The UNC School of Medicine’s Department of Health Sciences named Deborah Givens, PT, DPT, Ph.D., FAPTA, as the new Associate Chair for Faculty Affairs, effective August 1, 2022.
Givens is a professor and the Division Director of Physical Therapy. She became division director in 2015 and previously led physical therapy programs at The Ohio State University and Creighton University. Her current research examines the effectiveness of the Otago home program for persons with liver frailty to improve their health status for a liver transplant.
Her duties as Associate Chair for Faculty Affairs include serving as chair of the appointments, promotion and tenure committee, promoting faculty career development, and serving as a resource for faculty regarding their concerns and well-being.
Because the Appointments, Promotions and Tenure (APT) guidelines were recently updated within the School of Medicine, Givens’s first goal in her new role is to align the department’s processes with the School of Medicine’s. Givens will help faculty at all levels understand new processes, various components in the dossier, and how to stay on track throughout the APT process.
Additionally, Givens plans to work with faculty to clearly outline the metrics and requirements required for the APT process, and how to achieve those through faculty development.
“I became a physical therapist because I enjoyed helping people meet their goals, and that’s why I was interested in this role – it feels like I’m doing the same thing with faculty in this new position,” said Givens.
Givens felt drawn to the role of Associate Chair for Faculty Affairs for a variety of reasons. Thanks to her longtime experience leading and managing faculty, she understands the APT process and feels confident managing the human resources and faculty development aspects of APT. Her work as the Division Director of Physical Therapy, which includes leading a large faculty group with various types of appointments, constantly hiring in all areas, and serving on promotion and tenure committees, all prepared her for this role.
“I hope our faculty and division directors will see me as a resource and someone to turn to for advice,” said Givens. “I look forward to serving them well and am eager to see what we can accomplish together.”