Message from the Interim Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs

Welcome to the Office of Faculty Affairs. I hope you will find our website a helpful tool in learning about our efforts to support our faculty in achieving excellence in education, research and service.

Our mission, “to enhance and strengthen faculty success,” is consistent with the joint missions of UMMS and UMMHC and with one of its strategic vision elements: Building the Workforce of the Future. As the institution continues to advance, we are committed to developing educators, clinicians and scientists to become the next generation of outstanding leaders in healthcare, and recruiting, nurturing and retaining the outstanding scientists and clinicians who help make UMMS and UMMHC world leaders in advancing health care discoveries, technologies and practices.

Over the next few months, we anticipate finalizing one of our major initiatives – the Gender Compensation and Advancement Equity Initiative. This is a collaborative effort between UMMS and UMMHC that included OFA, Human Resources and the Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity and is part of our Program for Women’s Advancement and Leadership Development. The goal of this project is to further explore gender equity in salaries and opportunities for women at UMMS and UMMHC. While previous analyses provided encouraging reviews that resulted in salary adjustments, our current project encompasses a more intricate and in-depth study of the factors that may result in inequities and seeks to reveal differences that may otherwise be confounding.

We are fortunate to have the opportunity to work with people who are truly committed to and passionate about advancing our institution. Whether it is providing mentoring opportunities for junior faculty, organizing faculty luncheons, providing development workshops or developing initiatives that benefit our faculty, our office is available to help faculty succeed. If there is an initiative or project you feel should be implemented to help in this endeavor, please let us know.

Best wishes,
Judy 

Judith K. Ockene, Ph.D., M.Ed.
Interim Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
Professor of Medicine, Chief of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine
Barbara Helen Smith Chair in Preventive and Behavioral Medicine

July 2009