Dear colleagues,

This note is a summary of resources available to support research and faculty development at the School of Public Health (SPH). This serves as an introduction for new members of our community and hopefully as a useful refresher for others as well.

Who we are

The Research and Faculty Advancement team is comprised of three units:

  • Our central Research Administration office oversees our pre-award and post-award operations, serves as liaisons between SPH and the BU Office of Sponsored Programs, and provides additional support to departments when needed.
  • The Faculty Resources Office oversees a robust portfolio of faculty activities, including guiding faculty appointments and promotions, the Annual Faculty Review process, faculty searches, and faculty development events and programs.
  • idea hub serves as a resource to help faculty, staff, and students who are interested in partnering with the private sector to generate opportunities for innovative scholarship outside of our more traditional funding model.

The Research and Faculty Advancement team works closely with faculty and staff within SPH, as well as with relevant partners at the Campus and University levels, to ensure we have the right infrastructure to advance our scholarship and research, and to make sure that all faculty are put in the best position possible to thrive.

Quick access to information

Before sharing some of the particular programs below, here I highlight some the best ways to find information relevant to research and faculty:

  • Faculty dashboard is a helpful landing page that provides quick links to information on all aspects of faculty life at SPH
  • Faculty Handbook details the school’s resources and policies relevant to faculty
  • Faculty development seminar series is a monthly digest of faculty development events and workshops for SPH faculty, communicated via SPH Today at the start of each month

Additionally, faculty are always welcome to seek support from staff within their department, mentors, and their department chair. Faculty are also welcome to reach out directly to me any time (mmcclean@bu.edu).

Grant writing workshops

  • Grant writing workshop – open to faculty, postdoctoral trainees, and research scientists at SPH, this workshop is designed so that by the end of the program, each participant will be prepared to submit an R-series or other non-NIH grant.
  • Program for early career research development (PERC) – provides a roadmap and targeted guidance for senior post-doctoral fellows, post-doctoral associates, and early career faculty committed to launching an independent research career
  • Career development award grant writing workshop – a workshop open to faculty and accomplished post-docs interested in submitting a NIH Career Development Award application or early career award from a foundation
  • R01 proposal writing workshop – a structured program available to faculty who are planning to submit their first R01 proposal as Principal Investigator

Appointments and Promotions

  • A&P guidelines – summarizes the criteria and procedures for seeking appointments or promotion to different ranks and tracks
  • Promotion information session – offered each semester to clarify the promotion process and provide guidance on how to prepare a strong promotion packet
  • Mid-rank review program – an optional and non-evaluative review for faculty seeking feedback on their progress toward promotion
  • A&P archive – a collection of promotion materials for faculty who have been successfully promoted at SPH

Of particular interest to Assistant Professors

  • Faculty mentoring program – coordinates the formation of a mentoring team to provide orientation to the institution, mentoring in teaching and research, understanding the criteria for annual reviews, positioning the faculty member for promotion, developing professional networks, achieving career goals, and promoting work/life balance
  • Early career catalyst awards – seed funding to assist early career researchers as they launch their independent research careers at SPH
  • Early career faculty development program – a program for BU Medical Campus faculty that introduces resources available on campus and helps faculty develop goals to advance their careers

Of particular interest to Associate and Full Professors

  • Established investigator innovation awards – seed funding to assist mid-career and senior faculty in the collection of preliminary data, equipment, or research assistance necessary to prepare competitive applications for larger extramural awards.
  • Sabbatical program – provides opportunities for faculty to take leave from SPH to engage in scholarly research or other activities leading to professional growth and an increased capacity for service to the University
  • Emerging leaders program – a two-day intensive program that explores the characteristics of effective leaders and introduces key leadership skills to help late assistant professors and early associate professors
  • Mid-career faculty leadership program – a year-long professional development program for late Assistants and all Associate Professors that focuses on developing peer and senior mentoring networks, strategic leadership skills, and inter-disciplinary collaboration through experiential and project-based learning
  • Mentoring the mentor seminar series – a Train-the-Mentor case-based seminar series to improve mentoring skills, offered by BU CTSI
  • Phased retirement program – a program for customizing a plan for reduced engagement during the years preceding retirement

For faculty at all career stages

  • SPH pilot awards – seed funding and protected time awards to support a variety of Think.Teach.Do activities at SPH
  • Discretionary funds/accounts – individual faculty funds to support research, teaching, and service activities and to invest in professional growth and development
  • Faculty incentive program – rewards faculty who exceed salary coverage expectations and/or serve as PI for awards with the full on-campus indirect rate
  • Womens leadership program – a longitudinal program for women faculty who are interested in pursuing leadership opportunities
  • Narrative writing program – provides faculty with the opportunity to develop narrative skills and gain confidence through in-class reflective writing, close reading and discussion of literary works of various genres, and writing workshops
  • Marcelle Willock faculty development and diversity program – a longitudinal leadership and career development program open to faculty from across the BU Medical Campus

In addition to the resources above, SPH also offers a full suite of resources to support teaching and advising, as recently described in the SPH Today note from Dean Sullivan.

I encourage you to reach out to me or the Faculty Resources Team with any questions about research support and faculty advancement resources.

Best,

Mike

Michael McClean, ScD
Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Advancement
mmcclean@bu.edu

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