Jennifer Wu, MD, MPH
Interim Vice Dean for Academic Affairs
Education and Faculty Affairs Imperative Lead
Faculty Affairs and Leadership Development
Our world-class faculty are leaders in their fields and devoted educators. The UNC School of Medicine is deeply committed to supporting our faculty in their academic endeavors.
As an institution, we strive to promote an equitable and inclusive setting where our colleagues can excel in the interrelated areas of research, education, and patient care, and where the vision of leadership is based on the premise that leadership is not isolated to those who hold prominent positions.
Accordingly, our strategic priorities focus on fostering an environment in which our faculty thrive. Since we know that several factors including career stage, gender, and other influences mediate faculty needs, we continue to invest in faculty development at all levels with the aim of providing a wide-ranging and customizable portfolio of opportunities for personal reflection and growth. To ensure our faculty have intrapersonal and institutional support along the way, our strategic plan bolsters faculty well-being initiatives and expands upon coaching and mentorship resources.
Faculty Strategic Priorities
- Establish UNC as a leader in faculty wellness and engagement
- Foster an institutional climate in which faculty thrive professionally in their careers, and within particular subpopulations
- Enhance leadership development programming across the faculty career life cycle
Year 3 – Key Accomplishments*
- Established School of Medicine Well-Being Committee with representatives from 100% of departments.
- To better understand faculty perspectives and needs, we have hosted three focus groups per month since August 2020 and have completed 29 focus groups in total.
- With an emphasis on supporting faculty progress toward promotion, we revised the guidelines for appointments, promotions, and tenure, and we have enhanced our resources to help faculty navigate the process.
- Established a network of faculty affairs liaisons across the institution to encourage bi-directional communication related to issues affecting the faculty.
- Our Academy of Educators hosted two Teaching Bootcamps to develop the teaching skills of medical educators at all levels of their careers and to enhance their work developing future generations of medical professionals.
- The Association of Professional Women in Medical Sciences has provided networking and programming opportunities for more than 200+ women.
- Successfully competed for renewal of a grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation to support physician scientists in research who are facing substantial caregiving demands at home.
- Increased the number of leadership development opportunities available to faculty.
- Introduced coaching as an offering available to faculty through the training of eight faculty peer coaches and the hiring of one executive coach.
- In partnership with the Med Foundation, introduced resources to address the increased caregiving demands experienced by many of our faculty during the pandemic, including emergency subsidies for childcare costs and subsidized, on-demand childcare through Juggle.
*Year 3 through June 31, 2022
Tracking Implementation Progress – Year 4, Q2
| Priority | Status |
|---|---|
| 3A. Establish UNC as a leader in faculty wellness and engagement | On Track |
| 3B. Foster an institutional climate in which faculty thrive professionally in their careers, and within particular subpopulations | On Track |
| 3C. Enhance leadership development programming across the faculty career lifecycle | On Track |
Faculty News
Imperative Administration
Lauren Westervelt, MPH
Director, Office of Faculty Affairs and Leadership Development
Faculty Imperative Administrator
Faculty are the single most important resource of the UNC School of Medicine, and we are deeply committed to supporting faculty vitality and success. We are encouraged by our progress so far, and we know there is still work to be done. We welcome faculty input and engagement; it is critical to ensuring the institution is being responsive to faculty needs.