Affiliate Faculty Track

The Affiliate Faculty Track is designed for faculty functioning at an academic affiliate of the School of Medicine or at an off-site practice of the Mount Sinai Health System who will be actively involved in the teaching, clinical, research, service or other activities of the School. The track is not intended for individuals employed and practicing full-time at Mount Sinai Health System member hospitals or at an integrated teaching program site, e.g., Elmhurst Hospital Center or Bronx Veterans' Administration Medical Center; physicians and researchers at these integrated sites will be eligible for full-time faculty titles if they are employed full time and are actively involved in educational or research endeavors.

Appointment Timeframe and Termination Provisions

Faculty in the Affiliate Faculty Track will not have a term of appointment. They may be terminated at any time upon written notification by the Department Chair or the affiliated institution. Additionally, in the event that an off-site employment contract or an affiliation contract is terminated, relevant Affiliate Faculty Track faculty appointments will be terminated unless a Department Chair requests in writing to the Dean’s Office that the individual be retained and moved from the Affiliate Track to another status on the faculty.

Recommendation for Appointment in Affiliate Faculty Track

All faculty appointments and promotions require endorsement by the Committee on Appointments, Promotions and Tenure and ratification by the Dean and the Trustees. For the ranks of Clinical Associate Professor, Research Associate Professor, Clinical Professor and Research Professor, an intensive documentation and review process will be undertaken.

Specific responsibilities for the appointment of faculty at academic affiliates and off-site practices are described below.

Affiliated Institutions:

  • Recommendation by both the affiliated Chief of Service and the President of the affiliated institution is required for all candidates.
  • The affiliated institution is responsible for verifying the credentials of candidates applying for appointment in the School
  • Following appointment, the affiliate institution will inform the School of any changes that would affect an individual's faculty status. At intervals of no greater than five years, the affiliate institution must reconfirm the credentials of all physicians in the Affiliate Faculty Track.

Off-Site Practices:

The President of the Mount Sinai Health Network will:

  • Recommend off-site practice candidates for appointment.
  • Verify the credentials of off-site practice candidates proposed for appointment in the Affiliate Faculty Track.
  • Oversee the monitoring of the quality of clinical care and other activities of off-site physicians appointed to this Track.
  • Inform the Dean’s Office if an individual clinician in an off-site practice is no longer part of the practice, and/or if an off-site practice is no longer part of Mount Sinai.

Updated January 2019

Qualifications: Appointment at this level may be extended to individuals who have completed their training. Candidates must possess excellent clinical skills and demonstrate commitment to the teaching of Mount Sinai students, residents, and fellows.

Appointment: Appointment to this position will be at the discretion of the Department Chair, upon recommendation by the Chief of Service at the academic affiliate.

Qualifications: Appointment at this level may be extended to individuals who are employed full-time at the affiliate institution and have completed their training. Candidates must possess excellent research skills and demonstrate commitment to the teaching of Mount Sinai students, residents, and fellows.

Appointment: Appointment to this position will be at the discretion of the Department Chair, upon recommendation by the Chief of Service at the academic affiliate.

Qualifications: Appointment or promotion at this level may be extended to clinical providers who hold board certification or the equivalent, have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in clinical care and possess the ability to expand both the breadth and volume of their practice over time:

  1. Quality of Care – Candidates must show evidence of superior competence in the provision of clinical services. Case mix adjusted quality indicators such as morbidity/mortality, length of stay, adherence to established appropriate use criteria and performance measures can be presented. Candidates should be perceived by other physicians in the institution and in the metropolitan area as a source of excellent care for patients, as evidenced by patient referrals. Candidates providing clinical laboratory services should be perceived by their colleagues, both institutionally and externally, as excellent diagnosticians.
  2. Patient Satisfaction – There should be evidence that clinicians who provide direct services to patients deliver expert, compassionate care . Positive feedback on patient satisfaction surveys can reflect a physician's abilities as a communicator and caregiver, as well as the attention a physician dedicates to creating a practice atmosphere that is friendly and supportive
  3. Innovation – Candidates may demonstrate receptivity to new techniques and methods of thinking that they incorporate into their practice of medicine to enhance the quality of care they provide to patients.
  4. Administration – Candidates may be evaluated on the basis of their administrative contributions to the delivery of care. Success in organizing and overseeing changes that have a positive impact on quality of care, scope of services, accessibility, patient satisfaction, financial and program viability and other areas will be considered.
  5. Service – Candidates may show evidence of involvement in Mount Sinai committees and external professional organizations.
  6. Teaching – Candidates who teach should be recognized as excellent mentors and educators by their peers and students as judged by course, clerkship or resident evaluations. Candidates may also present evidence of their efforts to educate patients in disease management and the maintenance of good health and health education initiatives in the community in which they practice.

