Peer References

Peer References are required for candidates for appointment or promotion to Associate or full Professor on the Academic Clinician (AC) track. The purpose of the references is to provide a peer assessment of a candidate’s impact and reputation in their designated, primary Area of Concentration (AoC).

Criteria

For promotion or appointment to Associate Professor, candidates must be recognized outside their division for engagement in their AoC. External appointment candidates to this rank are assessed for level of engagement outside their division in their current home institution. For promotion to full Professor, candidates must must be recognized across PennMed/CHOP and externally as a leader in their AoC. External appointment candidates to Professor are assessed for level of recognition across and external to their current academic/health system as a leader in their AoC.

This is a confidential process. Candidates should not contact proposed evaluators. This process is managed by departments and facilitated by Faculty Coordinators.

Selection Guidelines

All references must meet the following qualifications(refer to the AC Track Peer Reference Guide for more detailed information):

Faculty at or above the proposed academic rank
Up to 2 non-faculty referees may be proposed, but they must be recognized as leaders within their field/organization (e.g. City Health Commissioner, Director of Social Work, Chief Nursing Officer etc.).

Responses must be received from a minimum 6 Peer References before the department may submit a dossier.

Associate Professor Requirements:

Generally, referees must be from outside the candidate’s division, but may be from the same department. For external candidates, most of the proposed referees will come from the current institution.
Rarely, up to 2 referees from the candidate's division may be considered. This would most likely occur in situations where the department is very large and there are multiple sections/subdivisions in a single division.

Professor Requirements:

Referees will generally be external to and across current home health system. Must be outside their current home department.
- Final Dossier must include a minimum of 3 external to PENN MED/CHOP or current home health system for external candidates.

Preparing for Solicitation

The candidate must provide their department’s Faculty Coordinator:

Peer Reference List Proposal Form
- A minimum of 10 proposed Peer References (Additional references may be solicited after initial request as needed)
For the Reference Packet:
- Updated FEDS CV (or applicant CV if external appointment candidate)
- Personal Statement*
  *For promotions: If the AOC is Education-based, the Education Impact Statement should be submitted together with the Personal Statement (the full Education Portfolio is not required)

What We Ask Referees

Describe the impact of the candidate’s engagement (Associate Rank)/leadership (Full Professor rank) in their Area of Concentration
In your opinion, what scope of recognition has this candidate achieved in their designated Area of Concentration
- Primarily within their division, across their department, throughout PennMed/CHOP*, external to PennMed/CHOP*, National/International
  *Current institution for external appointment candidates
Please provide any additional insights you may have on the candidate’s impact in other recognized areas of concentration, clinical service, or education contributions.

Faculty coordinators must follow the instructions detailed in the FC Resource Center in order to complete the Peer Reference Process.