Appointment, Reappointment, and Promotion of Affiliate Faculty Members

Scope

An affiliate faculty appointment is a type of academic no-pay (ACNP) appointment; it is a designation used for internal purposes to identify faculty members that are not employed directly by the University but contribute significantly to the missions of the school as an employee of the VA, Eskenazi Medical Group, or the IU Health Medical Group community division. The term “affiliate” is not used as part of the faculty member’s title. Such individuals are included in the school’s full-time faculty headcount for the purpose of reporting to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and Liaison Commission on Medical Education (LCME).

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Policy Statement

1. Appointment to the affiliate faculty of the Indiana University School of Medicine is an honor and requires evidence of professional expertise, willingness, and ability to serve in teaching activities and/or otherwise support the academic missions, and ability to maintain and model the core values and guiding principles of the IU School of Medicine.
2. Appointment prerequisites are a minimum standard of current state licensure and specialty or subspecialty board certification or its equivalent.
   1. Exceptions may be made to the board certification requirement at the discretion of the department chair.
3. Demonstration of ability in teaching will be necessary for sustained participation as faculty member.
4. Consistent with all faculty appointments, appointments to the affiliate faculty are subject to approval by the department chair and regional campus dean (when applicable), as well as the School of Medicine dean’s office.
5. The procedure required for appointing such faculty members shall be as determined by the School and University and includes submission of mandatory application materials and agreement to uphold the tenets of the IUSM Honor Code.
6. Initial appointments shall be at the academic rank appropriate to the accomplishments of the individual in accordance with the school and university criteria. See Nomination and Documentation for Promotion.
7. The duration of the initial appointment may be for up to three years.
8. Changes to these guidelines will take immediate effect unless otherwise stated.

1. Due to the historic affiliation and presence on the IUSM Academic Health Center campus, faculty employed by Richard L. Roudebush VA or Eskenazi Medical Group have titles such as the below examples [1]: 
   1. Assistant Professor of Clinical {Department Name}
   2. Associate Professor of Clinical {Department Name}
2. Faculty employed by the IU Health Medical Group community division have titles such as the below examples:
   1. Assistant Professor of {Department Name} Practice [2]
   2. Associate Professor of {Department Name} Practice

[1] Tenure-equivalent titles may be approved on a case-by-case basis for full-time faculty at the VA who are expected to fulfill expectations consistent with tenure-track faculty in the IUSM.

[2] All affiliate faculty appointments are academic no-pay (ACNP) appointments. The title used for the IU Health Medical Group community division faculty is therefore not to be confused with the Professor of Practice faculty appointment governed under IU ACA-19, Regulation of Professor of Practice Appointments.  The title is used under the “use of special titles” provision of IU ACA-12, General Provisions Regarding Academic Appointments.

Sufficient Contribution to the University

1. The principal and most common criterion for sufficient contribution to the university is teaching, chiefly of IUSM medical students, residents, or fellows, but also other IUSM learners.
2. Some affiliate faculty members, particularly those appointed at the Academic Health Center, have expectations to contribute to the research mission; when this is the case, it should be detailed in an initial offer letter or memorandum of understanding (MOU) prior to processing the appointment.
3. Other contributions such as administration and committee service that support the IUSM missions are also encouraged. Sharing in the culture of the School of Medicine is of highest importance.
4. All faculty are expected to support the academic missions and there are several options for doing so. The IUSM Faculty Effort Guidelines state that faculty are expected to:
   1. Teach learners.
   2. Mentor learners and faculty members.
   3. Engage in School of Medicine, university, health system, regional and/or national service (e.g., committees, professional organizations, review panels, etc.) as well as in service to the community.
   4. Be supportive of research and scholarship in all the mission areas.
   5. Participate in ongoing self-development to strengthen their capacity as teachers, scholars, and providers of care.
5. Departments will define expectations for specific activities and volume of teaching based on which affiliate faculty title the faculty member holds, departmental and/or regional campus needs, and required contributions to the broader School of Medicine teaching activities. Such expectations are often defined in collaboration with leaders within the affiliate employer organization and/or IUSM regional campus leadership.
6. Affiliate faculty members should be provided with appropriate materials, training (when applicable), and sources of information to effectively carry out their academic roles.
7. Both the school administration and the participating faculty must together recognize their respective responsibilities to communicate effectively around the work of teaching and other academic duties, including assigned activities and responsiveness to evaluations.
8. Faculty contributions to the academic missions will be measured both quantitatively and qualitatively.
9. Faculty with exemplary teaching performance may be considered for departmental, school, or regional campus teaching awards for which they are eligible.
10. Faculty members in need of improvement will, where appropriate, be supported by school, department, and/or regional campus education leadership in developing a personalized faculty development plan.
11. The chairs (or designee) of the respective departments, in collaboration with the regional campus dean (when applicable), and/or the leadership of the affiliate employer organization, will review affiliate faculty members’ academic contributions and performance at least every three years.

