A career in academic medicine is more than a job — it’s a calling. Faculty in the University of Wisconsin Department of Radiology balance the art of teaching, clinical practice, and the pursuit of groundbreaking research, all while shaping the future of medical imaging. But with so many responsibilities, navigating the career landscape can be challenging.
That is where the professional development team comes in. The department recognized the value of aiding and advising the faculty to ensure they reach career milestones. The first step was establishing the role of vice chair of faculty development and enrichment.
The Beginnings of the Professional Development Team
Jessica Robbins, MD holds the distinction of being the department’s inaugural vice chair of faculty development and enrichment, a position she has held since 2018. Dr. Robbins’s early career experiences influence her approach to the role.
“Many of the challenges I faced as a junior faculty informed the processes we developed to make the experience of going through promotion seamless and less onerous,” Dr. Robbins said. “I now meet with each prospective faculty candidate to discuss the different career tracks and expectations of each track.”
Once established as the vice chair, Dr. Robbins began to create a team, and did not have to look far to find the personnel she needed to help implement her vision. Colleen Pilsner, MS initially joined the department in 2019 as a medical program assistant in the Section of Abdominal Imaging and Intervention, the same section as Dr. Robbins. She assisted Dr. Robbins with her faculty development work for nearly a year before she was officially hired as a professional development specialist in February 2022.
With a growing faculty – including 14 faculty starting in 2024 – and a desire to expand services, the team welcomed Chelsea Hanewall as the second professional development specialist in February 2024. Previously Hanewall had served as the graduate program manager in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health’s (SMPH) Medical Scientist Training Program, which enables students to earn both their MD and PhD in an integrated program.
Tailored Support from the Start
When it comes to career guidance at the UW Department of Radiology, potential and current faculty can expect a personal touch. While the SMPH provides broad support within the school, the faculty development team focuses on the specific requirements and accolades for radiology. As an integral partner in the department’s faculty recruitment efforts, Dr. Robbins meets with every potential faculty hire to discuss their goals and explain the available resources and support for their enrichment. Then she and her team continue that relationship upon hiring.
“We created an onboarding and orientation meeting with new faculty to explicitly review the school’s expectations for promotion on the individual faculty member’s selected career track,” said Dr. Robbins. “We have developed a ‘playbook’ for promotion oversight committees to ensure that early career faculty receive the same guidance as they move through the early stages of their career leading up to their first promotion.”
Meeting Career Milestones
From assembly of promotion dossiers to coordinating junior faculty and their promotion oversight committees, the team ensures that each faculty member receives the assistance they need to hit career goals. The team found that their services were especially helpful to early career faculty. After residency and fellowship, some faculty can feel like they’re in unfamiliar territory without the structure provided to them throughout their education and medical training.
The professional development team provides a framework to new faculty to help them set their goals and establish their trajectory towards promotion that suits their individual passions. John-Paul “JP” Yu, MD, PhD reflected on how the team helped him with his promotion to associate professor with tenure last year.
“They provided exceptional guidance along the whole process and provided insights and transparency in an otherwise very opaque tenure process,” said Dr. Yu.
But once faculty reach these milestones, they can still depend on the professional development team for continued care throughout their career. The team supports faculty through their orientation, annual promotion oversight committee meetings, faculty development plans (or annual reviews) and faculty assessment forms (an inventory of academic activity). They also help to nominate faculty members for awards from external publications or professional organizations to recognize their achievements.
Enriching Lives, Not Just Careers
While hitting key milestones and completing annual activities remains a primary focus of the team, they also aim to enrich the lives of faculty.
After Hanewall joined the team in 2024, they launched the Faculty Development Series with the goal of cultivating non-clinical skills. Held quarterly, the sessions provide opportunities for colleagues to learn in an informal setting and build community amongst all faculty. Unlike with national meetings and continued education that focus on a sub-specialty, these more general topics bring faculty from different sections together.
“We’ve hosted three sessions already and received a lot of positive feedback and ideas for future sessions,” shared Hanewall. “Some have primarily focused on the professional world like the one on navigating media requests and social media. But we also offered a session on how to enhance overall fulfillment by aligning our individual core values with activities throughout professional and personal lives.”
Driven to Make a Difference
The team is motivated by the positive impact they have on both individual faculty and the department as a whole.
“The faculty of this department are remarkably ambitious and accomplished. Our team loves to help them see that in themselves and earn recognition for their incredible work through promotions and awards,” explains Pilsner. “It’s rewarding to support them in achieving milestones in research, teaching and patient care as they make impacts locally and across the world.”
The department is grateful for the team’s diligence and commitment to our faculty.
“Jessica, Colleen, and Chelsea provide essential guidance, ensuring our faculty have all the resources they need to thrive at UW–Madison,” Chair Scott Reeder, MD, PhD observed. “Their efforts allow our faculty to focus on their goals and excel in their individual areas of expertise without the added burden of worrying about their career track.
“Simply put: I can’t imagine what we would do without them.”