Faculty Affairs
Leadership
Michael J. Fischer
Phone:
Email:
Michael A. Paprzyca
Phone:
Email:
Department of Medicine Faculty Committees
The Department of Medicine has three committees that provide support for faculty advancement.
Tenure System Faculty Advancement Committee
Tenure System Faculty Advancement Committee
Purpose: Support the progress of all tenure system faculty toward promotion and tenure in the Department of Medicine
Tenure System Faculty Advancement Committee Co-Chairs
Non-Tenure System Faculty Advancement Committee
Non-Tenure System Faculty Advancement Committee
Purpose: Support the progress of all non-tenure system faculty toward promotion in the Department of Medicine
Non-Tenure System Faculty Advancement Committee Co-Chairs
Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure Committee
Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure Committee
Purpose: Evaluate all faculty seeking promotion in the Department of Medicine
Appointments, Promotion, and Tenure Committee Chair
Faculty Affairs Announcements
Faculty Appointment and Promotion
External reviewers are required for all appointment and promotion dossiers. A frequent question that often occurs is in regard to conflicts of interest (COI) that exclude potential external reviewers of your dossier. It is important to be aware of COI as you/your division chief may generally suggest potential external reviewers. The UIC Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs recently posted detailed descriptions of COI for external reviewers. Please see link below for full details.
Faculty Development
UIC Human Resources Organizational Development has a series of professional webinars for all UIC staff and faculty. All sessions are virtual and free, unless otherwise noted.
A few topics for December include: Work-Life Integration: Thrive Without Compromise, Mindful Listening: Enhancing Communication & Connection, Using Coaching to Strengthen Professional Relationships and Team Performance
Visit the https://hr.uic.edu/uic-hr-training-dates/ to view full course descriptions and register.
Faculty Wellness
It’s that time of year for the DOM Holiday Party – a special celebration recognizing the dedicated faculty, residents, fellows, staff, and support teams of the DOM.
Faculty Wellness
Have you heard of the UI Health Revitalize Program? It is a free wellness program available to all UI Health providers and staff. It offers a variety of activities, including wellness webinars and outdoor events. And with the companion app Walkingspree, you can track your progress. Please see the YouTube video link below.
Mentoring
Reminder – there is still time to register for these mentoring seminars in December. The UI COM Office of Faculty Development is offering a new series of virtual mentor training workshops for faculty. Registration is required with separate links for each session.
Faculty Development
UIC Human Resources Organizational Development has a series of professional webinars for all UIC staff and faculty. All sessions are virtual and free, unless otherwise noted.
Visit the HR Training Calendar to view full course descriptions and register.
- Creating Personalized Career Development Plans — 10 a.m. Nov. 4
- Building Rapport with Customers: Skills for Meaningful Connections — 2 p.m. Nov. 4
- The Mindset of Excellence: Redefining Customer Service — 11 a.m. Nov. 5
- Cool, Calm and Connected: Strategies for Handling Difficult Customers — 2 p.m. Nov. 11
- Staying Grounded: Managing Stress and Burnout in Customer-Facing Roles — 11 a.m. Nov. 13
- Mental Fitness for Performance — 1 p.m. Nov. 13
- Thriving Through the Holidays: Coping with Seasonal Stress — 11 a.m. Nov. 20
- Using Core Competencies at UIC — 1 p.m. Nov. 20
Faculty Promotion
Linked below is a PDF of highlights from this past year for the UIC COM Committee on Faculty Appointments, Promotion and Tenure. In addition to summarizing data of the committee’s review (e.g., number of promotion and appointment cases reviewed and approved), the priority for this coming year is also detailed.
Mentoring
The UI COM Office of Faculty Development is offering a new series of virtual mentor training workshops for faculty. Registration is required with separate links for each session.a
#Overview of Mentorship: Practical Tips for Effective Mentoring in Academic Medicine. December 1, 2025 @ noon. https://uic.zoom.us/meeting/register/JV5kacsKTt2378O1bdmspg#/registration
#Communication Skills for Effective Mentorship. December 8, 2025 @ noon. https://uic.zoom.us/meeting/register/FDivZGJNRN2IJGb18ymY7Q?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=here&utm_campaign=Sept%202025%20Newsletter#/registration
#Coaching as a Key Element of Mentorship. December 15, 2025 @ noon. https://uic.zoom.us/meeting/register/uzEPPp_gRyiBtlyq3-dbiA#/registration
Faculty Development
UI COM now offers free access to Nature Masterclasses On-demand, an online platform with 24 self-paced courses designed to support researchers at every stage of their career. Taught by Nature Portfolio editors, courses cover topics such as writing and publishing papers, science communication, and creating research posters, with new content added regularly. You may explore and access the full list of available courses through the UI COM Nature Masterclasses website. The user guide, which includes step-by-step instructions on how to register and navigate the platform. Register for the Nature Masterclasses today and start exploring these valuable resources and enhance your skills at your own pace. I already registered and it is very simple to do!
