May 3, 2017

Renewal and Recognition

Faculty & Staff, Partnerships, Inclusion & Diversity
Dean Trevor Young

Dean Trevor YoungThere are many things to like about spring at the University of Toronto, if you can look past the construction fences. The bloom of the Japanese cherry trees that flank Robarts Library; the greening of front campus and its return as a sanctuary for student life; the bustle and hum of University Avenue — background for conversations heard on the latest research advance or patient case. But one thing I like most about this time of year is that it’s a chance to acknowledge the hard work and outstanding achievements of our faculty members, through academic promotions.

This year we promoted 145 faculty — 89 to the rank of Associate Professor and 56 to Full Professor. These numbers total one of our largest cohorts ever and reflect our faculty’s tremendous productivity over the last academic year. Our promoted faculty maintained a very high level of scholarship in one or more of the four areas that comprise the promotions criteria: research, creative professional activity (CPA), teaching and education, and administrative service.

This year we saw a particularly strong emphasis on scholarship in CPA, which is clearly an area of huge growth for our faculty. Innovative patents, editorial journal contributions, lay communications and community outreach, health policy development and health care quality improvements are just a few examples of how CPA now complements our more traditional pathways for promotion: research and education. The breadth and quality of this activity is truly impressive, and its impact — locally, nationally and internationally — should be a source of pride right across our Faculty and University. I’m delighted that our promotions process provides the tools to assess this important work, including a template for CPA (rare among faculties of medicine) which is rigorous and fair.

I want to thank everyone involved with promotions this year. The review process is extensive and demanding, and it requires a high degree of cooperation and coordination among our departments, divisions and administrative groups, and by individual faculty and staff. In particular, I want to thank our Departmental Promotions Committees and our Decanal Promotions Committee, for their thorough and objective work. Thanks as well to Professor Mary Jane Esplen for chairing the Decanal Promotions Committee for the first time; and a special thanks to Professor Avrum Gotlieb, who chaired the committee for many years and who this year was a trusted resource for Mary Jane and many others.

There has been a great deal of talk lately about academic recruitment and the desirability of Canada and Toronto in particular, given the political volatility and funding pressures in many other countries. Looking at our newly promoted faculty gives us a moment to reflect on the incredible talent we already have, to appreciate our faculty and reward their great work. Please join me in congratulating all our newly promoted colleagues. You can see list of faculty members promoted to Associate Professor or Full Professor here, effective July 1, 2017.

Trevor Young
Dean, Faculty of Medicine
Vice-Provost, Relations with Health Care Institutions