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Faculty Appointments and Promotions

The faculty of the Zucker School of Medicine is responsible for promoting and facilitating the continuum of activities from basic science to clinical science to clinical care, with the goal of using knowledge to enhance the care, prevention, and cure of disease for the population served by the Zucker School of Medicine. Appointments to the faculty are based on scholarship, defined inclusively as the acquisition, application, integration, and broad dissemination of knowledge and understanding; the criteria for appointment and promotion are based primarily in the areas of research, teaching, and clinical care, while also recognizing the importance of administrative service and leadership to the mission of the Zucker School of Medicine. 

There is no tenure of position, title, or salary in the Zucker School of Medicine. The University faculty has approved exemption of Zucker School of Medicine faculty from its union.

The following guidelines pertain to the various faculty statuses and titles described within the Zucker School of Medicine Faculty Bylaws.

Appointments

  1. Appointments are granted to individuals who are actively involved in the educational program of the Zucker School of Medicine.
  2. To apply for appointment to all ranks except for the rank of Instructor, an individual must meet the following criteria:
    1. Show evidence of involvement in the educational program;
    2. Have an affiliation with Northwell Health or Hofstra University;
    3. Possess a master's degree or higher.
  3. To apply for the rank of Instructor, an individual must meet the following criteria:
    1. Show evidence of involvement in the educational program;
    2. Have an affiliation with Northwell Health or Hofstra University;
    3. Possess a bachelor's degree, however under special circumstances appointments at the level of instructor may be granted, without expectation of promotion, based on technical experience and certification rather than completion of a bachelor's degree.
  4. The candidate's rank will be laterally transferred from the LCME-accredited medical school at which the candidate holds current a faculty position. If the candidate is not currently appointed at an LCME-accredited medical school, the rank of Instructor or Assistant Professor will be recommended, depending on the individual's role in the curriculum. If the individual would like to apply for appointment at a higher rank than the candidate currently holds, the candidate must go through the promotions process.
  5. Requests for appointment should be made through the School of Medicine department chair.
  6. The Office of Faculty Affairs will review the appointment request and submit it to the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs when the following application materials are received from the department on behalf of the candidate:
    1. Candidate's curriculum vitae (CV guidelines);
    2. Appointment form signed by the department chair;
    3. Signed Consent to Release Information Form;
    4. Signed Faculty Responsibilities Form.
  7. New faculty members may expect to receive a letter from the School of Medicine confirming their appointment 3-6 months after receipt of the completed application packet described above.

Term at Rank

There is a three-year minimum service at any given rank before a faculty member may apply for promotion. This service may be at the School of Medicine or at any US-accredited university or LCME-accredited medical school prior to appointment at the School.

Reappointments

Annually, each department chair is provided with a list of departmental faculty whose term of appointment is due to expire. The department chair then makes recommendations, based upon ongoing contributions to the mission of the School, concerning reappointment to the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and the Dean. The Dean recommends reappointments to the President of Hofstra University, the Joint School of Medicine Board reviews the recommended reappointments, and the Board of Trustees of Hofstra University provides final approval. Faculty members will receive a letter confirming their new appointment term.

Promotions

  1. Requests for promotion should be made through the Zucker School of Medicine department chair. 
  2. Following review by the department promotions committee, a candidate's application shall be submitted to the Office of Faculty Affairs.
  3. The promotion application packet should include the following:
    • Candidate's CV must be in the Zucker School of Medicine CV format;
    • A letter of support signed by the department chair.
  4. The Office of Faculty Affairs will then request the names of six external referees to whom the Office of Faculty Affairs will reach out to request a letter of recommendation.
  5. The referees should meet the following expectations:
    • They should be able to represent the candidate's regional reputation if applying for Associate Professor or the candidate's national/international reputation if applying for Professor;
    • They should be at the Associate Professor or Professor level if the candidate is applying for Associate Professor or Professor if the candidate is applying for Professor;
    • Only two letters can come from individuals who served as mentors for the candidate during training.
  6. For the Zucker  School of Medicine Faculty Appointments and Promotions Committee to review the candidate's application it must be in receipt of:
    • The candidate's CV in the correct format;
    • The letter from the department chair in support of the candidate; if the candidate jointly holds an appointment in another department, the chair of that department must be a signatory;
    • At least three letters of reference. However, the committee reserves the right to request additional letters.
  7. After the committee makes a decision, the chair of the committee submits the committee's recommendation to the Dean who shall present a recommendation for promotion to the President, to the Joint School of Medicine Board for review, and to the Board of Trustees for final approval. 
  8. The decision will be communicated to the candidate by the department chair.
  9. If the candidate is promoted, the candidate will receive a letter from the Zucker School of Medicine.
  10. The promotion process may take 6-12 months to complete.

REFERENCES to REGULATIONS and/or OTHER RELATED POLICIES
Faculty Bylaws

Last Updated: November 2020