Promotion
Are you a nontenure faculty member considering going up for promotion next year? If yes, please schedule a time now to meet with the nontenure faculty advancement committee. In addition to multidisciplinary review and constructive feedback regarding your progress toward promotion by the committee, it is required that all nontenure faculty meet at least once with the committee before submitting a promotion dossier. Please contact Jack Mocarski (jmocar3@uic.edu) to arrange a date.
Mentoring
Are you interested in improving your mentoring skills? Effective mentorship helps junior faculty publish manuscripts, get funding for their research, and become successful members of the research community. UIC’s Center for Clinical and Translation Science (CCTS) has a biannual Mentor Training Workshop whose effectiveness was validated in a randomized control trial. Please see link below for further details.
Awards
As part of faculty recognition, it is important to formally recognize faculty for outstanding contributions to the Department of Medicine. As discussed when we attended your division meeting, we are evaluating the current suite of DOM faculty awards. If you have specific ideas or suggestions for awards, please let us know.
Faculty Appointment
As a new academic year begins, we wanted to especially extend an invitation to all new faculty in DOM to meet with us to discuss matters pertaining to appointment, promotion, and tenure. We are happy to arrange a private meeting with each new faculty member so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Faculty Development
I attended the AAMC Group on Faculty Affairs (GFA) meeting last month in Portland, Oregon. One of the topics discussed was how AI is changing the healthcare landscape. There was a breakout session devoted to AI and academic medicine, which I found very interesting. Therefore, I wanted to share this recent article by Maddox et al that nicely captures many of the discussion points.
Mentoring
The UIC Campus-Wide Mentoring Taskforce fulfilled its charge in spring 2025. In the course of its work, the taskforce developed a comprehensive inventory of existing mentoring resources and opportunities on campus and conducted a literature review researching effective mentor programs best practices throughout higher education. At the link below, you may find:
a. Literature review of mentoring by the taskforce
b. Inventory of existing mentoring resources and opportunities by the taskforce. Considering the size of the inventory, we will highlight specific ones during this coming year so as to focus attention on those most relevant to DOM faculty.
Non-Tenure System and Tenure System Promotion Seminars
If you were unable to attend our Non-Tenure System and Tenure System promotion seminars, we encourage you to review the attached slides and recordings via the below links:
Faculty Development
Are you interested in building and refining your professional skills? UIC Human Resource Organizational Development provides a diverse program of professional development opportunities through online instructor-led courses. Here is a link to these webinars for June.
Faculty Development - Wellness
The National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity offers a variety of webinars relevant to faculty development, which are free to UIC faculty. The link below is for another webinar in the core curriculum is below “How to Manage Stress, Rejection & the Haters in Your Midst”.
You will be prompted to register for free under your institutional membership (i.e., UIC).
Faculty Promotion Seminar
Tenure track faculty interested in learning more about promotion and especially those considering promotion in the near future should attend the upcoming annual DOM tenure system faculty promotion seminar. The Associate Head for Faculty Affairs, Michael Fischer, MD, will be hosting the annual Tenure System Faculty Promotion Seminar this Wednesday, May 14th from 12p-1p. The session will be presented as a hybrid session, both via Zoom and in person (CSB Suite 1020N Conference Room).
Please Register Accordingly to Confirm Attendance (if in-person attendance is greater than the conference room occupancy, we will find a new room within the COM):
Faculty Development - Upcoming Faculty Promotion Seminar
The National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity offers a variety of webinars relevant to faculty development, which are free to UIC faculty. The link below is for another webinar in the core curriculum is below “How to Align Your Time with Your Priorities”.
You will be prompted to register for free under your institutional membership (i.e., UIC).
Faculty Wellness
UIC is an active participant in the American Council of Education (ACE)’s important initiative to support workplace flexibility. The UIC Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs has conducted an analysis of the existing practices and policies that surround workplace flexibility at UIC. The following link has a synopsis.
Faculty Promotion (Non-tenure track)
Non-tenure track faculty interested in learning more about promotion, and especially those considering promotion in the near future, should attend the upcoming annual DOM non-tenure system faculty promotion seminar. The Co-Chairs of the DOM Non-Tenure System Faculty Advancement Committee, Dr. Joan Briller, and Dr Ravinder Gill, will be hosting their annual Non-Tenure System Faculty Promotion Seminar on Friday, April 18th from 12p-1p. The session will be presented as a hybrid session, both via Zoom and in person (CSB Suite 1020N Conference Room).
