Distinguished Faculty Award: Guidelines and Required Materials

Guidelines

The Distinguished Faculty Award is presented to a senior faculty member in recognition of the recipient’s excellence in research, service to the profession, or distinction as an educator. The expectation is that this honor will go to an individual who has fulfilled the highest goals of an academician and is nationally or internationally recognized for his or her achievements.

These guidelines are intended to serve as general principles upon which applicants will be evaluated by the ad hoc Distinguished Faculty Award Committee which is appointed annually by the Dean. They are not intended to be all inclusive of selection criteria but rather highlight those which are likely to be given priority. It is important that committee members have some degree of flexibility in the selection process to accommodate nominees who may have particularly unique qualifications.

Active faculty members are eligible for consideration. In the absence of a single professional accomplishment conferring outstanding distinction in teaching, research, clinical service, or administration, the nominee should have achieved distinction in his/her profession over an extended duration as a professor at UIC College of Medicine.  It is strongly recommended that heads seek the advice of their advisory committee to vet recommendations for this award before developing a final nominations packet.

Department Heads — who are de facto distinguished faculty members — with a faculty constituency that highly supports their nomination may be eligible for the award, but with additional scholarship credentials. Among consideration would be an extended period of a meritorious influential role in the development of distinguished persons originating from their department who have been recipients of notable national and international recognition for outstanding personal achievement in teaching, research, or clinical service. Applicants with unusually productive achievements in administration will also be considered.

Required Materials

1. A detailed letter of support from the nominator, describing the nominee’s accomplishments and contributions to UIC. If the nominator is not the head of the nominee’s unit, it is requested that the nominator submit a copy of the nomination materials to the appropriate head for his or her written endorsement.

Letter should include:

• • Medical student education activities. Recognition received by nominee as a distinguished teacher.  Include details on students trained by the nominee and where they are now (if available).
  • Professional contributions. History of external funding, peer-reviewed publications, study section activities, membership in editorial boards, membership to learned societies, and any recognition received by the nominee as a scholar.
  • Service achievements. Contributions to patient care, the institution, and the community at large, as well as other noteworthy extracurricular accomplishments.

2. Minimum of one internal letter of support from a senior member of the UIC faculty and one objective external letter from an academic leader in the nominee’s field.
3. Nominee’s up-to-date curriculum vitae.
4. Failure to supply all required materials may result in a returned application.
5. Materials must be submitted electronically as a PDF file to [email protected] by Friday, March 17, 2023.