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In order to promote the mission of the Department of Pediatrics, which encompasses the entire academic faculty across several sites and multiple disciplines, a faculty mentoring program has been developed. The benefits of investment in a faculty development have been well demonstrated.2 This is particularly true of formal mentoring programs as they relate to professional development of junior faculty members in U.S. medical schools.2 The data show that there is a higher likelihood of obtaining substantial grant support, financial support for activities of teaching, research and administration, in addition to an enhanced research skill and greater overall career satisfaction.2 These come in the absence of gender or ethnic biases.2 Mentoring as a means to enhance the promotion of academic "community" has powerful positive impacts on the levels of scholarly communication, cooperation among faculty, and overall productivity of faculty, particularly in an era of increased competitiveness of health care marketplaces.3 Implicit in academic faculty development is the responsibility of the individual faculty member to actively demonstrate a commitment to the stated goals. Success of any faculty mentoring program is dependent upon the support and active participation of each of the respective affiliated institutions, practice affiliations, its constituent faculty, and the University in empowering the Department of Pediatrics to implement and maintain such a mentoring program. Any faculty development program incorporating a faculty-mentoring program must encompass and envision the evolving model of our current academic configuration. It is the expectation that any created mentoring program will be consistent with and enhance the capability of individual faculty to achieve overall academic advancement and career satisfaction.4 Goals of Faculty Mentoring in the Broader Context of Faculty Development The goal of faculty development is to prepare physicians for their faculty roles. Its goal is to teach them the faculty skills relevant for their institutional setting and faculty position, and to sustain their vitality both now and in the future.5 Specific goals of faculty mentoring include but are not limited to the following: To provide a structure for individual faculty to develop an academic career. To assist in identifying and defining individual career goals and creating a career development plan consistent with departmental, university, and individual expectations. To carry out and achieve individual academic career goals. To identify appropriate mentor--protégé linkages prior to and in conjunction with new faculty recruitment. To identify appropriate mentor--protégé linkages in order to promote individual faculty member goals. To assure that faculty member goals are consistent with those guidelines outlined for promotion to advanced academic rank within the University. To serve as a resource and input to the development of appropriate guidelines for academic promotion in the future. To provide an additional formal feedback and evaluation process for faculty development. To provide a reasonable framework/environment in which the Protégé can achieve the agreed upon career goals. Mentoring Environments: Clinical, Research, Educational Activities It is recognized that faculty development in this current academic and health care environment poses a significant challenge. While a measure of a successful academician traditionally included involvement in research, peer recognized productivity, active clinical involvement in a field of expertise, and publication through the peer review process, it has become more evident that this model may not be completely feasible to maintain over the longer term.4 As such, a faculty development program in the current academic environment is critical to ensure academic success. This needs to incorporate individual initiatives such as self-directed learning, peer coaching and more formal programs such as mentor programs, workshops, and graduate medical education programs. The Department of Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut must further develop and nurture its own distinctive academic community and culture. Among the environments ripe for faculty mentoring would include, but are not limited to; clinical care and program development, clinical and laboratory research projects and programs, and educational programs and activities. It is to these ends that the creation of this web site is envisioned to facilitate and enhance our faculty's development in the broadest and fullest extent. Francis J. DiMario Jr., M.D. Associate Chair Academic Affairs Department of Pediatrics References/Appendix Mission Statement Department of Pediatrics dated 3/2/87. Palepu A, Friedman RH, Barnett RC, et al: Junior Faculty Members Mentoring Relationships and Their Professional Development in U.S. Medical Schools. Academic Medicine 1998:73: 318-323. Campbell EG, Weissman JS, Blumenthal D: Relationship Between Market Competition and the Activities and Attitudes of Medical School Faculty. JAMA 1997:278:222-226. Evans CH: Faculty Development in a Changing Academic Environment. Academic Medicine 1995:70:14-20. Bland CJ, Schmitz CC, Stritter FT, Henry RC, Aluise JJ: Successful Faculty in Academic Medicine. Springer Publishing Co., NY, NY, 1990. Searching the Medical Literature Using PubMed: A Tutorial JO Ebbert, DM Dupras, PJ Erwin Mayo Clin Proc. 2003; 78; 87-91 Contact: Allessandra Pergolizzi apergol@ccmckids.org 860.545.9478