DoM Mentoring & Mission Career Development Professorship

• Eligible candidates shall be an Assistant Professor at the time of appointment (promotion to Associate Professor during the term is allowed).
• Candidates are eligible whether they have offices in BU or BMC space.
• Faculty may self-nominate.

• Appointees shall hold the Professorship for up to a three (3) year period, with one faculty member appointed to the Professorship during each three (3) year period.
• The recipient will be required to submit an annual progress report.
• Awardees who do not make meaningful progress on their project will not be renewed for subsequent year(s).
• The income from the endowed fund will be used to support their proposed project. The funds may be used to support the recipient’s project/research expenses, career development activities, or salary and benefits.
• The recipient will be asked to give DOM grand rounds in their 2^nd or 3^rd year of the term to feature their work.

Applicants must submit the following materials to be considered:

1. BU Chobanian & Avedisian SOM CV including a link to their BU Profiles
2. DEIA Faculty Candidate Statement (≤1 page).¹
3. 1-1.5 page (max) project description (≥11-point font) including:
   • Their research/teaching/mentoring/scholarly project plans for the three years of the Career Development Professorship
   • Members of their own mentoring team.
4. 1 page (max) budget including budget justification. Approximately $50,000 annually is expected from the endowment.
5. Letter of Support from their Section Chief or Mentor, which must address the following items about the candidate:
   • History of engagement with DEIA or health equity
   • History of mentoring
   • Record of scholarly dissemination
   • Commitment to the institution (Boston University/Boston Medical Center)
   • Academic promise

• Application Materials Due: April 1, 2025
• Earliest start date: July 1, 2025

• Applications will be reviewed by a Department of Medicine Faculty committee, which will be representative of the department and scientific disciplines.
• Recommendation to the Chair will be by committee consensus.

Final appointment recommendations will be determined by the Department of Medicine Chair. The Mentoring & Mission Career Development Professorship shall be appointed by the Dean of the Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine or their designee, with appointment recommendations provided by the Department of Medicine Chair.

1. Project: What type and scope of projects are supported by the DoM Mentoring & Mission Professorship Award??

We encourage applicants to discuss their projects with their mentors to ensure alignment with the goals of the award. Successful applications and projects should:

• Be a research, educational, or clinical project that is feasible in the 3-year time frame and the budget of the Mentoring & Mission Professorship.
• Be consistent with the candidate’s career pathway and contribute to the academic advancement of the recipient.
• Be significant, innovative, have a rigorous evaluation plan, and lead to scholarly dissemination.

2. Mentoring Team: In the application, what should be included in the mentoring team section?

The mentoring team section should describe the members of your mentoring team who will support you and help with project completion. Additionally, your CV should include a mentoring section or table that highlights how your mentoring activities support the BMC/BU mission.

3. Letter of Support: In the Chair or Mentor’s Letter of Support, what does “history of mentoring” refer to? 

The “history of mentoring” in the letter should describe the applicants experience as a mentor, including who their mentees are and how their mentoring efforts support the BMC/BU mission. This section should provide a clear picture of your contributions to mentorship within the institution.

4. Letter of Support: Is the letter of support supposed to focus on your history of research, teaching, OR mentoring depending on your area of focus, or is having a history of mentoring a requirement regardless of you focus area?

The Selection Committee will conduct a holistic review and weigh all parts of the application. We anticipate that the inaugural Mentoring & Mission Career Development Professor will have a strong history of mentoring. The mentoring is not restricted to mentoring around DEI or mentoring diverse individuals. Mentoring may be focused in clinical, research, or educational domains.

5. Letter of Support: May I submit more than one letter of support.

Candidates are allowed to submit only one letter of support, to avoid campaigns and to ensure that the selection committee has sufficient time to carefully review each application. The letter of support may be signed by more than one person.

6. Budget/Budget Justification: Is there a specific format required for the budget/budget justification page?

There are no formats required/template available. We have expanded the application to allow for a maximum of 1 page to showcase how your proposal will be funded over the course of the 3-year professorship ($50k annually). This may include a description of the budget, a table of how the funds will be used, or a combination of the two.

7. Budget/Budget Justification: Will the evaluation committee factor how the funds are used during the 3-year award into the selection? Would it be advantageous to have the funding support research-related costs versus salary?

The budget should reflect what it will take for the applicant to effectively make substantial progress and disseminate the project. If the applicant budgets salary, the applicant needs to

• Review with their section administrator how to budget both salary and fringe to cover their proposed percentage effort.
• Justify how they will allocate/protect their time to ensure that they make substantial progress on their project.

1. Moreira-Bouchard JD, Cunha J, Tao BS, Kim H, Lepson J, Nessen EJ, Milstone ZJ, Fisher N, Clinton N, Roberts LM, Serrano MA, Gopal DM, Benjamin EJ, So-Armah K and Fetterman JL. Creating diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility statements for your CV: a resource guide to effectiveness and comprehensiveness. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2024;327:H1376-H1383. PMID 39485298.