The Department of Medicine PATHS were created as a guide for faculty as they navigate through their careers. These are only guidelines for accomplishments towards promotion, not requirements, and achievement of these targets does not guarantee promotion. These are examples and it is not expected every faculty member achieve every suggested target. The PATH is divided by career years into best practices and academic mission areas.
Years 1-2
Education
- Train graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in your laboratory
- Present didactic lectures and/or facilitate small group teaching to appropriate learners
- Start building supervisory and mentoring skills and developing mentor relationships with trainees
Scholarship
- File IACUC (opens in a new window) and/or IRB (opens in a new window) applications
- Set up your (opens in a new window) lab; clinical trial guide, (opens in a new window) onboarding new lab members (opens in a new window)
- Applying for Grants in the DOM (opens in a new window)
- Meet with identified research mentor and appropriate collaborators
- Work on independent research project
Academic Service
- Become a member of academic societies (e.g. American Society of Nephrology, (opens in a new window) SGIM) (opens in a new window) and take advantage of opportunities
- Inquire about section/division/department committees on which to serve, but don't over commit yourself (Committe s ith g a ti commi n s should ca fully s u iniz d)
Beginning of year 1 Best Practices
- Find out about mentoring options in the department.
- Download our app (ios only): BUGLE: Best Unofficial Guide to Life at Emory - a quick-reference guide to help you better navigate Emory with site-specific details and insider tips
- Attend New Faculty Orientation: Learn how you fit into the DOM and how we are improving health through discovery, education and care. Walk away with new skills you can apply immediately regardless of your career focus.
Tip! Download the SOM CV, Service Portfolio, and Teaching Portfolio templates…and start adding in your efforts NOW and keep them updated. This will help you track your efforts and be prepared for performance reviews, promotions, etc.
Years 1-2 continued
Education
- Begin to track contact hours for students
- Contact the Graduate School (opens in a new window) by year two to become involved in teaching
Scholarship
- Present (platform or poster) study results to appropriate audiences
- Make use of faculty support services, e.g., Grant Review Service, (opens in a new window) DAB Core, (opens in a new window) Scholarly Writing and Publishing Fund, (opens in a new window)
- Check out this guide for 1st time investigators to assist with your clinical research: clinical-checklist-diagram-2022.pdf (emory.edu) (opens in a new window)
Academic Service
- Seek peer review opportunities for journals relevant to your research area
During years 1 & 2 Best Practices
- Establish a regular meeting with your primary mentor (at minimum every 2 months) and mentoring team (frequency TBD in consultation with your primary mentor). See mentoring series offerings.
- Take advantage of other mentoring opportunities.
- Prepare for your Career Conference and Performance Review (opens in a new window) by reviewing your CV, Teaching and Service Portfolios for accomplishments. Prepare to discuss goals with your evaluator. (See best practices for years 3+4)
- Attend Professional Development Opportunities such as:
- Find out what else is being offered in the DOM and SOM
- Explore offerings from the Emory WorkLife Resource Center (opens in a new window)
Before year 3 Best Practices
- Interested in improving your leadership skills? Apply for the SOM Junior Faculty Development Course a career development program specifically for junior faculty (5 month program)
- Learn about quality improvement and efforts underway at Emory:
- Health Services Research Day (opens in a new window) “Quality Day” - annual quality forum and networking opportunity for researchers sponsored by Georgia Clinical and Translational Science Alliance (CTSA) (opens in a new window) of which Emory is a member
- Emory Healthcare Quality Academy: Leadership for Healthcare Improvement - designed to give health care leaders an introduction to quality improvement. (2 day course)
- Emory Healthcare Quality Academy: Practical Methods for Healthcare Improvement – more intensive program designed to develop local quality improvement leaders who are capable of independently planning and conducting improvement in their areas and serving as resources to others.
- Interprofessional Team Skills for Quality Improvement – seven session course guides teams through quality improvement projects, fosters interprofessional teamwork and builds skills to teach QI in clinical teams
Years 3-4
Education
- Organize and develop local/regional conferences, workshops, etc.
- Present at conferences, research seminars, Grand Rounds or similar educational sessions
- Continue building mentoring skills and developing mentor relationships with trainees
- Present didactic lectures to various audiences (e.g. medical students, fellows, allied health students, etc.)
Scholarship
- Publish original scholarship on biomedical topics related to the faculty member’s research
- Expand to more advanced projects
- Present (platform or poster) study results to appropriate audiences locally
- Develop expertise in specific research disciplines and gain recognition for science beyond Emory
- Continue experiments, writing of manuscripts and grants, (opens in a new window) obtain independent extramural funding (opens in a new window)
- Work towards achieving senior authorship
- Utilize faculty support services, e.g., Grant Review Service, (opens in a new window) DAB Core, (opens in a new window) Scholarly Writing and Publishing Fund (opens in a new window)
Academic Service (Institutional, Regional & National)
- Seek additional peer review opportunities for journals relevant to your research area
- Join appropriate Department or Division committees or groups related to academic interests
- Seek active roles on major committees in professional medical organizations on a regional or national basis
- Regularly review manuscripts/grants at national level either ad-hoc or on committees
Years 5-6
Education
- Advise, mentor and/or provide career guidance to learners and junior faculty
- Present didactic lectures to appropriate learners, e.g., medical students, residents, fellows, nursing, allied health, graduate students
- Train graduate students and/or postdoctoral fellows in your laboratory
Scholarship
- Continue scholarship and research with a positive trajectory
- Develop expertise in specific research disciplines and gain recognition for science beyond Emory, including a record of successful independent extramural funding
Academic Service
- Seek leadership role in appropriate committees or groups related to academic activities at DOM level
- Seek active roles on major committees in professional medical organizations on a regional or national basis
During years 3 & 4 Best Practices
- Learn if you are on track for promotion by attending a DOM CV Review or SOM Promotion Readiness Session
- Want to continue building your leadership skills? Apply to the EM-ProLEAD program which focuses on enriching leadership skills, enhancing business knowledge, and developing strong partnerships across Emory (Jan-Oct)
- Determine your H-Index (opens in a new window) through Emory First (opens in a new window)
- Continue best practices from your first years on faculty
Updated 1.13.2025