well be the preeminent journal in a particular field. If that is the case for your publications, address this issue.

    Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine Promotions Committee Members (as of July 2021)

    • Beverley Orser, Professor & Chair
    • Frances Chung (Chair of Commitee), Professor, Toronto Western Hospital
    • Annette Vegas, Professor, Toronto General Hospital
    • Vincent Chan, Professor, Toronto Western Hospital
    • George Djaiani, Professor, Toronto General Hospital
    • Jeffrey Wassermann, Associate Professor, St. Michael’s Hospital
    • Tobias Everett, Associate Professor, Hospital for Sick Children
    • Fiona Campbell, Professor, Hospital for Sick Children
    • Stephen Choi, Associate Professor, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre
    • Duminda Wijeysundera, Professor, St. Michael's Hospital
    • Ki Jinn Chin, Professor, Toronto Western Hospital
    • Simon Abrahamson, Professor, St. Michael's Hospital
    • Mrinalini Balki, Professor, Mount Sinai Hospital
    • Matteo Parotto, Associate Professor, Toronto General Hospital