Appointment: Appointment to this position will be at the discretion of the Department Chair, upon recommendation by the Chief of Service at the academic affiliate.

Qualifications: Appointment at this level may be extended to individuals who are employed full-time at the affiliate institution. As researchers, they must possess strong investigative skills and be perceived by other scientists in the institution and community as excellent scientists. They will be expected to play an active role in the education of Mount Sinai students, residents, and fellows.

Appointment: Appointment to this position will be at the discretion of the Department Chair, upon recommendation by the Chief of Service at the academic affiliate.

Qualifications: Appointment or promotion to this level may be extended to faculty who demonstrate excellence and leadership in providing clinical services, teaching and clinical administration. Candidates should be acknowledged clinical experts and/or experts in clinical administration both within and beyond the institution. Candidates should be active participants in institutional and departmental committees, making contributions at both levels. In addition to meeting the qualifications outlined for more junior levels, faculty at this rank are expected to demonstrate skills and accomplishments in some or all of the following areas:

  1. Quality of Care – Candidates must be acknowledged as excellent clinicians in their field and as a resource for truly excellent care. An established reputation among physicians and other health professionals both at Mount Sinai and in the community can be demonstrated by awards, invitations to participate in and/or speak at meetings and discussions of clinical care, success in the care of one's own and other physicians' patients, evidence of having been consulted for analytic, diagnostic or treatment opinions on difficult or unique cases, and for general reputation on clinical subjects. An increasing volume of cases can reflect the candidate's expanding referral base and wide catchment area.Candidates should be perceived by other experts in the region as a source of excellent care for patients, e.g., through patient referrals, or, if focused on laboratory services, for excellent analytical and diagnostic skills
  2. Patient Satisfaction – Candidates should show evidence of a growing patient base that includes both new patients and an established panel of loyal patients. High grades on patient satisfaction surveys are an important indicator.
  3. Innovation – Candidates should integrate advances in the field into clinical practice. A candidate may also show evidence of new approaches that he/she developed that have proven successful or have the potential for improving the care of patients; patents and commercialization relating to such approaches will be favorably viewed. Development of multidisciplinary practices that demonstrably improve patient care and management may be cited. Involvement in clinical trials will also be considered.
  4. Administration – Candidates may be evaluated on the basis of their administrative contributions to the delivery of care. Success in organizing and overseeing changes that have a positive impact on quality of care, scope of services, accessibility, patient satisfaction, financial and program viability and other areas will be considered.
  5. Service – Candidates are expected to play an increasingly active role in the activities of the department and institution, including committee service; leadership in such service carries special weight. Participation and leadership in external professional organizations is desirable. Providing pro bono clinical care through local, national and international organizations may be considered.
  6. Teaching – Candidates should show increasing involvement in teaching and mentoring of students, house staff, fellows or other health professionals; teaching awards provide strong evidence of excellence in this area. Invitations to lecture or participate in panels at other schools will be favorably viewed. Education of the public and patients through lectures and discussion sessions at community centers or in other settings will be considered.

Appointment: Appointment to this position is upon recommendation by the Chief of Service at the academic affiliate and the Department Chair, with subsequent approval by the Committee on Appointments and Promotions.

Qualifications: Appointment at this level may be extended to researchers who are employed full-time at the affiliate institution. Candidates must be excellent scientists with an interest in education. They must play an important role in basic science and/or clinical research at the affiliate institution.

  1. Research – Candidates must possess excellent investigative skills and must be perceived by other researchers in the institution and community as important scientific resources.
  2. Scholarship – Candidates must have a solid record of scientific accomplishment that will be reflected in: extramural grant support; publications in peer-reviewed journals; textbook chapters; editorial service; invited lectures; participation in scientific organizations; teaching and mentoring.
  3. Service – Candidates will participate in administrative activities critical to the success of the research programs at the affiliate institution
  4. Teaching – Candidates will be encouraged to play a role in the education of Mount Sinai trainees on site at the affiliate by offering insights and information on the links between research and clinical endeavors. They will also be encouraged to participate in research conferences at Mount Sinai and to interact with faculty and trainees.

