Implementing a Holistic Review Toolkit for Faculty Recruitment and Retention

Toi Blakley Harris; Michelle Shader; Patrick O Smith; Amelia Challender; Cleveland Piggott; Norma I Poll; Ryan Henyard; Jeffrey M Lyness; Erik D Malmberg; Eva K Pressman; Alicia D Monroe; Negar N Jacobs

doi:10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11472

Implementing a Holistic Review Toolkit for Faculty Recruitment and Retention

MedEdPORTAL. 2024 Dec 4:20:11472. doi: 10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11472. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Senior Vice President, Chief Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Officer, and Executive Director, Institute for the Advancement of Health Equity, Memorial Hermann Health System.
² Director, Holistic Initiatives and Learning, Academic Affairs, Association of American Medical Colleges.
³ Chief Faculty Affairs Officer, Division of Academic Affairs, University of Mississippi Medical Center; Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and Professor, Department of Family Medicine, University of Mississippi School of Medicine.
⁴ Associate Program Director of Education, University of Colorado Family Medicine Residency, and Senior Instructor, Department of Family Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine at the Anschutz Medical Campus.
⁵ Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine at the Anschutz Medical Campus.
⁶ Senior Director, Human Capital Portfolio, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Association of American Medical Colleges.
⁷ Director of Faculty and Education Initiatives, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Association of American Medical Colleges.
⁸ President and CEO, American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology; Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.
⁹ Assistant Dean, Equity and Medical Student Engagement, and Associate Teaching Professor, Department of Family Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine.
¹⁰ Henry A. Thiede Professor and Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry.
¹¹ Chief Integration Officer and Senior Advisor to the President, Office of the President, Old Dominion University.
¹² Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion and Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, School of Medicine.

Abstract

Introduction: A diverse workforce improves health care, educational outcomes, and research agendas. Currently, faculty from historically excluded groups remain underrepresented in academic medicine. Resources are needed in academic medical centers for those charged with recruiting and retaining a diverse and talented workforce.

Methods: Informed by the successful use of holistic review in medical student admissions, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) developed and piloted a toolkit for use in faculty recruitment and retention at five academic medical centers. Institutions led toolkit-guided holistic review workshops ranging from 2.5 to 3 hours in duration for leaders and faculty to identify and prioritize selection criteria used to modify faculty recruitment and retention materials and processes. AAMC surveys at pilot initiation and at two time points during implementation assessed satisfaction with and perceptions of the toolkit.

Results: At the first survey time point, the average toolkit rating across five institutions ranged from 3.2 to 4.4 (out of a maximum of 5.0) for helpfulness and from 3.5 to 4.9 for ease of use. At the second survey time point, the helpfulness of the tools received average ratings of 3.0-4.8. In respondents' qualitative comments, we identified varying strategies for implementation and few barriers to implementation other than reluctance of some faculty to use scripted tools and concerns about anonymity in the exit interviews.

Discussion: The toolkit was well received and easy to implement. It will be important to study the use of these materials across other institutions, with attention to their impact on faculty diversity.

Keywords: Diversity; Equity; Faculty; Faculty Affairs; Faculty Development; Inclusion; Promotions & Tenure; Recruitment; Retention.

MeSH terms

Academic Medical Centers
Faculty, Medical*
Humans
Personnel Selection* / methods
Personnel Turnover
Surveys and Questionnaires
United States