1. The chair (or designee) of the primary academic department or the regional campus dean (or designee) will review affiliate faculty academic contributions and performance.
   
   1. Academic contributions and performance of faculty members employed by an affiliated institution at the IUSM Academic Health Center (as noted in Titles A.) will follow the Faculty Annual Review Guidelines.
   2. Academic contributions and performance of faculty members employed by the IU Health Medical Group community division (as noted in Titles B.) will be conducted at least once every three years.
      1. Persistent refusal to teach or otherwise contribute to the academic missions, persistent poor quality of contributions to the academic missions, personal or professional misconduct, and/or violations of IUSM or IU policies may result in termination of the faculty appointment.
      2. The School of Medicine reserves the right to conclude an affiliate faculty appointment; this is at the department chair’s and regional campus dean’s (when applicable) discretion in consultation with the Dean’s office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development. Leadership in the affiliated employer organization should also be consulted (e.g., VA specialty chief, IU Health Medical Group chief academic officer, IU Health Medical Group Senior Vice President for Community Medicine, etc.).
         1. Appeal of a decision to conclude an affiliate faculty appointment may be submitted in writing to the Executive Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development within 30 days of the notice provided to the faculty member.
         2. The IUSM Dean will act as the appeals officer and make the final decision. At their discretion, the dean may also consult with leadership of the affiliated employer organization prior to making the decision.
2. Reappointments are subject to approval by the department chair and regional campus dean (when applicable).
3. Reappointments are dependent upon continued employment with the affiliated institution and can be for up to three years.
   1. Should employment with the affiliate employer lapse, the affiliate faculty appointment will also end.
   2. Subsequent faculty appointments are subject to the approval of the department chair, regional campus dean (when applicable), and IUSM dean’s office.

1. For those faculty members employed by an affiliate institution at the IUSM Academic Health Center (as noted in Titles A.), academic promotion requirements and criteria are the same as for clinical track faculty (see IUSM Standards of Excellence).
   1. This includes the same required dossier components and institutional review procedures within the school and campus.
2. Academic promotion requirements and process steps differ for those faculty members employed by IU Health Medical Group community division (as noted in Titles B.).
   1. Candidates for promotion holding this affiliate appointment must demonstrate satisfactory contributions in two domains (see attached appendix for examples and rubric):
      1. Support of the academic mission
      2. Improvement, innovation, or leadership
   2. Such candidates will submit a dossier to the primary committee and department chair or regional campus dean in accordance with the guidelines of the School of Medicine. The dossier must include as a minimum:
      1. Curriculum vitae
      2. A personal statement documenting the candidate’s academic contributions in the domains noted above (support of the academic mission and improvement, innovation, or leadership)
      3. At least two letters of recommendation from full-time [3] faculty members of the department or regional campus
      4. Two external letters of support for promotion to the professor rank.
   3. All nominations will be forwarded to the School of Medicine’s Lecturer & Clinical Track Promotions committee with a recommendation by the primary committee, department chair, and regional campus dean (when applicable).
   4. Promotion reviews for individuals holding this affiliate faculty appointment are conducted within the school and do not route to the campus for review.
3. Criteria for promotion in rank
   1. For Associate Professor of {Department Name} Practice, an individual will have a minimum of five (5) years of service at IUSM in the assistant professor of {Department Name} practice rank or equivalent rank elsewhere and have demonstrated through additional activities and/or recognition in the domains for promotion noted above (see Nomination and Documentation for Promotion1.) that appointment or promotion to this rank is justified.
   2. For Professor of {Department Name} Practice, an individual will have demonstrated exemplary service to the university for a minimum of five (5) years as associate professor of {Department Name} practice at IUSM or equivalent rank elsewhere and have demonstrated through additional activities or national recognition that appointment or promotion to this rank is justified.
      1. As noted in Nomination and Documentation for Promotion B.2.d, promotion to the professor rank must be supported by at least two external letters of support.

