UIC

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
AT CHICAGO
The Sky is the Limit
Academia in the 21st Century

Mrinalini C. Rao Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
Professor
Digestive Diseases and Nutrition
What do I Hope to Achieve
Today?
To help you understand the career
opportunities in academia
To identify and surmount potential
barriers to success
Why am I Talking to You?
I am thrilled with this honor
I want to share the excitement of my
job with you
My gray hair lends me a touch of
respectability
An Academic Career in a Research
University
TEACHING
SERVICE
RESEARCH
An Academic Career in Medicine in
at UIC
Academic Career in Medicine at UIC
TEACHING
SERVICE
RESEARCH
TEACHING
CLINICAL
SERVICE
RESEARCH
Open Inquiry
Ability to be Influenced by Others
Diligent Search
Studious Inquiry
Critical & Exhaustive Investigation
Revision of Accepted Conclusions
Modification of underlying theories in
light of new facts
Why Pursue Research in an
Academic Setting?
Add to generalizable knowledge
Add to practical knowledge
Explore the limits of your mind





Good controls, good
controls, good controls
Good Practices -- anally
retentive records
Reproducibility
Appropriate Models -
dont let the models
dictate your science
What Constitutes Good
Research?
Integrity and Ethics
Why Does Research Thrill Me?
The adrenalin rush
when you discover
the unexpected
The excitement of
seeing the sparkle in
a students eye
The exhiliration of
putting a story
together
Why Does Teaching Thrill Me?
Ability to influence
younger minds
The excitement of
seeing the sparkle in
a students eye
The pleasure of
seeing your trainees
succeed

What are the Challenges?
Who are our
constituencies?

Promotion
Publish or Perish
Funding

Time Juggling




UIC COM 2004-2005 Enrollment Table

Total Number of Students: 1318 + 72 on Leave of Absence
Total: Men: 694; Women: 624
Total Students (M1-M4)
30600.0%
24400.0%
6300.0%
3700.0%
200.0%
22100.0%
18100.0%
7800.0%
9500.0%
200.0%
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
White
Asian
Hispanic
Af. Am
Nat. Am
D
e
m
o
g
r
a
p
h
i
c
s
Number
Male Female Bar 3
Figure 1. Gender Distribution of UIC CoM
Faculty
1997 & 2003-2005
26. 9
29
29. 9
31. 4
73. 1
71
70. 1
68. 6
0
20
40
60
80
1997 (N=650) 2003 (N=644) 2004 (N = 690) 2005 (N=690)
P
e
r
c
e
n
t
Women Men
National average in 2005-06 was 32% women.

Do we have a Problem?
Over the past 9 years in the College of Medicine

-% of all faculty who are women increased by 4.5 (26.9-31.4)
-% tenured faculty who are women increased by 2.5 (18.1-20.6)
-Only 25.3% women faculty are tenured vs. 44.8% of men

-% of all faculty who are African American increased by 0.2 (3.4-3.6)
-% tenured faculty who are AA decreased by 1.1 (2.2-1.1)

-% of all faculty who are Hispanic American increased by 0.7 (3.1-
3.8)
-% of tenured faculty who are HA increased by 3.1 (1.4-4.5)


Courtesy: Dr. Claudia Morrissey, FAAC
What Can We Do?
Efforts at UIC
Office of Faculty Affairs
http://www.uic.edu/depts/oaa/faculty/
Programs:
Heads are the Change Agents
Cannot forget the Mid-Career Faculty--
Junior Faculty - New Faculty Orientation/ P
and T workshop/brown bags
Underreprsented Faculty Mentoring Program
Mentoring Match Up Program -- can always
have >1 mentor



Efforts at UIC
Office of Faculty Affairs
http://www.uic.edu/depts/oaa/faculty/

What is New?
Online Faculty Handbook -- all you wanted to know
and more
Faculty Affairs Newsletter -- 3 times a year
New Grievance Procedures -- so there is due process,
but please do not feel obliged to use it
Podcast versions of the Promotion and Tenure
workshops



Efforts at UIC

WISEST:
Warm the climate & decrease the isolation of women STEM
faculty
Pilot initiatives to attract & recruit minority women faculty
Transform STEM departments to foster diversity & womens
leadership
Promote STEM womens scholarship & teaching
Improve the ability to track & report on gender equity in STEM
Advocate & collaborate across UIC & nationally

A fascinating read --the Climate Survey
http://www.uic.edu/depts/oaa/faculty/climatesurvey.html

Efforts at UIC
COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
FACULTY ACADEMIC ADVANCEMENT COMMITTEE:

http://www.uic.edu/depts/mcam/chicago/faac/


Create an institution whose faculty, departmental leadership, and
deans reflect the gender and ethnic profile of the Colleges
student body.
Enable excellence in research, teaching, and patient care - while
promoting work/life balance - so that the College of Medicine
becomes a desired destination for a talented and diverse faculty.



.
The Search Process
One Size Does not Fit All
Avoid Unintentional Gender
Bias
Avoid Racial and Ethnic
Stereotyping
Avoid Evaluation Bias
Search Committee Training


Promotion
The face of the guild is
changing
UIC is one of a few
institutions where there
are separate tracks and
norms for clinical
disciplines --one size
does not fit all

Be informed about the
campus policies
Ask about the norms of
the Department/College
Do not be afraid to ask
for advice
Get a Mentor
Campus mentoring program
Departmental mentoring
program
Network
You are your best advocate
Collaborations
choose wisely
discuss the ground rules
Translational Research
Bench to Bedside
Bedside to Bench
Publish or Perish
Can I Really Succeed?
Yes you can
Figure out the
family friendly
policies
Tenure roll back
Childcare
Partner Hiring
Accommodation
Extending the tenure clock

What are the
Benefits?
At the End of the Day
Remember life
goes on
Life Outside Academia
Supportive Spouse
Challenging Kids
Great Friends & Family
Extracurricular Interests
Personal Satisfaction
Figure 5. Percent Distribution of UIC COM
Faculty by Tenure Status, by Gender, 2005
41.2%
55.8%
14.0%
18.9%
44.8%
25.3%
0% 50% 100%
Men
Women
Non-Tenured Tenure Track* Tenured

* Qs included in Tenure Track
Courtesy: Dr. Claudia Morrissey, FAAC
Figure 10. Percent Distribution of UIC COM
Faculty by Tenure Status by Race/ Ethnicity,
2005
42.8%
52.9%
34.6%
64.0%
13.9%
17.6%
19.2%
24.0%
43.3%
29.4%
46.2%
12.0%
0% 50% 100%
White
Asian
Hispanic
African Americans
Non-Tenured Tenure Track* Tenured

*Qs included in Tenure Track