Sandra J. Degen, PhD Associate Chair for Academic Affairs and Professor of Pediatrics
In 1998, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital received a generous grant from the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Trust, which was used to develop a Scholars Program to promote academic advancement of women faculty. This program has been very successful. To date, 18 women have been selected as Schmidlapp Scholars. This program has successfully promoted career advancement not only of the awardees, but also of all of the applicants. The program has included individual mentorship to all applicants and feedback to their division directors and the chairman of the department. The program has helped create an attractive environment for recruitment of women faculty at all ranks, with the number of women faculty increasing from 58 (30%) in 1996 to 270 (43%) in 2012.
Since the start of the Schmidlapp Women Scholars Program, 12 of the Scholars have been promoted, with two being promoted to professor and three awarded tenure. The Scholars have published 435 papers since becoming a scholar and have received 9 NIH R01 grants, 4 NIH K Awards and 10 foundation grants for a total of $17M in direct costs. This is a return on investment of 11 fold, indicating the success of this program.
In April 2005, Cincinnati Children’s received a $1.5 million grant from the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Foundation of Fifth Third Bank for a new program to support the career development of women in academic pediatrics. The goals of the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Center for Career Development of Women in Academic Pediatrics are to enhance career development of women coming from a broad range of backgrounds and ultimately to become a national model for career development of women in academic medicine.
In 2010 and 2011, a total of $2 million was awarded from the Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Foundation at Fifth Third Bank to endow the Schmidlapp Women Scholars Program with continuous support into the future.
And finally, in May 2010, the Office of Faculty Development (OFD) was launched to support various faculty development efforts at Cincinnati Children’s including programs to improve the diversity of our faculty, leadership programs, mentoring guidelines and networking opportunities.
Office for Faculty Development (OFD)
The OFD was launched in May, 2010 with the following goals:
- To promote an academic environment within the CCRF that supports, enhances, and rewards the professional activities of the faculty
- To promote recruitment, retention, and academic career advancement of all faculty
- To improve promotion rates and increase leadership opportunities for women and minority faculty
- To improve career satisfaction and promote work-life integration among faculty
Strategic Initiatives and Accomplishments for this fiscal year
| | 1. Centralize resources and communication about faculty developmentCentralized Resources - Jamilah Hackworth, MSEd, was hired as a Consultant in faculty development in July 2011.
- Scott Steel (Education Strategist, Dept of Education and Learning) and Charla Weiss (HR Consultant, Diversity and Inclusion) collaborate with the OFD.
Centralized communication - Email communication, intranet and extranet websites, Facebook page and monthly newsletter (Faculty Flash) have been established in the past and continue to be an effective form of communication
- Presentations given on behalf of the OFD during 2011-12 included: New Faculty Orientation in October 2011, Division Directors in January 2012 (re: mentorship program recommendations and strategic plan for women and minority faculty), and the Education Subcommittee of the CCHMC Board of Trustees in April 2012.
2. Provide resources for career development at all levelsOFD seminar series
The monthly faculty development seminar series encompasses a wide variety of topics relevant to faculty career. Seminars are open to faculty, non-faculty providers, and clinical/post-doctoral fellows. Attendance in 2011-2012 averaged 53 participants per seminar, and a total of 625 faculty participated. Leadership Development Programs
In collaboration with Scott Steel in the Dept of Education and Learning, two development programs were initiated: - The Core Leadership Program for 24 mid-level leaders was launched in October 2011.
- The Senior Faculty Leadership Development Program was developed in collaboration with the Harvard School of Public Health’s Division of Executive and Continuing Education. The program was launched in May 2012 with 54 participants.
Grantsmanship resources and seminar series - A grantsmanship document representing a compilation of all resources at CCHMC and UC was distributed and posted on the OFD webpage. The seminar series was launched in August of 2011.
- The OFD developed two comprehensive grant resource documents – one for internal grants and one for foundation/external grants – to support faculty in identifying grant opportunities. Both documents are updated on a continuous basis as new information becomes available.
Networking opportunities - A work-life balance networking group was launched in 2011, under the direction of Drs. Jennifer Hillman and Sean Barnett. A work-life balance needs assessment was developed as an on-line survey for the purpose of informing the development of future programs and support mechanisms.
- The “Wine and Wisdom” series was launched to highlight the pathways to success of highly successful faculty members at CCHMC. Speakers in 2011-2012 included Drs. Arnie Strauss and Peggy Hostetter.
3. Enhance mentorship opportunitiesMentorship recommendations - The OFD convened a mentorship committee in 2011 that developed recommendations for a mentorship program at CCHMC. A mentorship advisory committee was created in 2012 to provide strategic guidance for the implementation of the recommendations.
- Recommendations already put into practice include the following:
- Mentorship was highlighted in the revised departmental reappointment, promotion and tenure guidelines
- Awards for excellent mentorship were created, and included in the first annual faculty awards program in February 2012.
- Resource materials for mentorship, including a mentorship handbook, have been developed and are under review by the mentorship advisory committee.
4. Provide support for psychosocial issues and work-life integrationOFD webpage resources
The webpage has a section about professional health resources and work-life balance Work-life balance support
Work-life balance sessions have been incorporated into the OFD seminar series and the Core Leadership Program 5. Enhance recruitment, retention, promotion, and leadership development of minority and women facultyStrategic plan - The OFD, in collaboration with in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, developed a strategic plan for recruitment, retention, and promotion of women and minority faculty. A faculty diversity advisory committee was created and is currently meeting to provide strategic guidance as the plan is implemented in FY 13.
- Leading across racial, ethnic, and age differences has been incorporated into both the Core and Senior Faculty Leadership Development Programs and into the OFD seminar series.
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Fund Raising
The Charlotte R. Schmidlapp Foundation donated $1,000,000 in February 2010 and again in February 2011 to establish the Charlotte R. Schmidllapp Women Scholars endowment. Interest from this endowment will go to support the Schmidlapp Woman Scholars program.
Faculty and parents of undergraduates supported by the Schmidlapp Program have donated over $72,000 to support our future women researchers and clinicians, with over $16,000 raised this fiscal year.