4.   [3] Full-time faculty member is interpreted as an individual that has a full-time academic appointment at the School of Medicine or for faculty at one of the IUSM Regional Campuses, an individual that has a full-time academic appointment at the host higher institution (Purdue, Ball State, Notre Dame, University of Southern Indiana, etc.). Letter writer must be at or above the rank the candidate is seeking, however that can be waived for designated education leaders (e.g., Clerkship Director, Residency Director, Vice Chair for Education).

1. The school, departments, and regional campuses should collaborate to ensure that all affiliate faculty members are supported, recognized, and rewarded.
2. Voting Privileges
   1. Affiliate faculty members employed by an affiliate institution at the IUSM Academic Health Center (as noted in Titles A.) at 0.6 FTE or greater are voting members of the School of Medicine faculty.
   2. Affiliate faculty members in the IU Health Medical Group community division (as noted in Titles B.) are non-voting members
3. Participation in university and campus faculty governance is determined by the Constitution of the Indiana University Faculty and the IU Indianapolis Faculty Constitution.
   
   1. Individuals holding an affiliate faculty appointment are not recognized as voting members of Indiana University or IU Indianapolis Campus
4. Affiliate faculty members are not eligible for full-time employment-related university fringe benefits, such as health care insurance, retirement plans, life insurance, and disability insurance.
5. Affiliate faculty members are eligible for and encouraged to take advantage of the many offerings of the IUSM. This includes, but is not limited to:
   
   1. Opportunities for professional development to address teaching and other skills available through the IUSM Dean’s Office of Faculty Affairs and Professional Development and other sources;
   2. Department teaching activities such as grand rounds, faculty development workshops and continuing medical education outreach;
   3. Access to resources including, the medical school library, discounted or free computer software, and can acquire CME at the discounted (and often free) IU faculty rate. This includes earning CME credits through the “Learning through Teaching” program.

Should an affiliate faculty member be hired as a dually employed full- or part-time faculty member by the IU School of Medicine, track and academic rank will be determined according to the standards for dually employed full- and part-time employed faculty upon hiring.

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Reason for Policy

A shared goal of the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) and its health system partners is to educate the next generation of physicians and healthcare providers to meet the needs of the citizens of Indiana. The affiliate faculty appointment is intended to recognize the essential contributions that faculty members employed by our affiliated institutions make to the IUSM missions, and to honor our collaboration with these closely affiliated organizations to this shared mission. The affiliate faculty appointment was adopted many years ago to appoint individuals employed full-time at the Richard L. Roudebush Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center (VA), Wishard Hospital (now Eskenazi Health), and other key affiliated institutions; these faculty were historically referred to as “geographic full-time.”  Over time, this faculty appointment has evolved as physician employment models and institutional affiliations have changed. The affiliate faculty appointment described herein now also includes individuals employed by the IU Health Medical Group community division. Thus, the current affiliate faculty appointment honors the historic affiliation dating back decades with the VA and Eskenazi, while also recognizing the shared governance of the IU Health Medical Group by IU and IU Health.

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Procedures

Appointment Process for Affiliate Faculty

HR, education, or support staff in the department or regional campus provide prospective faculty members the link to complete the online Affiliate and Adjunct Faculty Appointment Application form. The application is reviewed by the appropriate department chair (or designee) for approval. Once approved, designated staff in the department or regional campus will submit the necessary eDocs and paperwork to finalize the appointment.

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History

1. Policy fap-adm-0010 presented to IUSM Faculty Steering Committee 20 August 2015; approved 17 September 2015. 
2. Policy presented to and approved by IUSM Executive Committee 05 October 2015.    
3. Policy updated to clarify IUHP Community Division faculty approved 10 January 2022.
4. Policy updated on 20 April 2023 to reflect change in University Office title and to update an outdated link.
5. Policy updated to include changes related to the establishment of the IU Health Medical Group community division that impact titles, contributions, reappointment, termination, promotion, rights, and privileges. IUSM Faculty Steering Committee approved 16 November 2023.

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