Faculty tracks and academic success

In 1977, the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan implemented two specific faculty career tracks, the physician-scientist and clinician-scholar, to define more clearly the goals and expectations to which individuals should strive to achieve academic success. In response to the changing environment, a leadership track and a full-time clinical track were added. Although concerns about comparability, transfer between tracks, and research productivity were raised initially, they were alleviated as it became apparent that the ability to achieve tenure was similar in the physician-scientist and clinician-scholar tracks. The development of well-defined faculty tracks has facilitated the alignment of talents, training, and effort with career goals. It has also enabled us to protect the time of young investigators to pursue their research activities and to define the expectations for promotion for clinicians with a major commitment to patient care.