Appointment: Appointment to this position is upon recommendation by the Chief of Service at the academic affiliate and the Department Chair, with subsequent approval by the Committee on Appointments and Promotions.

Qualifications: Appointment or promotion at this level may be extended to individuals who possess a record of outstanding performance as rare master clinicians and/or master clinical laboratory leaders. They are expected to have assumed substantial leadership roles in the provision of clinical services and to exhibit excellence as exemplary teachers, often for the innovative approaches that they take in their work. Candidates should be locally, regionally and even nationally recognized for contributions to the organization and delivery of clinical care.

  1. Quality of Care – Candidates may be widely perceived as outstanding Master Clinicians. They should be clearly recognized at the institutional level as significant leaders within their specific clinical areas, and should be actively sought after on an institutional and regional level for their expertise; recognition at the national level will be considered a significant strength. A panel of patients that includes other physicians can be a valuable indicator of the high regard which colleagues have for a physician candidate. Novel methods for successfully addressing patient needs, whether on the individual level or programmatically, will be considered. Candidates should be seen as a resource both within and outside the local region for defining quality and standards of practice in their area of expertise. Receiving broad-based referrals and consultations will be important evidence of the high regard shown by peers.
  2. Patient Satisfaction – Physician candidates will be expected to elicit an outstanding level of patient satisfaction. Receiving the highest ratings on patient satisfaction surveys will be considered an important indicator of the candidate's success as a caregiver and communicator, as well as on his/her ability to create a warm and supportive practice atmosphere for patients. The length of time that patients remain in the candidate's practice, with consideration for the nature of the practice, can also be reviewed as a reflection of satisfaction.
  3. Innovation – Candidates must demonstrate an ongoing ability to incorporate the latest standards into the provision of excellent clinical services. Evidence that a candidate has created and nurtured a clinical program known widely for innovation and excellence will be given strong consideration. Patents for new techniques or devices, or adoption of the candidate's techniques or devices by other institutions, will be acknowledged.
  4. Service – Candidates are expected to function as leaders in their departments, and to play prominent roles on committees in the department and medical center. It is expected that candidates participate in professional societies and serve on committees and/or in leadership positions in those societies. Providing pro bono clinical care through local, national and international organizations will be considered.
  5. Teaching – Candidates may demonstrate success as role models and mentors to young faculty, students, house staff, fellows or other health professionals; a record of teaching as well as teaching awards can be cited as evidence of excellence in this area. Invitations to lecture and participate in panels at other institutions or organizations, particularly at the national level, can demonstrate broad recognition of one's role as a clinician and teacher. Providing patient education through lectures at community centers or in other settings is expected.

Appointment: Appointment to this position is upon recommendation by the Chief of Service at the academic affiliate and the Department Chair, with subsequent approval by the Committee on Appointments and Promotions.

Qualifications: Appointment at this level may be extended to individuals who are employed full-time at the affiliate institution. Candidates must be expert scientists with a demonstrable commitment to trainee education. They must play an indispensable senior role in basic science and/or clinical research at the affiliate institution:

  1. Research – Candidates must possess superior investigative skills. They must be recognized by other scientists regionally and nationally as excellent researchers, important scientific resources and significant leaders within their specific areas of expertise.
  2. Scholarship – Candidates must have a strong record of: peer-reviewed extramural funding; independent, peer-reviewed publications in excellent scientific journals; authorship of textbooks or textbook chapters; reviews and/or development of teaching materials; invited presentations at scientific and medical conferences
  3. Service – Candidates will participate in administrative activities critical to the success of the research programs at the affiliate institution
  4. Teaching – Candidates will be encouraged to play a significant role in the education of Mount Sinai students, residents, and fellows by offering insights and information on the relationship between research and clinical endeavors; this can be accomplished through participation in grand rounds and other learning fora at the affiliate. They will also be encouraged to participate in research conferences at Mount Sinai and to interact with faculty and trainees. Teaching responsibilities and leadership in teaching should parallel growth in research leadership.

Appointment: Appointment to this position is upon recommendation by the Chief of Service at the academic affiliate and the Department Chair, with subsequent approval by the Committee on Appointments and Promotions.

Updated July 2015