AAMC Minority Faculty Career Development Seminar

I just got back from a meeting in San Juan: the Association of American Medical Colleges Minority Faculty Career Development Seminar. If you are in any area of academic medicine, and are underrepresented, you really need to attend this meeting! Check out their meeting site here.

I had three goals for the meeting. I think I met them all, so I am proud of that. I’ve listed them below, along with what I learned and what my next steps will be.

Goal 1: Getting More Specific in my Research Planning

Before the meeting, I had begun developing a research plan. It was really not concrete enough, though. I had ideas about things I was interested in, but hadn’t really thought enough about how to turn those ideas into projects and actually map them onto a 3-5 year plan.

The meeting did two things for me. First, it really drove home the need to make this a priority. In one of the sessions, Dr. Cora-Bramble shared her experience putting together her portfolio for promotion to full professor. Another speaker, Dr. South-Paul, shared her experiences as a chair of a department, working with faculty who wanted to go up for promotion. If I am going to get through the tenure and promotion process successfully, I need a concrete and specific plan so that I can “make the compelling case.” My portfolio needs to be organized in such a way that there is no question that I should be promoted.

The second thing I learned related to this goal is that my plan needs to be realistic, and include a consideration of my own “social context.” Duh!! I am a sociologist! I study social context! This should have been obvious, but it wasn’t! One speaker said, “What you can do now is limited by your social context—your family needs, your current training, your experiences.” So, my plan needs to include an examination of those things and make room for additional training, or time for major life events—like the fact that my daughter just started her senior year!!

Goal 2: Demystifying the Tenure Process

This goal is related to the fact that at my institution, the tenure and promotions process is currently being changed. In addition, we have a fairly new chair and a newly merged department. Even if that was not true, getting straight answers about the process is darn near impossible!

So, I needed some advice on how to get the answers I need. At the meeting, I got some really practical advice on the things to include in my portfolio, with the caveat that I needed to know what was required at my own institution. I was also told to assume that those reviewing my portfolio wouldn’t understand or be familiar with my work. So, it is my job to provide enough information that I demonstrate what I do and why it is important.

Dr. Corbie-Smith suggested asking the chair of the tenure and promotion committee to give me information on the average number of publications and average amount and sources of grant funding obtained by folks who were promoted to each rank. I should also ask to see successful portfolios.

Goal 3: Meet other URM Faculty

This goal was simple, but important, as I am one of 2 URM faculty at my institution. There weren’t as many opportunities to really talk with people, but did I meet a lot of people. We are in similar situations, dealing with similar issues. I really connected with a handful that I’d love to stay in contact with.

Next steps

• I am going to spend part of every day working on my research plan.
• I will schedule a meeting with the faculty professional development person at my institution to start working on my portfolio.
• I will take a colleague who is submitting her portfolio this fall out to lunch to talk about her experience and get advice on how to plan for my own review. I will also ask if she is willing to share her portfolio with me.
• I will ask the chair of my tenure development committee to help me stay up-to-date on the process changes that are being discussed.
• I will send an e-mail to the folks I connected with at the meeting and commit to staying in touch with them. I will also commit to attending the reunion meeting in 2011.

My sister, Dr. Locs, met me there, so we had some time together with no husbands, kids or whatever pressing on us. It was a great time of renewal! She also really helped me think through all the stuff I was learning. I think that is why I was able to meet my meeting goals. Next year, she will be registered as a participant and I will be her guest!!

Mondays, Writing and Alone-ness

I am so tired on Monday mornings! I should be ready to get back to work and produce knowledge, rejuvenated from a restful weekend. I always start the summer with all these plans to get so much done. I need to be writing and revising papers. Isn't that what this academic gig is all about? Then why does writing keep getting pushed to the back burner?

Am I avoiding my academic writing because it's hard? I don't think so. I like to tell myself that it is hard, but when I actually sit down to do it, it ain't so bad. Once I am doing it, I actually enjoy it.

So what is it? I really need to figure this out. I have a sense of urgency--something a senior colleague told me is necessary for success. But how much urgency is too much?? I'm losing sleep over this, having dreams (nightmares) about my first review. That ain't good.

I have been proactive, though. I have to, to keep my anxiety over this tenure thang manageable. I participated in Dr. Kerry Ann Rockquemore's teleconference on "Writing, Procrastination and Resistance" a few months ago. A very good workshop that helped me realize that I really need to think about what is getting in the way of me making a daily commitment to academic writing. I've also been reading (over and over again) Dr. Rockquemore's book, The Black Academic's Guide to Winning Tenure Without Losing Your Soul. I'll keep y'all apprised of my writing progress in this regard in future posts.

On another note, this past week I went to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Connections Symposium. That was both inspiring and a little overwhelming. There were about 100 (no, that ain't a typo) researchers of color. We had lots of time to talk with each other about our work. I heard lots of junior folks like me talk about life on their campuses and they were very similar to mine. My experiences as an underrepresented faculty aren't "in my head" or me being "too sensitive."

I think the most important thing I learned there is that I am not alone. I knew that intellectually, but at the symposium, I felt it. That's a good thing.

The Tenure Clock is Ticking. What Are You Doing?

I am trying to write a paper!!!

But, I am having a lot of trouble because this paper is about CA-MRSA. (For those of you who don't know, CA-MRSA is an antibiotic resistant staph infection that you get from someone in the community.)

This is one of the papers I have "left over" from when my department contracted out my services to hospitals, health departments and whoever else was willing to pay someone to help them get research done.

One of the reasons this paper is so difficult is because I am not interested in CA-MRSA at all. Okay, maybe not "at all," but I definitely don't have any research interest in how and why people are getting CA-MRSA. However, the tenure clock is ticking, the data is here, and I haven't published anything in 2 years.

I came up with a mantra last week to keep me motivated. It is taped to my computer monitor. It says:

The tenure clock is ticking. What are you doing?

Right now, it isn't working so well.