Please Register Accordingly to Confirm Attendance (if in-person attendance is greater than the conference room occupancy, we will find a new room within the COM):
Faculty Promotion (Tenure track)
Tenure track faculty interested in learning more about promotion, and especially those considering promotion in the near future, should attend the upcoming annual DOM tenure system faculty promotion seminar. The Associate Head for Faculty Affairs, Michael Fischer, will be hosting the annual Tenure System Faculty Promotion Seminar on Wednesday, May 14th from 12p-1p. The session will be presented as a hybrid session, both via Zoom and in person (CSB Suite 1020N Conference Room).
Please Register Accordingly to Confirm Attendance (if in-person attendance is greater than the conference room occupancy, we will find a new room within the COM):
Faculty Development
The National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity offers a variety of webinars relevant to faculty development, which are free to UIC faculty. The link below is for one recent webinar – “Every Semester Needs a Plan”. The beginning of a semester (or a season – spring is here!) is a good time to identify personal and professional goals, create a strategic plan to accomplish them, and identify the types of community, support, and accountability you need to make this a productive period. You will be prompted to register for free under your institutional membership (i.e., UIC)
Faculty Wellness
Have you been wanting to up your workout game but can’t find the time? Here is a link to recreation facilities at UIC, which are steps away from your office.
Faculty Promotion
Non-tenure faculty interested in learning more about promotion and especially those considering promotion in the near future should attend the upcoming annual DOM non-tenure system faculty promotion seminar. The Co-Chairs of the DOM Non-Tenure System Faculty Advancement Committee, Dr. Joan Briller, and Dr Ravinder Gill will be hosting their annual Non-Tenure System Faculty Promotion Seminar on Friday, April 18th from 12p-1p. The session will be presented as a hybrid session, both via Zoom and in person (CSB Suite 1020N Conference Room).
Please Register Accordingly to Confirm Attendance(if in-person attendance is greater than the conference room occupancy, we will find a new room within the COM):
Faculty Development
Are you interested in cultivating and refining your professional interactions with learners? Dr. Geoffrey Stetson, Director of Clinical Faculty Development, created an excellent educational module on “Feedback and Expectations”. This comprehensive learning module offers 3 hours of Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit upon full completion.
Faculty Wellness
Over the past few weeks, the environment for academic medicine has been subject to new challenges and growing uncertainty. Therefore, we especially wanted to make sure that all faculty are aware of the Wellness Guide for UIC Faculty. Please see the link below.
Promotion and Tenure Workshop
Are you planning to go up for promotion this year? If yes, we strongly encourage you to attend a promotion and tenure workshop. The Campus Faculty Affairs Office is hosting several P&T workshops in March. For more information and to register, visit this website link below.
UIC Human Resource Organizational Development
Are you interested in building and refining your professional skills? UIC Human Resource Organizational Development provides a diverse program of professional development opportunities through online instructor-led courses. For further details, visit the link below.
Division Meetings
We are meeting with each division to discuss the evolution of the mission of DOM Faculty Affairs. We thank all of you in advance for taking the time to attend these meetings. We very much appreciate your questions and value your comments, both of which are essential to ensure that DOM Faculty Affairs meets faculty needs.
Performance Evaluation
As Dr. Caskey mentioned at our last quarterly DOM faculty meeting, the evaluation form has been restructured to better serve the needs of all faculty. The purpose of this annual evaluation is for faculty to self-reflect on career development to date, and individual career goals for the next year; and assess performance as it related to the four mission pillars (clinical, education, scholarship and service). At your earliest convenience, please find a time to meet with your division chief to complete the evaluation.
Promotion
As you consider your professional goals for the upcoming year and meet with your division chief for your annual performance evaluation, please do consider if you are interested in exploring promotion. Michael Paprzyca and I are happy to discuss the steps and criteria with you. To ensure the process goes smoothly, let us know as soon as possible if you are interested in exploring promotion.
Wellness
We-CARE Faculty Peer Support Program. Under the direction of Drs. Stephanie Joe and Memoona Hasnain, this COM program is aimed at fostering the well-being of UIC COM faculty and promoting belonging and inclusion. In addition to peer support and collegiality, it also connects faculty members with other organizational resources for further support. It provides a safe space for faculty to confidentially share their concerns and dilemmas and receive emotional support and validation without judgment or fear of retaliation. These are colleagues you can turn to when you need someone to talk about issues such as burnout, workplace conflicts, obstacles in career advancement, etc. For additional details, please go to the link below
Appointments and Promotion
For more information on promotions and new appointments please visit the College of Medicine’s promotions and new appointments website.