1. Letter of Nomination from the Department Chair or Senior Associate Vice President and Dean of the EVMS School of Health Professions (SAVPDSHP)
Address:
Alfred Z. Abuhamad, MD
Executive Vice President
Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences
at Old Dominion University
735 Fairfax Avenue
Norfolk, VA 23507
- Be on letterhead with original signature, academic rank and dated
- Be no more than 6 months old
- State rank requested
- State if co-terminus with grant, contract funding, or with administrative functions
- State why the candidate is an asset to the Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Eastern Virginia Medical School or EVMS School of Health Professions at Old Dominion University
- Include contributions in each domain where applicable with % of time allocated (Teaching, Research/Discovery, Clinical Care and/or Administrative/Service).
- Team Science, if applicable: include the candidate’s unique contributions should be described in the chair’s letter and attest to the candidate’s unique contribution in the team research effort.
- Note if recognized locally, regionally or nationally
2. Letter of Nomination from the Secondary Department Chair or SAVPDSHP – if a faculty member has a secondary appointment and wants to be considered for promotion in the secondary appointment along with the primary, a letter from the secondary Department Chair or SAVPDSHP is required.
3. Letters of Recommendation – Submit up to 8 names of colleagues (5 external and 3 internal) that can write a letter of recommendation for you to your Department Chair, Program Director or Dean. The Chair will select 3 external names, and then make a request for both the external and internal letters. Complete the LOR Referee Form and provide it to your Chair or SAVPDSHP (Appendix A).
Three External Letters of Recommendation Requirements
Letters of recommendation provide important perspective on the fulfillment of criteria for the candidate seeking promotion. The external and/or internal letters of recommendation are requested and obtained by the Department Chair of the School of Medicine or the SAVPDSHP and should place the academic and scholarly activities of the candidate in context of other academic institutions.
A faculty candidate for promotion is not permitted to solicit any letters of recommendation or contact the internal/external referees regarding the letters of recommendation.
Letters should be obtained from well-qualified scientists, scholars, educators and clinicians who are able to provide a fair and objective evaluation of the candidate’s work. In general, a potential external referee should have at least an “arm’s-length” relationship with the candidate. The nature of the professional relationship of the candidate and the potential referee must be specified in the letter.
Such letters should document how long and in what capacity the individual knows the candidate, a candidate’s qualifications and professional expertise for a promotion. Letters should be addressed to the Department Chair of the School of Medicine or SAVPDSHP. A clear definition of arm’s length is attached (Appendix B).
Specifically, letters of recommendation should:
- Define the relationship between the referee and the candidate
- Reflect on the teaching engagement and skills of the candidate (if relevant)
- Comment on the commitment to clinical practice (if relevant), especially during the period for most recent appointment or promotion
- Address the extent and relevance of scholarly productivity, including strengths and weaknesses
- Reflect on the leadership abilities, qualities and reputation of the candidate, whether in a local, regional or national/international setting
- Comment on the institutional and professional service contributions of the candidate Provide perspectives on the character, skills, productivity, leadership, scholarly context or other qualities of the candidate, especially in relation to expectations at peer academic institutions.
- Any additional insight that may be helpful to the Appointment and Promotion Committee regarding the candidate’s promotion and/or academic appointment
- Should be addressed to the Department Chair or SAVPDSHP
Additional Requirements:
- Be on letterhead with original signature, academic rank and dated
- Come from individuals with an academic appointment at an equivalent or higher rank than that for which the candidate is being proposed
- One letter may come from an individual who holds a position within institutes/organizations such as the NIH and has previously held an academic appointment at an equivalent or higher rank
- Must come from three different institutions
- State how long they have known the applicant and under what capacity
- Address the candidate’s professional expertise
- State why they think the applicant would be an asset to the Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences Eastern Virginia Medical School or EVMS School of Health Professions at Old Dominion University
- Address recognition by peers in the candidate’s accomplished area
- Document the candidate’s potential in one or more of the four areas of academic activity (i.e., education, clinical practice, research and service)
- Address how the candidate is recognized regionally or nationally
- Should not be more than 6 months old
NOTE: Letters of recommendation are confidential and only available to Deans, Department Chairs or Program Directors, Faculty Affairs and Professional Development, and the Appointments and Promotions Committee, unless otherwise stated in the letter.
Up to Three Internal Letters of Recommendation from Faculty or other Department Chairs
- Should be addressed to the Department Chair of the School of Medicine or SAVPDSHP
- Come from individuals with an academic appointment at an equivalent or higher rank than that for which the candidate is being proposed
- Come from outside the department to show strong collaboration with others
- Be on letterhead with original signature, academic rank and dated
Team Science (if applicable)
Up to Two Internal or External Letters of Recommendation from Team Science group members (see Appendix C for more information)
- Should be addressed to the Department Chair or SAVPDSHP
- Come from individuals with an academic appointment at the rank of Professor or from a Team Leader/PI and who are part of the faculty’s collaborative team
- Recommend 1 external letter
- Describes and attests to the candidate’s unique contribution in the team research effort. General letters of support are not helpful and should expand more on the impact of these research efforts.
- Be on letterhead with original signature, academic rank and dated
Specifically, letters of recommendation should address the following areas:
Faculty member influences collaboration and team effectiveness
- Co-investigator or consultant substantially influences the direction of grant applications and projects to influence their aims, approach, significance, and innovation to make the proposals fundable and projects impactful
- Mobilize and collaboratively convene the research team and community partners
- Share knowledge or collaborative technologies in dispersed or large teams
- Develop consensus around shared research goals
- Foster respect among team members
- Build network linkages with data security, privacy, and easy access
- Share information, credit, or decision-making responsibilities
- Provide participatory, inclusive, and empowering leadership
- Adapt flexibly to changing tasks
- Contribute to professional and leadership development of research team members
Faculty member contributes to the scientific process and products
- Contribute to the conception of research questions, hypotheses, and specific aims
- Participate in literature review input in the design of research protocols for institutional review board
- Gather data from participants
- Biostatistical study design, data analysis, and interpretation
- Input in manuscript writing and editing and co-authorship of peer-reviewed publications
- Present research findings at local, regional, national, or international meetings
- Support intellectual property ownership, patents, and licensing